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mexican stuffed peppers recipe
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: General
Description
Mexican stuffed peppers are a delicious weeknight comfort food, featuring a hearty beef and rice filling topped with a smoky chipotle-lime cream sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow), halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef (85-90%)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 0.75 cup cooked long-grain white rice
- 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1.5 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1.5 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 0.5 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 0.5 cup full-fat sour cream
- 0.25 cup cream cheese, softened
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 0.25 cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare Oven and Peppers: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Place the bell pepper halves cut-side up in the dish.
- Cook Filling Base: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking it apart until fully browned. Drain excess fat. Add diced onion and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Simmer Filling: Pour in vegetable broth and scrape up browned bits from the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until broth slightly reduces. Remove from heat and stir in cooked rice, rinsed black beans, and frozen corn kernels. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare Smoky Chipotle-Lime Cream: In a separate small bowl, whisk together sour cream, softened cream cheese, minced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, lime juice, lime zest, and a pinch of salt and pepper until smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons of cream for garnish.
- Assemble Stuffed Peppers: Stir half of the remaining Smoky Chipotle-Lime Cream (about 0.25 cup) into the beef and rice filling mixture. Evenly divide the filling among the bell pepper halves, mounding it slightly in the centers. Sprinkle tops with Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses.
- Top and Bake: Spoon the remaining Smoky Chipotle-Lime Cream over the cheese-covered peppers. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until peppers are fork-tender and the topping is lightly golden and bubbly. If topping browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.
- Rest and Garnish: Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes in the baking dish. To serve, drizzle with the reserved fresh cream and garnish generously with chopped cilantro.
Notes
To avoid a gummy texture from canned goods, be sure to thoroughly rinse the black beans. If the cream topping browns too quickly in the oven, loosely cover the dish with foil. The peppers are done when they are fork-tender and the edges start to wrinkle. Allow a 5-minute resting period after baking so the filling sets and holds its shape when serving.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 pepper halves
- Calories: 750 calories
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 50 g
- Saturated Fat: 24 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
Keywords: stuffed peppers, Mexican, ground beef, weeknight dinner, comfort food, smoky chipotle, easy recipe, meal prep
