Tex-Mex Stuffed Bell Peppers

These Tex-Mex Stuffed Bell Peppers are a grain-free, gluten-free family friendly dinner with Mexican flair.  Sure to satisfy everyone at the dinner table!

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Easy Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe

Coming up with a dinner that checks all the boxes can be a challenge, right?  The more people you are cooking for, the more factors need to be considered.  Someone may have a food allergy, or not be eating gluten, or wanting to avoid carbs, and don’t even mention the picky eaters! (I used to be one, I know!).  Luckily for me, in our house I only have to worry about two people, but I still sometimes struggle coming up with dinner ideas that are healthy and delicious.  We are trying to focus on making our meals veggie heavy with lots of protein – replacing bread and noodles with vegetables.

Healthy Stuffed Bell Peppers with a Mexican Flair

This is why I am loving stuffed bell peppers right now – meat, veggies and a little cheese makes a super filling a delicious dinner that is full of flavor and free from simple carbs.  I already shared my Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers recently, but while I was developing that recipe I had the idea for these Tex-Mex Stuffed Bell Peppers.  Take all the flavors from a taco and stuff it in a bell pepper – you won’t even miss the tortilla!

As usual, I found all of the ingredients for this dinner at Fred Meyer – my local Kroger owned grocery store.  I do the majority of my shopping there because they have a great selection of both conventional and organic produce that is always fresh and high quality.  Not only that, but the prices are SO much better than the other stores in my area.  I was pretty happy when I went to grab these bell peppers and found them on a great sale.  Since becoming a food blogger I am much more concerned about the appearance of my produce because I know that good looking produce will make my photos that much better.  I had no trouble finding big, beautiful bell peppers with no bruises or marks.  

How to pick bell peppers for stuffed bell peppers

When picking out bell peppers for stuffing, you want them to be as big and round as possible for optimal stuffing.  I also like to buy the ones with the four points on the bottom if possible instead of the three points, because it makes them sit easily in the baking dish.  If you can only find bell peppers with the pointier bottoms, you can just carefully slice off the bottom to make it flat – just try to leave some of the bottom intact so that your filling stays in!

Next I went to the meat department.  I knew that I wanted to go with ground beef for these to keep with a traditional tex-mex feel.  But if you want to cut some calories you can try ground turkey, chicken or even bison!  My Fred Meyer has all of those, along with lots of different options for ground beef, including Simple Truth Organic – I love that I can get organic beef without spending an arm and a leg!  I went with 80/20 for more flavor, but if you are concerned about cutting calories you can try a lower fat ground beef.

I really wanted to make these as full of Tex-Mex flavor as possible so I used Pepper Jack Cheese in them.  If you don’t like Pepper Jack, you could use Cheddar.  

Grain free and gluten free stuffed bell peppers with home-made taco seasoning are a breeze to make

I also used my homemade taco seasoning instead of a package. Another great thing about Fred Meyer is that they sell spices in bulk, and their house brand Private Selection is always fresh and well priced.  Then I tend to make my own spice mixes. But if you don’t want to take the time to mix up the spices you can always use a pre-made mix – just be aware that you might want to use less salt in the rest of the dish because the pre-packaged taco seasoning may be more salty.

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Tex Mex Stuffed Bell Peppers

These Stuffed Bell Peppers are a grain-free, gluten-free family friendly dinner with Mexican flair. 

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword easy, gluten free, grain free, stuffed bell pepper recipe, stuffed bell peppers, stuffed bell peppers recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 6 Peppers

Calories 483 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 6 bell peppers any color, I used red, green and yellow
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion diced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 and 1/2 cups corn kernels I used frozen
• 1 and 1/2 cups cooked black beans rinsed (I used canned)
• 3 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning see my homemade recipe HERE, or use store-bought
• 1 and 3/4 cups shredded Pepper Jack Cheese divided
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Cut the top 1/4 off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes,  place bell peppers in a large baking dish and set aside.  Dice and reserve the extra flesh from the tops, discarding the stem.
3. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Brown the ground beef, then remove from pan.  Drain excess fat from pan.
4. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and the diced parts of the bell peppers, season with salt and pepper.  Saute for 10-15 minutes, until soft and golden.
5. Add the tomato paste and garlic, stir together until mixed and becoming fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the corn and black beans, stir to combine. Add the meat back to the pan along with the taco seasoning. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring until fully combined.
7. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cups of the cheese, stir until cheese is mixed in and melted.  Taste and season with more salt if needed.
8. Fill bell peppers with meat mixture and bake for 30 minutes.  
9. After 30 minutes, remove from oven and top peppers with the remaining 1 cup cheese, return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until peppers are cooked and cheese is browning and bubbly.

Recipe Notes

If you use a packaged Taco Seasoning, go easy on the salt in the rest of the dish.  Taste at the end and add more salt only if needed.

Depending on the size of your peppers you may have some extra filling.  If you have small bell peppers you may have enough filling for 8, if they are large it will be enough for 6.

If you don't want to use Pepper Jack, you can use Cheddar.

Nutrition Facts

Tex Mex Stuffed Bell Peppers

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 483 Calories from Fat 258

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 28.7g 44%

Total Carbohydrates 27.8g 9%

Protein 25.9g 52%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you make this recipe don’t forget to tag it @foxandbriar and #foxandbriar on instagram and facebook! I really love to see what you make and you may be featured in our weekly Reader Feature!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.