This Mexican themed stuffed mini peppers recipe is very easy AND cheesy. Make this simple dish for dinner or an appetizer – and use your choice of ground meats like turkey or beef for filling.
I know sometimes people say “easiest ever” and the recipe isn’t truly easy. But when I say this stuffed mini peppers recipe is the easiest ever, I mean it!
You’re cutting small peps in half and stuffing them with goodness, then putting cheese on top. That’s it.
Making Mini Peppers
What I love about this recipe is that it’s so versatile. You can make these puppies for lunch or dinner.
AND it’s one of my favorite appetizer recipes that everyone loves. You can bring it to a game day party or serve for a casual group dinner.
The total time to make this recipe is 30 minutes, and that’s right up my alley. It’s the perfect time for a quick dinner.
These Mexican themed stuffed mini sweet peppers will make the whole family happy . . . who doesn’t love rice and cheese??
Do you have to cook peppers before stuffing them?
For the smaller, mini ones – no. If the peppers are larger, you should cook them for 30 minutes first after cutting them in half. Bake them on a baking sheet for 15 minutes, then turn over and repeat until peppers are soft. THEN you can fill them and cook for 20 minutes more.
Pick Your Meat, Rice, and Cheese
The seasoning and tomato sauce can stay the same, and you can change the meat, rice, and cheese to meet your and your family’s needs. Try ground beef, turkey, or chicken.
Choose white or brown rice – or even Mexican rice. As far as cheese, I recommend a Mexican blend or Pepper Jack if you like it a bit spicy.
Weight Watchers Friendly
To make this diet friendly, you just need a few tweaks. You will need to do the following: 1) use 99% fat free ground turkey; 2) use brown rice; 3) make sure to use cooking spray (no olive oil); and 4) use reduced fat shredded cheese.
That will result in 5 Freestyle Points per serving for these mini peppers.
Ingredients – serves 6
- 12 mini bell peppers
- 1 pound of ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 2 cups of cooked rice – brown or white, your choice
- 2 14 oz. cans of roasted garlic or Italian seasoned tomato sauce
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- sprinkle of salt and pepper
- pinch of parsley
- 1 tbsp of olive oil (or cooking spray)
Thoughts for this recipe you might be interested in:
- Trader Joe’s always has a great deal on mini peppers if you have one nearby!
- You can make your own taco seasoning with the following: 1 T chili powder, 1 1/2 t ground cumin, 1 t sea salt, 1 t black pepper, 1/2 t ground paprika, 1/4 t garlic powder, 1/4 t onion powder, and 1/4 t dried oregano.
- If you’re looking for easy and fast (and want white rice), try Minute Rice. You’ll boil water, place the rice in, and simmer for 5 minutes. They also have brown rice.
- If you’re feeling fancy, top with green onions, sour cream, or goat cheese. Trust me – it’s delicious.
If you make the full recipe you’ll need a bigger pan obviously . . . but isn’t this little baking dish cute? Mini stuffed peppers need a mini dish, in my humble opinion.
Get the printable recipe card below!
Stuffed Mini Peppers
Ingredients
- 12 mini bell peppers
- 1 T olive oil or cooking spray
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 28 ounces roasted garlic or Italian seasoned tomato sauce 2 cans
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 pinch parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your peppers. If they are not pre-washed, wash and let dry. Preheat the oven to 400º F.
- Use a paring knife to slice them in half, then a spoon to remove any seeds. Set aside.
- Cook rice according to instructions on the package.
- Heat 1 T of oil or cooking spray on medium-high heat. Place the ground meat of your choice into the pan and cook. While cooking, add in the salt, pepper, and parsley into the meat. Cook until brown.
- Turn heat off and stir in one can of tomato sauce and the taco seasoning. Toss in the rice and an additional cup of tomato sauce (you'll have some left over). Mix until well combined.
- Spread some tomato sauce around the bottom of the baking pan.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into your peppers and place in the baking pan.
- Top with the shredded cheese and place in oven at 400º F for about 15 minutes.
- Take out of oven; let cool. Serves six with four mini pepper halves per person.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this stuffed mini peppers recipe, I’d also love for you to visit these other recipes:
anna
Friday 17th of February 2017
The first time i tried stuffed peppers, a german friend of mine made them for me. it made me quite ashamed of pie and chips or fish fingers and chips which was typical in england at the time. yes we are really coming along with our neverending new recipes. i shall try these at home, especially with the cheese on the top.