Taco Stuffed Peppers are a healthy and low carb, family friendly dinner option. Full of hearty meat, flavorful seasonings and vibrant bell peppers, they're easy to make and can be made as a freezer meal, too!
It's no secret that I love taco nights! From taco pasta salad to walking taco casserole, I basically find a way to impart taco taste whenever possible.
As luck would have it, I also love stuffed peppers. I mean, hello stuffed pepper soup and deconstructed stuffed peppers!
So it only makes sense that I would marry the two together in the most perfect (non-matrimonial) union.
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Ingredients
We have simple, wholesome ingredients here!
- bell peppers - You can use any color you'd like. If you have a bounty of stuffed peppers, use the leftovers in my deconstructed stuffed pepper skillet or Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup.
- olive oil
- onion
- ground beef
- spices - ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt
- salsa - use your favorite store bought salsa or homemade restaurant style salsa.
- cheddar cheese - if you can swing it, shred your own cheese. It will melt better on top of the peppers!
See recipe card for full instructions quantities.
Substitutions
If you need some substitutions, I've gotcha covered!
- Seasonings - use 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning in place of the other dried spices
- Cheese - you can also use shredded mozzarella, monterey jack
- Ground meat - for the ground meat, you can use ground pork or ground turkey.
- Salsa - Use salsa verde (green salsa) for a different flavor combination.
How to make taco stuffed peppers
It's super easy to make this recipe. Here's how.
Step #1: Cut each bell pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white inner parts. bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the peppers are softened but not cooked through.
Step #2: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and ground beef. Cook, breaking the meat into pieces, until the onion is softened and translucent and no longer pink.Drain fat if necessary and return to the skillet.
Step #3: Add the spices, salsa and cheese. Stir to combine.
Step #4: Scoop the ground beef mixture into each pepper half and place back in the baking dish.
Repeat until all of the peppers are filled.
Step #5: Top peppers with remaining cheese.
Step #6: Cook for 20 minutes, until peppers are cooked and cheese is melted.
Topping Ideas
Serve with your favorite taco toppings like fresh or pickled jalapeños, taco sauce, cilantro or sour cream, if desired.
Variations
One of the best reasons to cook at home is all the recipe variations you can make to suit your whole family's taste buds! A few ideas for you:
- Bulk it up - you can stretch this recipe (and add extra fiber) by adding canned black beans to this recipe. Give them a drain and a rinse before adding them to the cooked ground beef mixture. Cooked rice could also be added to the mixture.
- Additions - sweet corn, diced green chiles.
- Mix up the protein - you can use ground turkey or ground venison in this recipe.
- Toppings - make it kid friendly by topping these with crushed doritos, fritos or tortilla chips. It's the perfect use for those crumbs at the bottom of the chip bag!
- Low sodium - Omit salt for a lower sodium recipe.
See this version of buffalo chicken stuffed peppers, too!
How to store leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
How to reheat leftovers
Peppers can be reheated in the microwave until warmed through. You can also heat them in the oven at 350 degrees.
To make as a freezer meal
To make these as a freezer meal, you can make the meal as instructed, then cool and freeze in a dish or freezer safe container. Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
FAQ
Visit the search results to see which questions come up under the People also ask section for your primary keyword, and answer them here
What to serve with stuffed peppers
These are my favorite dishes to serve with taco stuffed peppers:
Taco Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup white onion diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
- Toppings: see notes section below for ideas.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 375
- Cut each bell pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white inner parts. It’s up to you if you want to keep the stem intact for a prettier presentation..4 large bell peppers
- Place the peppers cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the peppers are softened but not cooked through. Remove from the oven and flip the peppers so the open side is facing up.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the diced onion and ground beef. Cook, breaking the meat into pieces, until the onion is softened and translucent and no longer pink. Drain fat if necessary and return to the skillet.½ cup white onion, 1 pound lean ground beef, 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Add the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt. Stir to combine.1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the salsa and ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to mix into the ground beef mixture.1 cup salsa
- Scoop the ground beef mixture into each pepper half and place back in the pan.
- Repeat until all of the peppers are filled.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese across the top of the peppers.1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until peppers are cooked and cheese is melted.
Serve warm with additional taco toppings if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
