I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but here in Maryland, it’s been in the 70’s all week long. The boys and I have pretty much been living outside the past few days, and its been wonderful. On Wednesday, we had dinner plans with our local kids play group. But as luck with 2 small children would have it, those plans fell through. First thought was to just order a pizza, but we try not to order out too often. We had some leftover taco meat from earlier on in the week, and a few bell peppers I’d picked up but not used. So, I thought why not a Tex-Mex twist on stuffed peppers?
We really enjoyed them. It was a light enough dinner that I didn’t feel weighed down by it, yet substantial enough that I was completely full and satisfied with one pepper. I used ground sirloin, but ground turkey is always wonderful in an application such as this. I loved the addition of the black beans and corn, I felt it really added a surprising twist that you wouldn’t be expecting in a stuffed pepper. I had made a batch of Spanish rice to go alongside, so I just added some of that to the stuffing mixture. Topped off with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, it really was a great dinner. Would be an awesome vegetarian dish too, just bump up the amounts of beans and corn. A great way to segue into the lighter, fresher meals of spring that I know we’re all jonesin’ for. Fingers crossed that this beautiful weather holds out through the weekend!
Taco Stuffed Peppers
4 medium bell peppers (I used red, green and yellow)
3/4 pound ground beef (I used leftover taco meat)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup Spanish rice
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
kosher salt
black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing seeds and ribs with a spoon. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Boil whole peppers for about 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from water with tongs and set aside to cool.
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until well browned, about 7 minutes. Drain any grease from the pan. Add onions and garlic, and cook until softened. Add taco seasoning and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add corn, black beans, and diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes, then add rice to the mixture and combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place peppers, right side up, in a baking dish. Evenly divide mixture between peppers. Top peppers with shredded cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for about 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
