Southwestern Stuffed Peppers Recipe (2024)

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Fill colorful bell peppers with cumin-spiced ground beef, rice, corn, and cheese for southwest stuffed peppers the whole family will love.

By

Dawn Perry

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers Recipe (1)

Dawn Perry

Dawn is the author of Ready, Set, Cook; How to Make Good Food With What's on Hand. She served as the food director for Real Simple and has worked in the test kitchens of Everyday Food, Bon Appétit, and the meal kit delivery service Martha & Marley Spoon. Dawn is the author of Short Stack Editions' Cucumbers and her recipes and writing have been featured in the LA Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post among other publications. She recently started Superkind Cookies, a premium cookie company shipping treats nationwide. Highlights: * Author of Ready, Set, Cook; How to Make Good Food With What's on Hand. * Former food director for Real Simple * Worked in the test kitchens of Everyday Food, Bon Appétit, and Martha & Marley Spoon * Recipes and writing have been featured in the LA Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post

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Updated on January 05, 2024

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers Recipe (2)

Hands On Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 20 mins

Servings:

4

Yield:

8 pepper halves

Jump to Nutrition Facts

We're proud of our Southwest stuffed peppers, but many cultures boast their own version of the popular dish. In Spain, they stuff bell peppers with Valencia or arboriorice and saffron and, in India, spiced mashed potatoes. Filipinos fill theirs with shrimp, pork, and water chestnuts while in Romania, it's pork and rice served with a creamy sour cream sauce.

Our recipe takes a cue from the classic American version of bell peppers stuffed with ground beef and rice, but takes a veritable trip to the Southwest. We punch up the flavor with cumin, diced green chilies, and creamy Monterey Jack cheese. Top with yogurt and salsa, and you have a make-ahead family meal that's a real bell ringer.

What's in a Name?

It's said that bell peppers got their name from British colonists, who named the exotic "peppery" fruit native to the Americas after its shape, and to distinguish it from the Old World "black pepper" they were more familiar with. Some credit Columbus for "discovering" bell peppers after taking some back to Europe on his second return voyage.

While we call them "bells" in the English-speaking world—particularly the U.S., UK, Canada, and Ireland—much of the rest of the world refers to them by the scientific moniker for peppers, "capsicum."

Ingredients

  • 1 cup long-grain white rice

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

  • ½ pound ground beef chuck

  • 1 cup frozen corn

  • 1 (4½-ounce) can chopped green chilies

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 4 ounces Monterey Jack, grated (1 cup), divided

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed

  • ½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt

  • Salsa, for serving

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Rinse and cook rice according to package directions.

  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and beef, and cook, breaking the beef up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in corn, chilies, cumin, cooked rice, 2 ounces (½ cup) Monterey Jack, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.

  3. Arrange bell peppers, cut-side up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or pan. Divide the beef mixture among the bell peppers, add ½ cup water to the baking dish, tightly cover the dish with foil, and bake until the bell peppers are soft, 30 to 40 minutes.

    If making ahead, stop here and allow the cooked peppers to cool, at least 30 minutes but no longer than 2 hours. Keep the pan covered with foil or cover the cooled pan with plastic, and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

    Before reheating, remove the pan from the fridge and set it out for about 30 minutes. This promotes more even cooking.

  4. Uncover the cooked stuffed peppers in the baking pan, sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of Monterey Jack, and bake until browned, 5 to 7 minutes more.

  5. In a small bowl, whisk yogurt with ¼ cup water. Drizzle over the bell peppers and top with salsa and scallion greens.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

521Calories
20g Fat
59g Carbs
26g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe4
Calories521
% Daily Value *
Total Fat20g26%
Saturated Fat9g45%
Cholesterol60mg20%
Sodium574mg25%
Total Carbohydrate59g21%
Total Sugars7g
Protein26g52%
Calcium316mg24%
Iron4mg22%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to boil peppers before stuffing them? ›

The peppers need to be par-cooked before filling so that they cook through. Many recipes call for boiling the peppers first, but I prefer to roast them – more flavor and less cleanup!

How do you keep stuffed peppers from getting soggy? ›

No Moisture In, No Moisture Out. Following the logic of precooking your peppers to safeguard against sogginess, you should also avoid watery ingredients in your stuffing. Let's say your filling calls for tomato sauce. Rather than spooning it directly into your hollowed peppers, reduce it on the stove until it's thick.

Why are my stuffed peppers bland? ›

The thing about most stuffed bell pepper recipes is 3that they call for salt in the filling, not for the peppers themselves. Without salt, the peppers are flabby and bland, merely a filling case. With a sprinkle of salt, they transform into a sweet and powerfully savory part of the dish.

What are the ingredients for stuffed peppers? ›

Why do stuffed peppers take so long to cook? ›

It's possible to stuff peppers with a raw filling. If you're stuffing a whole pepper, it takes awhile to cook because the filling needs to reach a safe temperature.

Why are my stuffed peppers so watery? ›

When you bake peppers that are not pre-blanched or cooked, it is normal that they release their natural water – which can be easily avoided by pre-cooking beforehand.

How do you can peppers so they stay crunchy? ›

Pickles, including pickled peppers, can be made crisper by adding calcium chloride granules. Calcium chloride does not lower the acidity in the jar and is safer to use than lime. It is used in commercially canned pickles.

How do you get the most flavor out of peppers? ›

Filleting a pepper is the best way to easily separate the seeds and pith from the flesh. Doing this allows you to get the most pepper flavor possible with the least amount of heat.

Which color bell pepper is the healthiest? ›

Red bell peppers are the most nutrient-dense, which makes them the healthiest pepper. This is because they've been on the vine for longer when compared to orange, yellow and green peppers, and in that order too.

What spices pair well with peppers? ›

I love to use thyme on my sautéed bell peppers. But there are other herbs that also compliment the sweetness of them that you can use, too. Try adding basil, chives, cilantro, coriander, cumin, curry, garlic, marjoram, or rosemary to you bell peppers when cooking for more amazing flavor combinations.

What is a fancy name for stuffed peppers? ›

The chile relleno, literally "stuffed pepper", consists of a roasted and peeled/skinned green pasilla or poblano pepper stuffed with cheese (traditionally queso fresco) and, occasionally, minced meat, covered in an egg batter, and fried.

Should you soften peppers before stuffing them? ›

I definitely suggest par-cooking the bell peppers first, just a little bit before stuffing them. Not only does this help to soften the bell peppers, but it also cuts down on your cook time.

What cancels out the taste of pepper? ›

Sour cream, yogurt, ghee, butter and milk can all neutralize the pepper flavor, depending on the dish. Mix in a small amount of a dairy and see if you taste a difference. Cream or milk helps balance out broth-heavy dishes, as well as a variety of other recipes.

Why didn't my rice cook in my stuffed peppers? ›

If you find your rice didn't cook in your stuffed peppers, it's likely one of two reasons: It didn't have enough time to cook through. There wasn't enough moisture for the grains to absorb.

How long do you boil peppers to soften them? ›

To boil bell peppers: Cook peppers, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. To sauté bell peppers: Heat a skillet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add bell peppers and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes.

Do you have to cook bell peppers before eating them? ›

Do You Need to Cook Bell Peppers? Bell peppers are safe to eat cooked or raw. They are crunchy and crisp with a very mild spicy bite when raw. Cooking tends to enhance the pepper's natural sweetness.

Does stuffing need to be cooked before? ›

Give stuffing a head start by heating it up before placing inside the turkey. Like the turkey, stuffing needs to reach the 165 degree mark.

How long to boil peppers when canning? ›

Fill jars with peppers; add hot, well-mixed oil/pickling solution over peppers, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process half-pints and pints for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath at altitudes of less than 1000 feet. If at an altitude of 1001 to 3000 feet, process for 20 minutes.

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