Mexican stuffed peppers – a spicy twist on an American favorite
November’s Recipe of the Month is Mexican Stuffed Peppers. Your family is sure to love these soft bell peppers stuffed with rice, ground beef and salsa and topped with cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 medium to large red or green bell peppers
- 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cup salsa (divided in half)
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup crushed tortilla chips
ingredients
First, heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Next, prepare your ingredients by chopping your onion, cooking your rice and removing the tops and veins from your bell peppers. Once this is done, you can set those ingredients aside and focus on your filling.
I did things a little bit differently from what the recipe recommended. Instead of browning the ground beef and onion together I browned the ground beef and added the taco seasoning. Once the beef was done, I added the onion until it turned translucent. Next, I added the rice and half of the salsa and mixed thoroughly.
Now it’s time to stuff your peppers. You want to ensure that the peppers will stand up on their own, so if necessary, you can cut a small sliver from the bottom to make sure they do. Just be careful because you don’t want to open up a hole at the bottom. Place all of the peppers into a baking dish and spoon the rice and beef mixture into them. Mix the tomato sauce and remaining half cup of salsa and spoon over the peppers.
To cook, cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle cheese and tortilla chip crumbs on the peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.
Now you’re done! All that’s left is to cut in half and serve. I’d make sure to have extra cheese and tortilla chips on the table!
Recipe courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.
