Description
Easy taco stuffed bell peppers with a delicious Mexican filling and bubbly cheese will please your pickiest eaters. Perfect make-ahead recipe and freezer meal. Extra Bouns – any leftover filling can be used in a taco salad later in the week.
Ingredients
Filling and Peppers
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef *
- 1.5 cups (12 oz.) fresh salsa (or jarred); reserve 1/2 cup salsa for cooking sauce.**
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 bell peppers, any color – green, red, yellow, orange
- 4 oz cheddar cheese coarsely grated on a box grater to approximately 1 cup. Omit if paleo. ***
Cooking Sauce
- 1/2 cup water or broth
- 1/2 cup salsa
Optional Garnish
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
*Variation – ground chicken or turkey.
**Look for low-sodium salsa
*** Or Monterey jack cheese.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crumbly. Drain off the fat and return the meat to the skillet.
- Stir in 1 cup of salsa, cumin, and smoked paprika. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most liquid is evaporated.
- Cut the peppers in half lengthwise from top to bottom. Remove stems, seeds, and membranes from peppers.
- Place peppers cut side up in a large baking dish. Fill with beef mixture. Top with cheese.
- Combine reserved salsa and water/broth and pour in between peppers along the bottom of the pan.
- Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Optional: Turn the oven to broil and move the cooking rack up one position to brown the cheese for a few minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro if desired, and serve.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: This recipe can be made one day ahead through step 4. After stuffing peppers, cool, cover, and refrigerate the peppers with the cooking sauce stored separately. On cooking day, remove the dish from the refrigerator, add the cooking sauce, and place it on the counter while preheating the oven. Follow cooking instructions 5 – 8.
Freezer Meal: Double this recipe and bake in two casserole dishes. Allow the leftovers to cool, cover and freeze. Oven Reheat: thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through – about 15 – 20 minutes. Microwave Reheat: thaw in the fridge overnight and place in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and cook for five minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Double Up: another option is to double the meat in the recipe and use the extra filling to make a taco salad later in the week.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Beef
- Method: Stovetop and Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: salsa leftovers
