Jump to recipeMain Course · Mexican-American

Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers

A short covered bake gives bell peppers a tender head start, while a reduced beef filling keeps this Tex-Mex dinner satisfying without turning soft or soupy.

$Four cheese-topped bell pepper halves filled with beef, rice, beans, and corn sit beside crisp lime cabbage slaw.$

Stuffed peppers work best when the vegetable and filling finish at the same moment. Here, the pepper halves soften briefly under foil while a deeply flavored beef, rice, bean, and corn filling comes together in a skillet.

Give the peppers a head start

A small amount of water and a foil cover create gentle steam that softens the pepper walls before they are filled. Stop when they flex slightly: that leaves enough structure for the final uncovered bake and a tidy plate.

Cook away excess moisture

Browning the beef before adding the vegetables builds the savory base, while well-drained tomatoes keep the skillet from flooding. The filling should look glossy and connected, but a spoon should still make a visible path through it.

A skillet of concentrated beef, bean, corn, rice, and green chile filling sits beside softened bell pepper halves. — A concentrated beef, bean, corn, and green chile filling is ready to spoon into softened pepper halves.

Fold gently for a light filling

Rice and part of the cheese are folded in after the skillet comes off heat, which keeps the grains distinct and lets the cheese bind the filling softly. Spoon rather than pack it into the peppers so the finished portions remain plush instead of dense.

Use crisp slaw as contrast

The cabbage slaw is intentionally simple: lime, cilantro, and salt brighten the rich beef and melted cheese. Dress it at the end so the cabbage stays snappy while the peppers rest and become easier to lift.

A cut stuffed bell pepper reveals distinct rice, browned beef, beans, corn, green chiles, and melted cheese. — Melted cheese, tender pepper edges, and the textured beef-and-rice filling show the finished contrast.

Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers

4 servings

65 minutes total

Ingredients

• 4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup cooked Mexican-style rice
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup roasted green chiles, chopped
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
• 3 cups shredded cabbage with lime juice, cilantro, and salt

Method

Heat the oven
Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 400 F, then lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Look for: The oven is fully preheated and the baking dish has a thin, even sheen.
Prebake the peppers
Arrange the halved bell peppers cut side up in the baking dish, add 1/4 cup water around them, cover tightly with foil, and bake until slightly tender.
Look for: The pepper walls bend slightly when pressed but still hold their bowl shape.
Brown the beef
While the peppers bake, cook the ground beef in a wide skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small crumbles until browned with no pink remaining.
Look for: The beef has browned edges and the skillet is not holding a pool of liquid.
Season the filling
Stir the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, roasted green chiles, tomatoes, black beans, and corn into the beef; cook until the tomatoes lose their wet shine.
Look for: The mixture is glossy and moist but a spoon leaves a clear trail across the skillet.
Finish the filling
Take the skillet off the heat and fold in the cooked Mexican-style rice and 3/4 cup of the cheese so the filling is cohesive without becoming pasty.
Look for: Rice, beans, and beef are evenly distributed and the cheese begins to melt through the filling.
Fill the peppers
Remove the foil and carefully pour off the water, then divide the warm beef filling among the pepper halves, mounding it lightly without packing it down.
Look for: Each pepper is full but retains a visible rim and the filling is not spilling into the dish.
Bake with cheese
Top the peppers with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese and bake uncovered at 400 F until the peppers are tender, the filling is hot, and the cheese is browned in spots.
Look for: A paring knife slides through a pepper wall easily while the halves still stand upright.
Dress the slaw and serve
Toss the shredded cabbage with lime juice, cilantro, and salt, rest the peppers for 5 minutes, then serve each portion with the crisp lime-dressed slaw.
Look for: The slaw is lightly coated and crisp, and the stuffed peppers hold together when lifted.