Recipe Tuesday :: Taco Stuffed Peppers

A Tasty video come to life!  I am standing up and admitting that I am a Tasty video addict.  Every time one shows up on my Facebook newsfeed I will stop and watch the whole thing.  Now most of the time I think, "Yeah, that's got to have a bajillion calories in it" and move on.  But this week I saw Taco Stuffed Peppers.  I watched it in awe.  Then I watched it again.  Wait, one more time.  Then I got a piece of paper and watched, wrote, paused, wrote, rewound and wrote until I had the recipe down.  This. Was. Happening.

I've always thought the idea of stuffed peppers sounded good, but every time I made them I didn't like the taste.  Most of those used Italian spices and sausage and other things, but when I saw the Mexican flavors in this I knew it would be amazing.

In the video they used 1 whole pound of beef!  There's no way that all the insides they made fit into only 3 peppers.  I pared that down and omitted the corn just because I'm not a fan of whole corn in my Mexican food.  I also like more tomatoes and less spice, so I added some chopped tomato to it also.  Here is my Taco Stuffed Peppers for two...


Taco Stuffed Peppers for Two

2 bell peppers
6 oz lean ground beef
taco seasoning to taste
1/4 cup onion
1/2 can black beans
1 cup cooked brown rice (I used one Minute Rice Ready to Serve cup)
1/3 cup salsa
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 cup 2% Mexican blend cheese
Toppings:  fresh cilantro, sour cream and guacamole

Core peppers and place standing in a glass dish.  Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a skillet brown ground beef and add taco seasoning.  I usually add a touch of water and cook down until the sauce is thick.  Add the onion, black beans, rice, salsa and tomato and cook until warmed through.  Add the cheese right at the end and mix in until melted.  Throw in some cilantro here if you'd like or use it just as a topping.

Take the baked peppers and fill them with the skillet fixings.  Top with more cheese and bake 15 more minutes at 350.

Top with cilantro, sour cream and guacamole.  Serve with tortilla chips on the side.

Magic in a microwaveable cup I tell you...

The skillet fixings are so good that you could probably just make that and put it in a tortilla or top nachos with it.  We had a little left over and they are waiting for a quick dinner for me sometime this week.  Mom also thought that after coring the peppers we could cut them in half and do baked half-shell peppers so that you can just pile up the skillet fixings on top.  Whatever way you want to make them, just do it!  They! Are! Awwwwwwesome!!!