Beef Taco Stuffed Peppers

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Take Taco Tuesday to a whole ‘nother level with ground beef taco stuffed peppers. Easy, cheesy, healthy, Mexican style dinner recipe!

My family loves ground beef tacos, and we love stuffed peppers. So it pretty much stands to reason we'd combine the two to make Mexican stuffed peppers that are out of this world delicious.

Instead of a taco shell, you fill your pepper with meat, cook it, then top it off with all your favorite taco ingredients, like my favorite peach mango salsa. It's my favorite stuffed peppers recipe to date.

The best part is… The meat mixture is filled with all kinds of fresh flavors, with ingredients like onion, bell pepper, garlic, and fresh tomatoes.

Mexican stuffed peppers, red pepper filled with ground beef taco meat and topped with taco toppings like lettuce, avocado, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, and green onions, on a white plate

Also, if you're looking for another delicious stuffed pepper recipe, I've got you covered with sloppy joe stuffed peppers, Philly cheesesteak stuffed bell peppers, cheesy chicken stuffed bell peppers, and chicken and rice stuffed peppers.

DO I NEED TO PRE-COOK THE BELL PEPPERS FOR THIS RECIPE?

The short answer is, you can, but you don't have to.

Some people choose to blanch or boil their peppers, but I don't. I prefer to keep things simple, and I love the flavors and slight crispness of the peppers when I just stick them in the oven for about 20 minutes before stuffing.

If you do want to cook them beforehand, The Cookful has a great explanation for how to pre-cook peppers.

ground beef taco meat in cast iron skillet and prepared bell peppers for taco stuffed pepper recipe

HOW TO CUT BELL PEPPERS WHEN MAKING STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

While I usually cut my bell peppers in half, you can go with one of two options when prepping your bell peppers for a stuffed bell pepper recipe…

  • Remove the top of the pepper, along with all the pith and seeds that are down inside.
  • OR cut the peppers in half and remove all the pith and seeds inside. Just remember not to eat the stem if you leave the stem intact.

Not sure how to cut a pepper? I've got you covered with more details on how to cut bell peppers.

DO I HAVE TO USE GROUND BEEF FOR TACO MEAT?

No, you can use ground turkey or ground pork, whichever is your preference.

However, we prefer ground beef, so this recipe for easy stuffed peppers is based around ground beef.

ground beef taco stuffed peppers on baking sheet

SHOULD I THAW THE MEAT BEFOREHAND?

Again, you can, but you don't have to.

You can use frozen hamburger meat to make the taco meat for your stuffed peppers, but you may need to sauté your onion, peppers, and garlic in a different skillet so they can be added to the ground beef once it’s thawed.

We actually do this quite often because we forget to get meat out ahead of time, so don’t worry if you’ve forgotten too.

Since taco meat is loose meat and you’re not making actual hamburger patties, it’s a little bit easier to do; though I do recommend thawing if at all possible.

Just put the meat into a skillet with maybe 1/2 cup water, turn the heat on medium, and place a lid on the skillet. This basically steams the meat.

ground beef taco meat for easy stuffed peppers, Mexican style, in cast iron skillet with wooden spatula

You can add the sautéed onion, pepper, and garlic once the meat has loosened up.

When it’s browned, you’ll need to drain off any excess oil.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE STUFFED PEPPERS, MEXICAN STYLE

I recommend using bacon grease for a li’l added flavor to your meat mixture. But if you don’t have bacon grease, no worries; you can also use butter or olive oil.

  • Mince up the garlic, onion, and pepper really well. I like mincing them up so they blend well with the meat and sauce.
  • Sautéeing the garlic, onion, and pepper will really soften them up before you add them to the meat mixture.
adding sauce ingredients to taco meat for taco stuffed peppers
  • Make sure you drain off any excess oil when the meat is browned and ready for the sauce.
  • Once you've added the sauce ingredients, give it a good stir and let the mixture simmer for a good 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Once you've spooned the meat mixture into the prepared peppers, just bake them according to the recipe instructions in the recipe card below.
  • The meat should reach an internal temperature of at least 160°F with a meat thermometer.
ground beef taco stuffed peppers, baked on baking sheet
  • You may need to cover the peppers with aluminum foil halfway through baking to prevent them from getting too brown on top.
  • Once your peppers have cooked through, add all the taco toppings you want, like lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, and green onions.
yellow taco stuffed pepper on white plate with taco toppings

MORE TACO RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY

Chicken tacos and fish tacos are two more favorites around our house on Taco Tuesdays. And I absolutely love this cheesy Mexican casserole with bacon, tacos in a bag, taco sloppy joes and Mexican tater tot casserole.

Adriana's Best Recipes has a delicious recipe for beer battered cauliflower tacos. And This Mama Loves has a very yummy recipe for maple glazed chicken and sweet potato tacos.

KITCHEN TOOLS YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE GROUND BEEF TACO STUFFED PEPPERS:

Skillet – We love using our cast iron skillets and griddle for pretty much everything both at home and while camping; they are very much a part of our camping cooking gear on every trip.

Hamburger Chopper – This handy dandy tool makes it easier to chop up the meat into a much looser mixture.

Wooden Spatula

Ninja Food Chopper Express or Cutting Board and Chef’s Knife

colorful Mexican stuffed peppers on baking sheet

Meat Thermometer

Baking Sheet

Aluminum Foil

3-in-1 Avocado Slicer

BEEF TACO STUFFED PEPPERS RECIPE

If you love this taco stuffed bell pepper recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest! If you make the recipe, be sure to share that you tried it on Pinterest. I love when readers share feedback!

Beef Taco Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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ground beef taco stuffed peppers

Beef Taco Stuffed Peppers

Take Taco Tuesday to a whole ‘nother level with ground beef taco stuffed peppers. Easy, cheesy, healthy, Mexican style dinner recipe!
4 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner Ideas
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 591kcal
Author: Mel Lockcuff

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons bacon grease *
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 medium yellow onion minced
  • 1 large bell pepper chopped
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 medium tomatoes chopped
  • 5 large bell peppers

Toppings:

  • 3 cups lettuce shredded or chopped
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 whole avocados peeled, pitted, and sliced
  • 5 whole green onions chopped
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
  • Wash and prepare 5 large bell peppers by either removing the top of the pepper, along with all the pith and seeds that are down inside. Or cut the peppers in half and remove all the pith and seeds inside.
  • Pre-cook the peppers, empty on a baking sheet in the oven, for about 20 minutes.
  • Mince the garlic and onion really well, and chop the pepper.
  • Sauté the garlic, onion, and pepper in a large skillet. 
  • Then add the meat and mix together with the onion mixture, cooking the mixture just until the meat is browned.
  • Be sure to drain off any excess oil when the meat has finished cooking.
  • Add the sauce ingredients, including the lemon juice, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and 2 tomatoes. 
  • Let the mixture simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Spoon the sloppy joe mixture into the washed and prepared peppers.
  • Bake the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet at 350° for about 20 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of at least 160°F with a meat thermometer.**
  • Meanwhile, prepare the toppings, including the lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, avocados, and green onions.
  • Once the peppers and meat have cooked through, remove them from the oven, serve while warm, and top with your favorite taco toppings.

Notes

*I recommend using bacon grease for the added flavor to the meat mixture. But if you don’t have bacon grease, no worries; you can also use butter or olive oil.
**You may need to cover the peppers halfway through with aluminum foil to prevent them from getting too brown on top.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 591kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 853mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g
Tried this Recipe? Tag us Today!Mention @mellockcuff or tag #aomrecipes!
ground beef taco stuffed peppers recipe
beef taco stuffed peppers on white plate and baking sheet

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