Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers With Ground Beef and Beans

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/26/23
tex mex stuffed peppers
Diana Rattray
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 80 mins
Servings: 4 servings

These Tex-Mex stuffed peppers have loads of flavor, with refried beans, tomatillo salsa, and ground beef. The tasty filling for the peppers is similar to a burrito filling. These tasty peppers go beyond the everyday classic stuffed peppers.

The refried beans, ground beef, corn, and rice are seasoned with several Tex-Mex seasonings and the peppers are topped with Mexican cheese before they are finished baking. Spice them up with a bit of cayenne pepper or finely chopped jalapeno peppers, or use shredded pepper jack cheese for the topping.

Serve stuffed peppers with more salsa and chopped fresh red onions or green onions along with guacamole or sour cream.

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 4 bell peppers, any colors

  • 1/2 pound ground beef lean

  • 1/3 cup onions, finely chopped

  • 1 (16-ounce) can refried beans

  • 1 cup corn, drained, thawed if frozen

  • 3/4 cup tomatillo salsa (salsa verde, Rosarita green)

  • 1/2 cup cooked rice

  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, or tomato salsa, optional

Topping:

  • 1 oz cheddar cheese

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas 4.

  2. Line a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan with foil.

  3. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, from the top of the stem to the bottom; remove and discard seeds and membranes.

  4. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the bell peppers to the water and boil for 3 minutes. Remove them from the water and place them on paper towels, cut sides down, to drain.

  5. In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef with the chopped onions. Add the refried beans, tomatillo salsa, rice, parsley, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin; simmer until mixture is hot and bubbly. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

  6. Arrange the peppers cut-side up in the prepared baking dish. Fill each pepper with the ground beef mixture.

  7. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake the stuffed peppers in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

  8. Remove the foil from the baking pan and top each stuffed pepper with a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce, taco sauce, or tomato salsa, as desired, and then top with the shredded cheese.

  9. Continue baking until the cheese has melted.

  10. Serve and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

  •  Serve with additional tomatillo salsa or tomato salsa, if desired.  Offer garnishes and toppings at the table: sour cream, guacamole, chopped onions, more shredded cheese, etc.

Variations

  • Replace the ground beef with ground turkey.

  • Omit the seasonings and add about 1 tablespoon of burrito or taco seasoning to the ground beef mixture, or to taste.

  • For meatier peppers, use 1 pound of ground beef and omit the corn.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
366 Calories
13g Fat
38g Carbs
27g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 366
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 16%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 57mg 19%
Sodium 1085mg 47%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 7g 27%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 59mg 293%
Calcium 122mg 9%
Iron 5mg 27%
Potassium 958mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)