These are the very best quick and easy taco stuffed bell peppers. Your favorite taco filling simmered with ground turkey, brown rice, salsa, and taco seasoning all piled into a hearty bell pepper, topped with cheese and baked until soft and melty. So good! Easily made vegetarian or vegan. A healthy dinner recipe everyone will love!
I love, love, love these taco stuffed peppers! They are so good that my family and I have added them to our meal rotation and we are so excited to eat them every time I make them. My husband loves to have a toppings bar and add all kinds of fixings, literally his favorite thing.
What I really enjoy about this recipe is that it is so quick and easy to make and requires very little prep work. Plus it can be made in about 30 minutes, which is perfect for all of us super busy humans that are trying to juggle 100 things everyday.
Why you will just love these taco stuffed peppers
- They super healthy and packed with lots of protein, good carbs, and healthy fat
- The taco filling is loaded with so much crazy good flavor, you will love it!
- Comes together in 30 minutes or less and can be made ahead if needed.
- Easily adaptable for a vegan or vegetarian diet
- These peppers store great and are perfect for meal prep.
- Only requires a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients needed to make this recipe
How to make healthy taco stuffed peppers
- Start by making the filling. Brown the ground turkey in some olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until almost cooked through. Then add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle in the taco seasoning, stir and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the corn, cook for 2 minutes, then add in the jarred salsa and let that simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the cooked brown rice and season with kosher salt and pepper and let it all simmer on low for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and let that slightly cool.
Cook turkey mixture Simmer on low
3. While the filling is cooking, you can prepare the peppers. To do this, slice the ends with the stem off of each pepper about 1/4 inch from the top. Use your hand or a spoon to scoop out the seeds and ribs and place the peppers into a microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup of water.
4. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and cook on high in the microwave for 5 minutes to help soften the peppers. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Poor any excess water out of the bottom of the peppers and place them into an oven safe baking dish. Season the peppers with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Cut the tops off Clean out ribs and seeds Place in dish
5. Carefully divide the filling between the peppers, top with cheese, and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is nice and melted.
Fill peppers Top with cheese Bake
These peppers are so amazing and fun to eat all week long for a quick lunch or dinner. I bet you could even eat one for breakfast with a fried egg on top!
Can you make stuffed peppers ahead of time?
These taco stuffed peppers can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Just follow the recipe all the way up to filling the peppers. Let them cool completely, cover them, and store them in the refrigerator until the next day.
When ready to bake, remove the covering, top each pepper with cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Can you freeze stuffed peppers?
Yes, you can freeze these peppers. Do not bake them a second time and do not add the cheese. Fill them and cool them completely, place them into a freezer-friendly container and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
You can also wrap each pepper in plastic wrap, then foil, and place them in a freezer-friendly ziplock bag to store them individually, which is my personal favorite way to freeze them.
When ready to eat, place them into the refrigerator overnight to defrost. Unwrap them and bake them for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F. Add the cheese for the last 10 minutes of baking time.
Make these peppers low-carb
The make this a low-carb recipe, swap the cooked brown rice for cooked cauliflower rice, extra ground turkey or even cooked mushrooms (about 2 cups).
This should slice the carbs in half and even reduce the calories. Something I like to do on my non-workout rest days. Of course, using the cooked brown rice is the tastiest way to enjoy this recipe but it will still be crazy good in a lower-carb version.
Recipe Tips
- Try to select medium-size peppers that are all relatively the same size and shape so they cook evenly. I used 6 medium-size peppers and had just the right amount of filling to fill them all. If you use peppers that are too large then you may not have enough filling. If that is the case then you can add some cooked rice to the bottom of the peppers before adding the filling.
- You can use cooked quinoa, cauliflower rice, or jasmine rice in place of the brown rice in this recipe.
- If you want to make these low-carb, then sub the brown rice with cooked cauliflower rice or extra ground turkey.
- Use fresh or frozen corn in these peppers. I used frozen corn and cooked it according to the package instructions before adding it to the filling.
- To make these stuffed peppers vegetarian, use plant-based ground meat.
- Storing these peppers: See freezing recommendations in post. To store after cooking, let them cool completely, cover them with plastic wrap or foil and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven at 350 degrees F.
Here are some more easy weeknight dinner ideas you may also love
Sausage and Pepper Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
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Quick and Easy Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These are the very best quick and easy taco stuffed bell peppers. Your favorite taco filling simmered with ground turkey, brown rice, salsa, and taco seasoning all piled into a hearty bell pepper, topped with cheese and baked until soft and melty. So good! Easily made vegetarian or vegan. A healthy dinner recipe everyone will love!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb 90% lean ground turkey
- 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1–2 tablespoons taco seasoning, I used store-bought
- 1 cup cooked corn
- 1 (24 once) jar restaurant-style salsa, I used store-bought
- 1 cup cooked brown rice – I used Uncle Ben’s pre-cooked ready rice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheese, Mexican blend or sharp cheddar
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt, optional for topping
- Limes, optional for topping
Instructions
- Start by making the filling. Brown the ground turkey in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until almost cooked through. Then add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle in the taco seasoning, stir and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the corn, cook for 2 minutes, then add in the jarred salsa and let that simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the cooked brown rice and season with kosher salt and pepper and let it all simmer on low for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and let that slightly cool.
-
While the filling is cooking, you can prepare the peppers. To do this, slice the ends with the stem off of each pepper about 1/4 inch from the top. Use your hand or a spoon to scoop out the seeds and ribs and place the peppers into a microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup of water. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and cook on high in the microwave for 5 minutes to help soften the peppers and help them hold their shape. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Poor any excess water out of the bottom of the peppers and place them into an oven safe baking dish. Season the peppers with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Fill and bake the peppers. Carefully divide the filling between the peppers, top with cheese, and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is nice and melted.
- Remove, let cool for a few minutes then top each with a squeeze of lime juice, sour cream, and a pinch of cilantro. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Try to select medium-size peppers that are all relatively the same size and shape so they cook evenly. I used 6 medium-size peppers and had just the right amount of filling to fill them all. If you use peppers that are too large then you may not have enough filling. If that is the case then you can add some cooked rice to the bottom of the peppers before adding the filling.
- You can use cooked quinoa, cauliflower rice, or jasmine rice in place of the brown rice in this recipe.
- If you want to make these low-carb, then sub the brown rice with cooked cauliflower rice or extra ground turkey.
- To make these stuffed peppers vegetarian, use plant-based ground meat.
- Storing these peppers: See freezing recommendations in post. To store after cooking, let them cool completely, cover them with plastic wrap or foil and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven at 350 degrees F.
- Category: Healthy Dinner Ideas
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican
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