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Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Mexican stuffed peppers with roasted poblano or bell peppers filled with a seasoned meat, rice, and bean mixture, then baked until the cheese melts. Charred pepper skins are steamed and peeled for a tender, hold-in-the-filling pepper shell.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
steaming 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 680
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Peppers
  • 4 large poblano or bell peppers
Filling
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 garlic, minced
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • 1 cup shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup salsa roja
  • 0.5 cup diced tomato
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 0.25 tsp Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Roast and prep the peppers
  1. Roast peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler until charred all over, about 5 minutes, turning as needed so the skin blisters evenly (visual cue: dark char patches).
  2. Place peppers in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to steam, which loosens the charred skin (visual cue: skins look softened).
  3. Peel off the charred skin carefully and keep each pepper intact (visual cue: pepper flesh is smooth and intact).
  4. Make a careful slit down the side and gently remove seeds, keeping the pepper shell whole (visual cue: hollowed pepper with intact walls).
Cook the filling
  1. Brown ground beef with diced onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat (visual cue: beef is no longer pink).
  2. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring until fragrant (visual cue: garlic smells sharp and aromatic).
  3. Stir in cooked rice, black beans, corn, 1/2 cup cheese, salsa, tomato, cumin, salt, and pepper, mixing until evenly combined (visual cue: thick filling with visible beans and corn).
  4. Simmer for 5 minutes to meld flavors (visual cue: mixture bubbles gently throughout).
Stuff and bake
  1. Stuff each roasted pepper with the meat mixture and place them in a baking dish (visual cue: peppers are generously filled).
  2. Top with the remaining cheese and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes until cheese is melted (visual cue: cheese is bubbling and browned at edges).
  3. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving (visual cue: bright green flecks on top).

Notes

For the cleanest pepper shells, steam in the plastic bag just until the skin loosens, then peel with dry hands so the filling won’t tear the pepper. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days; reheat in the oven at 350°F until hot. Freezing is yes—freeze stuffed peppers (before cilantro) up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. To make it lighter, swap half the ground beef for black beans or use ground turkey while keeping the same seasoning and cheese amount.