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Taco stuffed bell peppers with rice and ground beef (or turkey) take only 30 minutes to make. They’re super yummy, healthy, quick and easy. Perfect for a busy weeknight (and even gluten free)!
You’re going to love this tasty, Mexican inspired dish.
Whip it up by blanching your peppers in boiling water, stuff them with taco meat filling, sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven for around 10 minutes. It’s that simple!
Leftovers reheat very well and are excellent as a make-ahead lunch.
Want more stuffed pepper recipes?
Check out these Chicken Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers, Sausage Stuffed Peppers With Cauliflower Rice, or my delicious Stuffed Pepper Crock Pot Soup!
Ingredients:
Bell Peppers: any color you like!
Ground beef: or substitute ground turkey for a leaner option.
Yellow onion: diced into small pieces.
Diced canned tomatoes: Rotel will also work great!
Instant rice: brown or white instant/minute rice will work. If you don’t have instant rice, you can use cooked regular rice.
Corn: frozen or canned.
Black Beans: drain and rinse before adding to the filling.
Gluten Free taco seasoning: I like to use homemade taco seasoning. It’s easy to make and tastes SO good! You can use store bought if you prefer, but if gluten is an issue for you, be sure to select a brand that is gluten free (many are not).
Cheese: cheddar or a Mexican blend!
How to make beef taco stuffed peppers:
Keep scrolling for the full recipe. We’ll start here with a quick overview!
Step 1: preheat & blanch
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place a large pot of hot, salted water on the stovetop and turn heat to high. Cut peppers in half, place them in the hot water and boil for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: make filling
Brown hamburger meat in a large sauté pan. Add onions and allow the two ingredients to cook together for 5-10 minutes. Then add canned diced tomatoes (with juices), uncooked instant rice, black beans, corn and gluten free taco seasoning. Mix well!
Step 3: stuff peppers
Scoop filling into blanched pepper halves, sprinkle with cheese and bake!
Step 5: serve
Allow peppers to cool a bit and then serve with desired toppings like sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, homemade guacamole, avocado slices or chopped cilantro.
Sides to eat with stuffed peppers:
- Homemade guacamole
- Tortilla chips (regular or low-carb)
- Warm tortillas (regular or low-carb)
- Refried beans
Can I make this recipe without rice?
If you’d like to make stuffed peppers without rice, you can simply cut it out! Your stuffed peppers will still be delicious. Another great option: substitute cauliflower rice.
Why do you boil peppers before stuffing them?
Blanching peppers is a quick way to soften them up. You can also soften them by roasting in the over, but this takes much longer. If you’d prefer a crisp pepper, you can skip this step or only boil for a couple of minutes. It really depends on your preference!
How to store leftovers:
Allow peppers to cool and place them in an airtight, food storage container or Ziploc baggie. Press on the bag or container to remove as much excess air as possible. Refrigerate for 3-5 days.
Freezer instructions:
You can also freeze your leftover stuffed peppers! Allow them to cool completely and then arrange in a freezer-safe, food storage container. Remove excess air and store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Handy tips for this recipe:
- Leftover filling: You may have leftover filling after stuffing peppers. Since they vary so much in size, this recipe yields plenty. Luckily this filling is super tasty on it’s own, mixed into a salad or wrapped in a warm tortilla. It’s also delicious when topped with guacamole, a few slices of fresh avocado or sour cream!
- Taco seasoning: You can buy taco-seasoning mix at the store, but if gluten is an issue for you, make sure to find a brand that is specified as gluten-free (many are not). To avoid additives and gluten, you can also make your own taco seasoning at home. It’s super easy!
- Spice it up: if you’d like a spicier stuffed pepper, consider using hot Rotel (not mild or original) instead of diced tomatoes. You can also mix in a can of diced jalapenos or try adding some red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce to taste!
- Don’t overboil peppers: be careful not to boil your peppers for too long before stuffing them with filling. They may become so tender that they start to fall apart and get mushy. I normally boil mine for about 10 minutes. I wouldn’t go much longer than that!
Taco Stuffed Peppers With Ground Beef (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers *see note below
- 1 pound lean ground beef *see note below
- 1 small yellow onion *diced
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup instant rice *see note below
- 1 15oz can black beans *drained and rinsed
- ½ cup corn *frozen or canned
- ¼ cup gluten free taco seasonings *see note below
- 1 cup shredded cheese *cheddar or Mexican blend
Optional Toppings:
- Sour cream, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, chopped cilantro, avocado slices
Recipe notes:
Bell peppers: I find it helpful to have peppers similar in size and height. Use any color you like! Ground beef: sub ground turkey or chicken if desired. I use 93/7 ground beef, if you’re using a higher fat content meat, drain fat before adding onion to the sauté pan. Instant rice: white or brown will work. You can sub cooked, regular rice if you don’t have any instant rice on hand. Taco seasoning: You can buy taco-seasoning mix at the store, but if gluten is an issue for you, make sure you find a brand that is specified as gluten-free (many are not). To avoid additives and gluten, you can also make your own taco seasoning at home: it’s super easy! I think homemade taco seasoning offers better flavor! General: if preferred, you can make four large stuffed peppers rather than eight small ones. Just cut the tops off of each pepper instead of slicing them in half!Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Fill a large stock pot with HOT water, salt generously and place on stovetop on high heat.
- Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove stem and seeds. Place them in the stock pot. Once water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and allow peppers to simmer for 10 minutes. If you like a crunchier pepper, reduce simmering time. (*Tip: be careful to over cook your peppers or they will become mushy and start to fall apart).
- While peppers simmer, place a large, deep sauté pan on the stove top. Turn heat to medium, add ground beef and allow it to brown. I recommend using a 3-5 quart sauté pan, or larger. All other ingredients will be added to this pan so you will need adequate space. You can also use another large pot in lieu of a sauté pan.
- Once your meat has finished browning, add diced onion. Sauté together until onion starts to become soft and translucent (5-10 minutes).
- Add canned diced tomato (with juices), instant rice, black beans, corn and gluten free taco seasonings and mix well.
- Remove peppers from hot water with tongs and line them in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spoon filling into peppers and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake peppers for 10 minutes and then broil for 1-2 minutes if you want to brown cheese.
- Allow peppers to cool for 5-10 minutes and then serve with desired toppings!
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More healthy, Mexican inspired recipes!
- Taco Salad Bowls With Shredded Chicken
- Easy Low Carb Taco Casserole
- Chicken Enchiladas With White Sauce
- Creamy Chicken Taco Soup
- Classic 5 Ingredient Skinny Margaritas
Pin it for later!
My husband & I are doing a trial run of being gluten-free to see if it helps my symptoms with my autoimmune disease. This is the first GF dinner I made for us and it was a hit! We paired it with corn tortilla chips. This will definitely be a repeat in our house, and I have a lot of your other recipes pinned to try too. 🙂
Hi, Ruthanne! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for pinning and trying my recipes, it means so much! Good luck on your gluten free adventure, I hope it helps!
Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal!
Thank you, Kenny!
I made the taco stuffed peppers for dinner one night. It’s just my husband and I so I had some left over. I put them in a freezer container and froze them for a quick meal. I put the frozen peppers in my ninja foodi and baked them on bake/ roast cycle at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Other than the cheese getting a little crispy they were just as delicious as the day I made them. Thank you the recipe, it’s a definite keeper!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kristine! I appreciate your comment and review. Thank you!
It was really easy and tastes very good !!!
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Stacey
These look and sound delicious. Thanks for sharing another great recipe.
Pinned
Thank you, Cindy!
This looks so good and I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you so much!
These peppers look amazing Stacey! We love stuffed peppers and we love Mexican flavors so I know we will be eating this! Pinned!
Same! Mexican food is my fav!
Yum! This look like such an easy and flavorful meal! Pinned!
Thank you, Lynne!
You know I am a big fan of your recipes! Here’s another amazing one for me to try. Thanks for always shaing your yummy recipes with us. Have a great week!
Woohoo! Thanks so much, Kim!
Yummy! I love that it’s gluten free. Hugs to you.
It looks delicious, Stacey! Definitely saving your recipe to try.
I’m thinking this might work well in the air fryer.
That is a great idea!
This gotta be pert of my meal prep for next week. Am drooling.
Thanks for sharing!
This was a real winner with my family – thank you! 🙂
I am so glad to hear that!
This recipe is wonderful – quick, easy and more importantly, my kids like it!
Definitely a super kid friendly recipe. Thanks, Beth!
This was so good and so easy to make! My new favorite recipe for stuffed peppers. So good!
Thank you so much, Angela!
Fantastic bell peppers recipe. I love how you’ve made them look – so inviting!
It’s all that melted cheese! Thanks, Mahy!
These stuffed peppers are easy to make and delicious. Will make again! Thanks for the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it, Colleen. Thank you!
Delicious! Great flavors and loved the texture from the pepper! Everyone in the family loved them
I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you, Kim!
This was the perfect gluten-free choice for taco Tuesday in our house! Piled high with topping, these are delicious!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you, Sandra!
This was the perfect gluten-free choice for taco Tuesday in our house! Piled high with toppings, such an easy and delicious recipe.
I grew up with stuffed peppers but my mom’s never looked this good! Can’t wait to try this version!