Taco Stuffed Peppers

In these Taco Stuffed Peppers, Mexican rice with tomato, beans and cheese is stuffed into green bell peppers, baked and topped with cheese.

August 5th is Green Peppers Day! You should definitely celebrate by buying a few green bell peppers and making these taco stuffed peppers for dinner. They’re delicious! Share your green peppers on social media today using the hashtags #GreenPeppersDay and #RecipesForHolidays.

Be sure to follow my August Food Holidays page so you never miss a food holiday in the month of August!

“We don’t need a melting pot in this country, folks. We need a salad bowl. In a salad bowl, you put in the different things. You want the vegetables — the lettuce, the cucumbers, the onions, the green peppers — to maintain their identity. You appreciate differences.”

-Jane Elliott

The History of Bell Peppers:

Prehistoric remains of peppers have been discovered at numerous sites in Peru. But we don’t know much about their history way back then.

As far as we know, bell peppers originated in Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Peppers were named by Christopher Columbus and Spanish explorers. Bell peppers specifically were named because of their “bell shape.” While peppers share their name with the popular dried peppercorns, they are in no way related.

In 1493, Columbus took samples of these newly discovered bell peppers back to Europe, which spread to Asia and Africa too.

The first mention of bell peppers was in The Boston Cooking School Cookbook by Fannie Merrit Farmer with a recipe for stuffed peppers.

Today, bell peppers are used in cuisine throughout the world. Most green bell peppers sold in the United States are grown in Florida.

Ingredients needed:

• water
• white rice
• ground beef
• taco seasoning
• black beans
• canned fire-roasted tomatoes with chipotle peppers
• shredded Mexican cheese blend
• green bell peppers
• chopped green onion or fresh cilantro

How to make Taco Stuffed Peppers:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the water to boiling over medium-high heat. Stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to low; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard any grease. Mix the taco seasoning into the ground beef. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, 1 cup of the cheese and the cooked rice.

Place the pepper halves cut-side-up in an ungreased 13×9-inch glass baking dish. Fill each pepper half with the filling, mounding as you can.

Cover tightly with foil; bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the peppers are crisp-tender and the filling is thoroughly heated.

Uncover; sprinkle the tops of the peppers with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and the green onion or cilantro. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

And they’re ready to serve! Taco stuffed peppers are a great, healthy alternative to eating regular tacos for dinner. Enjoy!

Fun Facts about Bell Peppers:

• Peppers are actually fruits because they are produced from a flowering plant and contain seeds. (Most people think of them as vegetables.)
• Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers are actually very ripe green bell peppers.
• Red bell peppers are sweeter than green ones because bell peppers sweeten as they ripen.
• Green bell peppers are the most popular type of pepper in the US.
• Red bell peppers have more than twice the vitamin C of a green pepper.
• Bell peppers are a good source of Vitamin A.
• Bell peppers are commonly added to salads and as a topping for pizza.
• While the bell pepper is a member of the Capsicum amus genus like hot chili peppers, it is the only variety that doesn’t produce any capsaicin, which is the compound that is the heat in chili peppers.