SOUTHWEST STUFFED PEPPERS
on Mar 03, 2025
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Straightforward stuffed peppers get a Southwest-inspired upgrade thanks to black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, and cilantro.
Remember when stuffed peppers were all the rage? Well, I’m here to show you that there’s no reason they fell off many families’ menu planning! These Southwest Stuffed Peppers are a meal I’ve been making for years.
Best of all, this recipe is entirely customizable. Add extra veggies such as spinach to the mix. Top with a sprinkle of cheese if you aren’t dairy-free. Add some salsa in addition to the diced tomatoes for even more southwest flavor. Sneak in pinto beans as well for even more protein.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to stuffed peppers.
I used ground turkey, canned black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, frozen corn, and cilantro for this hearty, protein-forward variation.
I love this flavor profile and although I’ve made (and eaten!) quite a few stuffed peppers throughout the years, this combo is one I always come back to.
So let’s revitalize stuffed peppers by making this quick, protein-heavy meal. They will not disappoint. Give it a try and tag me on Instagram @olivia.adriance. Enjoy!
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Key Ingredients for Southwest Stuffed Peppers
As I said, this meal is very customizable. Below are the ingredients I tend to gravitate toward for this Southwestern meal.
- Bell Peppers: This recipe makes 6 peppers total. I like to grab some of the more colorful varieties — red, yellow, and orange make for a festive presentation.
- Ground Meat: I always have a variety of ground beef, turkey, and chicken in my freezer for meals like this. For this recipe, I used turkey but any of the above will do.
- Spices: To get the Southwest flare, we’re using cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper. If you have a taco mix seasoning, that will also work.
- Diced Tomatoes: I prefer fire-roasted tomatoes since they have SO much flavor, but regular diced tomatoes work well too.
Pin this recipe for later!
Pin It- Beans: Canned black beans are a staple in many Mexican and Southwest-inspired dishes. Pinto beans would also work well!
- Corn: You can use either fresh or frozen corn. Fresh is delicious during the summer months but frozen corn is just as good.
- Cilantro: Not a cilantro fan? That’s ok. Leave it out. You’re not hurting my feelings!
Step by Step Instructions for Southwest Stuffed Peppers
Go ahead and preheat the oven to 425°F. Take one of your peppers and cut off one side.
Deseed the pepper and place in a parchment-lined baking dish, cut side down. Repeat for the other peppers — and don’t discard the pepper side! Chop It up into small chunks and set aside.
Once all the peppers are opened and deseeded, drizzle them with oil using your hands to ensure the peppers are evenly coated.
Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Time-Saving Tip
To save some time, you could pre-cook the peppers a day or two ahead. That way, on the day you want to eat these, you can get started on the filling and just warm everything up together in the oven. Time is precious, especially on weeknights!
Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of avocado or oil oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Add your ground meat of choice (turkey, beef, or chicken), cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking up the meat into small pieces.
Once the meat has browned, add the tomato paste, fire-roasted tomatoes, beans, corn, and chopped pepper.
Cook over medium-low, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes. Add the cilantro to the meat mixture and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Once the peppers are cooked and your stuffing mixture is prepared, stuff your peppers and return to the oven for 5 minutes. You’ll use all the stuffing for this recipe.
Remove from the oven, top with additional cilantro and sliced avocado.
Serve and enjoy!
More Southwestern-Inspired Recipes:
- Southwestern Micro-Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Southwest Chicken and Rice
- Loaded Veggie Salsa Verde Chicken Chili
- Marinated Steak Fajita Bowls
SOUTHWEST STUFFED PEPPERS
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers, mixed colors
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil, divided
- 1 small red onion, small diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground turkey, beef, or chicken
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups corn, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnishing
- Avocado slices, for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Cut one side off of each of your bell peppers and remove the seeds.
- Chop up the piece of the pepper you just removed into small chunks.
- Add peppers to a parchment-lined baking dish, cut side down, and drizzle with oil, using your hands to ensure the peppers are evenly coated.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of avocado or oil oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add your ground meat of choice, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking up the meat into small pieces.
- Once the meat has browned, add the tomato paste, fire-roasted tomatoes, beans, corn, and chopped pepper. Cook over medium-low, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Add the cilantro to the meat mixture and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Once the peppers are cooked and your stuffing mixture is prepared, stuff your peppers and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, top with additional cilantro and sliced avocado. Serve and ENJOY!
