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Stuffed peppers were a new thing to me up until about 6 months ago, but I now make these about every other week. They are filled with ground turkey (or beef), black beans, tomatoes, onion and wonderful spices like cumin and chili powder.

There was a time in my life when I hated peppers, avoided them completely. I’m also not a fan of too much spice. A burning mouth is not my idea of a good time (and still isn’t). I’ve grown to love bell peppers (and a few others in salsa) because they are sweet (especially orange bell peppers) and don’t make my mouth feel like it’s on fire. I have no doubt you can alter this recipe if you like more spice to include pepper flakes or chopped spicy peppers if you prefer a little kick to your food.

The stuffing is also great served by itself in a bowl or as a dip with tortilla chips! We use leftovers as dip. And, it’s naturally gluten free*!

When I found this recipe, I was just looking for something new with a lean meat to eat (you can use ground turkey or ground beef, I obviously go with turkey). A mom in one of my mommy groups shared this recipe, and I can tell you it was a huge hit with the whole family. Even my picky eater son will eat the beans, larger chunks of turkey and some of the pepper!

While the spices aren’t called out in measurements, this made the recipe that much more fun to play with and get the taste everyone enjoyed. For instance, I never think anything has too much cumin (my favorite spice) so I just keep adding it until the mixture smells up the whole house as it cooks. When it’s time to eat, I just throw some sour cream on top and you’re set!

Depending on the size of your bell peppers, you are likely to have leftover stuffing mixture which is great to eat by itself. This recipe usually makes it through at least 2 meals for my family of 3 (which includes a toddler, baby as well but he doesn’t count yet for meals). Feel free to share your experiences with this recipe, what worked for you and what didn’t!

Ingredients

1 lb Ground turkey (or ground beef)

1 c cooked brown rice

5-6 Bell peppers (colors of your choice)

1 Onion

1 can Black beans (strained)

1 14.5oz can Diced tomatoes

1 8oz can Tomato sauce

Cheddar cheese (shredded)

Spices to taste: cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, pinch oregano

Toppings to serve (to taste): sour cream, salsa, avocado

Directions

1) Set your rice to cook (TIP: for brown rice, it’s generally one cup of rice to two cups of water and takes approximately 20 minutes after the water boils).

2) Preheat your oven to 375.

3) About 10 minutes into your rice cooking, dice an onion and cook it with your choice of meat over medium heat until the meat is cooked through.

4) Add your spices and stir, then add your strained black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and rice. Stir. Simmer for 20 minutes on low.

5) While your mixture is simmering, core the peppers and place in a large dish (non-metal is recommended). Bake for 20 minutes.

6) Once the peppers are done, stuff them with the mixture until the peppers are near overflowing (careful not to split your peppers as you stuff them or your filling will ooze out the side).

7) Place back in the oven for 15 minutes. Then, add your shredded cheese to the top, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

8) Serve with your toppings of choice. Enjoy!

Paleo Alternative – eliminate the rice, black beans and cheese and this stuffed peppers recipe is perfectly paleo!

Kristine is a SAHM to two beautiful boys (ages 3 and 5 months) in the Pacific Northwest and is married with a cat and two free-roaming bunnies. Needless to say, life at her house can get pretty hectic! That’s why she created KrisBeeMama.com to help her fellow moms with parenting tips, mom stories, recipes (gluten free), crafts, budgeting, meal planning and anything else she can think of that could bring some order and understanding to the chaos of parenthood. Parenthood: A guessing game with a million handbooks.