Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers
Change up the filling according to what's on hand and you have an easy, healthy and hearty week night dinner that the whole crew will love!
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers halved, seeds removed
- 2 cups cooked rice or favorite grain such as quinoa or couscous
- 1 Tbl olive oil
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 1 jalapeno fine diced
- 1/2 pound ground chicken or turkey, beef or meat substitute
- salt & pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed or kidney or white beans
- 2 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, reserve 1/2 cup for topping or cheddar or pepperjack or colby
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place halved bell peppers cut side up in a shallow baking dish.
- In a large skillet, saute onion and jalapeno in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ground meat, season with salt & pepper and brown until cooked through, breaking into pieces with wooden spoon. Add the garlic powder, chili powder, cumin and oregano, stir to combine. Remove from heat and fold in beans and cooked rice (or grain), 2 cups shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro.
- Stuff pepper halves with filling. Bake for 30 minutes covered in foil. Remove foil, top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes until peppers are tender.
Notes
For Vegetarian version, substitute meat substitute for ground meat.