Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers

When I think of a new recipe to make for dinner, I want it to be something that 1.) helps get us to eat our veggies 2.) is something Ryan will like and 3.) is sort of fancy but not too hard to do after work. This recipe was a great choice. It’s delicious, not too complicated, and looks impressive on the table if you serve it to guests.

While I was cooking, what made me happy was Ryan got home and said “it smelled good in the hall and I was hoping it was my house.” Awesome! I was winning before he even tasted it. The only compliment better than that is that we both liked it after we ate 🙂

Many of the recipes I try out and post on the blog I’ve gotten from a cookbook, but this is a Mariel original! It was inspired by some Google searching, a little bit by Eating with the Seasons which is a book from my farm share with Potomac Vegetable Farms, and by Ryan’s love for tex-mex food. So I got ideas from here and there, but overall it’s all mine. It might seem silly, but I feel like I’m becoming a “real” cook when I’m putting meals together based on my own ideas. Hope you enjoy the recipe! It’s a great new take on taco night.

Ingredients

3-4 red bell peppers (depending on size, I used 3 and had leftover meat)

1 lb ground turkey (could also use beef)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 can of corn (or about 2 ears fresh)

optional: 1/4 cup of corn salsa from Trader Joe’s. It’s a little sweet and spicy and I love it!

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

1/4 cup of tomato sauce (I like a chunky sauce so tomatoes are in the mix)

1 cup of chicken broth

shredded cheddar cheese (to your taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 400°

2. Cut the bell peppers in half. Clean out all the seeds and pith.

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3. In a skillet on medium-high, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, saute the onion and garlic (about 2-4 minutes).

4. Add the turkey meat. Add the taco seasoning. Add the corn. Cook until mostly cooked through.

5. As you’re cooking the meat, add the tomato sauce if you sense the meat getting dry.

6. Add all of the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the meat.

7. Simmer the meat mixture for 3-5 minutes.

8. Optional: If you like the peppers extra cooked, wrap them in aluminum foil and roast them in the oven for 10 minutes before you stuff them.

9. Stuff the meat mixture into the pepper half. Put the stuffed peppers into a casserole or rimmed backing dish

10. Sprinkle the top with cheese.

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11. Pour the remaining chicken broth in the bottom of your dish

12. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 20-25. It’s read when everything is hot, pepper is softened, and cheese is melted.

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Messy Level: Low!

This is basically a 2-dish cooking endeavor. I basically used a knife, cutting board, skillet, and casserole dish so there was very little that needed cleaning up afterward. The biggest mess is trying to neatly get the cooked stuffed peppers out of the dish once they are done. Not only a good meal, but Ryan didn’t have to go crazy doing the dishes afterward.

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