Stuffed peppers have been on the rotation for dinners for years. Mostly, I go along more the “Italian style (with a garlic and basil tomato sauce), but I thought that I would do something a little different this time, with more of a Mexican style, with black beans, corn, and leaning to cumin, coriander and a sharp cheese. It’s a great dish to make in the winter. I’d stick with red, orange or yellow peppers over the green as they can be a little bitter. Also, this recipe is flavorful, but not overly spicy.
Ingredients
for the peppers and stuffing
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon “Mexican spice mixture”
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 pound ground beef (85 or 90% lean)
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can corn
1 small can black beans
3 large red bell peppers
for the sauce
1 jar store-bought tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon “Mexican spice mixture”
for serving
2 cups grated cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
You Will also need a 9 x 11 inch baking dish.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat vegetable oil in a pan until shimmering, then place onion over medium heat and sauté onions until softened and lightly browned. Add the tomato paste, spices and the ground beef and continue to brown the meat, breaking it apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 8 minutes. Add in the corn and black beans; mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside as you prep the rest.
Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove stems, membranes, cores, and seeds. Place a steamer insert into a large saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Place the peppers into the steamer insert, cover the pan, and steam until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
In a work bowl, pour in the tomato sauce and mix in spices. Pour about half of the tomato sauce into the baking dish, then place the steamed peppers into the prepared baking dish, and fill lightly with the meat filling. Spoon the remaining can of tomato sauce around and over the peppers. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese over the peppers. Return to the oven to brown, an additional 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted. To serve, sprinkle over the chopped cilantro. Serve with rice.
