Oven roasted sweet mini peppers stuffed with taco meat, beans, melted cheese and garnished with chopped cilantro for a quick and easy appetizer.
Mini peppers are sweeter than your average bell pepper with the same level of crunch. They come in a beautiful orange, yellow, or red color and honestly look to cute to eat. But... they are delicious. Due to their small size, they make the perfect appetizer or finger-food for any casual gathering. I guarantee this recipe will be a hit.
Ingredients
- Mini sweet peppers
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Cooked beans (homemade or canned, red or black)
- Mozzarella cheese (or another melt-y cheese)
- Cilantro for garnish
- Ground meat (turkey, beef, pork, chicken)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Granulated garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Taco seasoning (store bought or homemade)
Essentials
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Chopping board
- Saute pan for cooking taco meat
- Large spoon for cooking taco meat
- Small spoon for stuffing peppers
They're stuffed with taco meat, red beans, cheese and garnished with cilantro for a little Mexican flare. The sweet and savory combination from the roasted sweet peppers and savory taco meat create the perfect balance that will definitely have you craving for more.
When you bite into them, they're juicy, flavorful, and so addicting.
How to make stuffed mini peppers
Wash and dry each pepper with paper towels.
Cut each pepper in half lengthwise (down the middle) and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt.
Stuff each half with a small amount of cooked taco meat, cooked beans, and top with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Due to the size of the peppers, do not try to overfill as the filling will spill out onto the baking sheet.
Place the stuffed peppers in the oven and bake in a preheated oven at 415° F for about 7 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the peppers are tender. Keep in mind that done-ness is more important than focusing on cooking time as oven times may vary.
Place the stuffed peppers on serving tray and garnish with chopped cilantro for a nice presentation and serve immediately.
Tips
- Great way to use up leftover taco meat and/or beans
- Taco meat can be either ground: turkey, beef, pork, or chicken
- Use canned beans to save time or make homemade
- Slicing the cheese instead of shredding makes the cheese stay on top of the peppers easier
- Do not under bake or over bake the stuffed peppers
- Bake until peppers are nice and tender
- Feel free to cut the green tips off of the mini peppers, but I find that they add more color and are really pretty especially when serving guests
- After baking, they cool off fairly quickly so serve immediately
- Makes a great appetizer for a casual gathering, Memorial Day, 4th of July, or any other summer backyard gathering
Can you make ahead
Yes, these stuffed peppers can be made ahead by storing the ingredients separately by doing the following:
- Cut the mini peppers lengthwise and store in a ziploc bag or an airtight container until ready to use
- Make the taco meat and store separately in a ziploc bag or an airtight container.
- If you're making homemade beans store separately in an airtight container or open a can of beans on the day of
- Slice the cheese and store separately in a ziploc bag or airtight container or slice the day of
- On the day of, warm the taco meat and beans before stuffing the peppers, top with sliced cheese and roast in the oven until the peppers are tender and the cheese has melted
For other appetizer ideas check out these
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Thanks for visiting,
~Cree
📖 Recipe
Oven Roasted Stuffed Mini Peppers
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper for lining baking sheet
- Saute pan for cooking taco meat
- Large spoon for cooking taco meat
- Small spoon for stuffing peppers
- Chopping board
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet mini pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or grape-seed oil)
- 2 cup prepared taco meat (more or less depending how much you stuff)
- 2 cup prepared beans (red or black beans homemade or canned, more or less depending on how much you use to stuff)
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese (or other cheese blend sliced)
- cilantro (chopped for garnish (optional))
Taco Meat
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, or pork)
- 4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 packet taco seasoning (in packet or bottle)
Instructions
- Place a frying pan or saute pan over medium-high heat and add cooking oil. When cooking oil is hot, add either ground turkey, beef, pork, or chicken. Season meat with kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic powder, onion powder, add taco seasoning and follow instructions on taco seasoning packet. When ground meat is done, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 415°.
- Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
- Slice cheese thinly and set aside. Prepare beans by draining the liquid from the can and pour beans into a pot and heat until warm. Set aside.
- Wash pepper and pat dry with paper towel.
- Cut each pepper in half lengthwise (down the middle). Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and gently rub the peppers so all are coated. Season with a dash of salt.
- Place the peppers on the prepared baking sheet. Stuff each pepper with about a 1 or 2 teaspoon of cooked taco meat then cooked beans. Top each pepper with cheese.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast until the cheese has melted and peppers are tender. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and top with cilantro for garnish.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Great way to use up leftover taco meat and/or beans
- Taco meat can be either ground: turkey, beef, pork, or chicken
- Use canned beans to save time or make homemade
- Slicing the cheese instead of shredding makes the cheese stay on top of the peppers easier
- Do not under bake or over bake the stuffed peppers
- Bake until peppers are nice and tender
- Feel free to cut the green tips off of the mini peppers, but I find that they add more color and are really pretty especially when serving guests
- After baking, they cool off fairly quickly so serve immediately
- Makes a great appetizer for a casual gathering, Memorial Day, 4th of July, or any other summer backyard gathering
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