Texas Stuffed Peppers

Part of the beauty of living in Texas is the food culture. I love it. It's funny because we rarely eat out, but it seems that I default to the more rustic, tex-mex cuisine quite a bit when we do! Anytime we go out of town this is what I crave the moment I step foot on the dusty Texas soil. Something slightly spicy (I'm a wimp, but I'm growing in this area!) with salted chips and preferably lots of guac! 

Why wait to go out to satisfy this craving? Here's my own version of a Texas take on stuffed peppers. 

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

4 large bell peppers, any variety 

Olive oil

1 cup quinoa 

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons taco seasoning 

½ onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lb. ground beef 

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup frozen or fresh corn

Cheese of your choice – cheddar, Colby, pepper jack, etc.  

Preheat oven to 400 f. 

With a large cutting knife, halve peppers length-wise. With the tip of your knife, carefully slice off stems along with the inside ribs. Shake out the ribs & seeds and discard with the stems. Place cut side up on a large baking sheet, lightly drizzle with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes. 

You've heard of "mom brain," right? Well, this is a classic example: using two baking dishes rather than one baking sheet....not smart mama, not smart. Learn from my mistakes. Moving on.....

Follow the package instructions to cook your quinoa. Add some salt and pepper and one teaspoon taco seasoning. You’ll know it’s done when the water has been completely absorbed. 

While the quinoa is cooking, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper, until almost all the pink is gone. Add quinoa, black beans, corn, and 2 tablespoons more of the taco seasoning. Mix all together until well incorporated. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning if desired.  

beauty in the mess :)

Let peppers cool just a bit so you can handle them. Scoop generous portions of the quinoa “stuffing” into the peppers, grate cheese on top and pop back into the oven for another 20 minutes. 

Top with salsa, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, sour cream or Greek yogurt. 

Enjoy! 

“Texas Stuffed Peppers" is part of a blog relaunch series entitled 

"31 Days of Responding to Him" 

Follow along here