Southwest Stuffed Peppers Recipe (Made in the SLOW Cooker!)

These colorful southwest stuffed peppers are super quick and easy to pull together. No pre-cooking required and absolutely delicious!

Southwest Stuffed Peppers – So Easy to Pull Together!

If you’re a fan of a traditional stuffed peppers recipe, you’ll love the ease of this tasty Southwest Stuffed Peppers Recipe. We’ve also lightened it up a bit by using ground turkey and those Tex-Mex flavors are amazing 🔥🔥!

We have opted to make this recipe in the slow cooker – making it a perfect meal for ANY time of the year.

🍴 Tip: You can find this recipe in week 6 of our slow cooker menu planning made easy meals! 

Do you have to cook meat before stuffing peppers?

You definitely do not have to cook the meat before making these stuffed peppers in the slow cooker. Just be sure to pick a lean ground turkey or extra-lean ground beef so you don’t get a bunch of icky grease floating around.

If you decide to cook these in the oven you’ll need to parboil the peppers first and cook your ground turkey or beef. Add a little tomato sauce or water to the bottom of the baking dish, stuff the peppers and cover with foil.

Pop them in a 350ºF oven for about 20 minutes, uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked through and peppers are tender. Top with a bit more cheese and bake a few minutes more until the cheese is melted.

Personally I’d stick with the slow cooker for this one (it’s just soooo much easier)!

How to Make Stuffed Peppers: 

Gone are the days of parboiling and pre-cooking meat for stuffed peppers (whew, thank goodness)!

Stuffed Bell Pepper Ingredients:

• Peppers
• Ground Turkey or Beef
• Spanish Ready Rice (You can also use plain white or brown rice.  We like this Spanish Rice Mixture because of the extra flavor)
• Black Beans
• Corn
• Enchilada Sauce
• Cumin
• Cheese
• Chili Powder
• Optional Toppings: Sour Cream, Diced Tomatoes, Avocado, Italian Seasonings, Onions, Peppers

To get started, take the tops off the bell peppers and remove all ribs, seeds, and membranes.

Next, mix uncooked ground turkey, ready rice, beans, corn, enchilada sauce, cheese, chili powder, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper until well combined. 

Using the ready rice keeps this stuffed peppers recipe easy to make and prevents any undercooking of the rice.  Because no one likes hard rice in their filled peppers! 

Stuff those peppers with your meat mixture (usually about 1/2 cup, but be sure to fill them full!) and stand them cut side up in your slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours.

Finally, serve topped with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy! Yum, yum! 🙂

What can I put in stuffed peppers?

If you can think of it, you can most likely stuff it in a pepper. Ok, I don’t suggest anchovies or anything weird, but anything you can mix in with ground beef is a go, haha!

I suggest ground pork, Italian sausage, ground chicken, corn, peppers, onions, and different spices to make it your own (think pizza toppings, Philly cheesesteaks, or buffalo chicken). This could be fun!

What do you serve with stuffed peppers? 

This Southwest Slow Cooker Recipe is just about a meal in one, so keep it simple! A side salad and some Sister Schubert rolls will finish this one off, but if you need a few other ideas, here are some ideas:

• Mexican Street Corn
• Guacamole Deviled Eggs
• Easy Grilled Veggies

Or check out our sides box, where you can find an entire section of Tex-Mex side dishes!

Can I freeze filled peppers with rice?

Yes, for sure! These actually make a great freezer meal. (Did you know we also have a freezer menu meal plan?)

You can make and freeze the stuffed peppers in advance. Freeze the unbaked peppers, then thaw them in the fridge for 24 hours. Once thawed, slow-cook the peppers on low for 4-6 hours.

These filled peppers are really a great anytime meal, and they require so little work after everything is prepped!

Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time6 hours hrs

Servings: 6

Calories: 406kcal

Equipment

• slow cooker

Ingredients

• 6 tri-color peppers, tops cut off and seeded
• 1 lb ground turkey (or extra lean ground beef), uncooked
• 8.8 oz pkg Spanish style ready rice
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, plus more for topping
• 2 tsps chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• optional toppings: cilantro, sour cream, shredded Mexican cheese, salsa and avocado

Instructions

• In a large bowl combine uncooked ground turkey, rice, beans, corn, enchilada sauce, cheese, chili powder, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
• Place filling into the cavity of each pepper.
• Spray the bottom of a slow cooker with cooking spray and add ½ cup water to cover the bottom.
• Carefully add peppers to slow cooker in a standing fashion.
• Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours or on high 2-3 hours.
• Serve with desired toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal

Looking for more yummy meals? This recipe is from week six of our slow cooker menu plans – with 60 AMAZING recipes (and 12 desserts too)! You’ll also get membership into our Facebook group – full of tips and tricks for these recipes.

Love these Southwest Stuffed Peppers? You might also like these! 

• Enchilada Style Stuffed Zucchini
• Sausage Stuffed Zucchini
• Baked Potatoes in the Crockpot

If you’re looking for a new slow cooker, here are the team’s favorites!