Southwest Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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

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 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻!

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 crockpot for this one (it's just soooo much easier)!

How to Make Crockpot Stuffed Peppers.

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

Take the tops off the bell peppers and remove all ribs and seeds.

Next, mix uncooked ground turkey, ready rice (oh yeah), beans, corn, enchilada sauce, cheese, chili powder, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Stuff those peppers and stand them up in your crock.

Cover and cook on LOW 4-6 hours.

Finally, serve topped with your favorite taco toppings! 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, different spices to make it your own (think pizza toppings, philly cheesesteaks or buffalo chicken). This could be fun!

What side dishes go 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 ya go:

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

Can I freeze stuffed peppers with rice?

Yes, for sure! These actually make a great freezer meal. Did y'all know we also have a freezer menu?? You can find it HERE!

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 4-6 hours.

Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time6 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, including this meal + 59 other AMAZING recipes (and 12 desserts too)! You'll also get lifetime membership in our private Facebook group, full of other families encouraging one another to make dinner each night together too.

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If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE.