Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Ok so bear with me because I know this picture isn't going to look the most appetizing (my camera is back in the states so I'm forced to use my phone for all these pictures), but I promise you that these peppers are HEAVENLY.

My dad has been making stuffed peppers for dinner my entire life, and yet I have never eaten a single one. I grew up with this idea in my head that I hated peppers. I firmly believed this idea up until a few months ago. I don't know what changed, but suddenly here I was eating peppers multiple times a week. This recipe is once again another Pinterest find, but I tweaked it a little to my liking.

I am a vegetarian so I substituted the ground beef with a faux meat and it was fabulous. I made the regular ones for my meat-loving boyfriend and he agrees that these were to die for.

Please don't let my crappy phone quality picture deter you from making these peppers, because I promise you that they will change your life!

Ingredients

• 4-5 bell peppers, tops and insides removed (Use peppers other than green if possible)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 16 ounce jar salsa
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small can of corn
• 1 onion, sauteed
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
•  big handful baby spinach, rinsed
• Sour cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the peppers then carefully slice the tops off. To remove the insides, cut around the edges of the pepper then pull the center out with your hand. Try to get all the seeds out too. Place the peppers in a baking dish and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium high heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, or until it’s cooked through. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon while it cooks. When done, add in taco seasoning and salsa. Start with about 3/4 of the jar then add the rest if you want it juicier.

In separate pan, saute onions until tender. Add black beans (make sure they’re drained and rinsed), corn and baby spinach. Stir to combine. Cook until the spinach just starts to wilt, another minute or so. Remove pan from heat and mix into the meat.

Spoon the meat mixture into the hollowed out peppers. Fill the peppers almost to the top, leaving just enough room for the cheese. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese on top of each pepper. 

Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the pepper should soften. You can tent the baking dish with aluminum foil if the cheese is starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and garnish with a dollop of sour cream.

(Recipe found here.)