Mexican stuffed peppers
A fiber-rich, healthy lunch
Stuffed peppers can also be made with bean ragout. This time, I wanted a fiber-rich meal. I chose ingredients that are high in fiber. These include brown rice, beans, purple onions, and corn. Fiber-rich foods boost metabolism, which can also aid weight loss. Try this delicious and healthy recipe for yourself!
The base is bell peppers
I chose colorful California bell peppers. Sweet peppers would also work well. I really liked that this dish had both yellow and red bell peppers on the plate, which were brightened up by a little green.
What is green sauce?
The green sauce on top of the stuffed peppers is nothing more than homemade zucchini cream. Imagine a cream flavored with oregano, with a distinctly Mediterranean taste. It went very well with this dish. I had some leftovers in the fridge. If you don’t have any, you can leave it out. Or you can try chimichurri sauce, which is also green.
The filling
The minced meat can be pork or even turkey. I used brown rice, but bulgur or buckwheat are also perfect choices if you want to achieve a high fiber content.
Flavors and textures
What I liked most about this Mexican stuffed peppers was the variety of flavors and textures that played on my taste buds. Moving from bottom to top, the texture became increasingly crunchy. The steamed peppers at the bottom were creamy, while the rice filling at the top became crispy in the oven. Divinely delicious!
Mexican stuffed peppers
Ingredients
For the peppers:
- 1 yellow bell pepper (~150 g)
- 1 red bell pepper (~150 g)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
For the filling:
- 1 pouch (125 g) of brown rice (e.g., Riceland brown rice express)
- 250 g ground pork or turkey (about 7% fat)
- 2 purple onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 300 ml sugar-free tomato purée (e.g., Happy Frucht)
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 pinch dried, crumbled basil
- 1 pinch dried, crumbled oregano
- 240 g canned red beans
- 240 g canned sweet corn
- 2 garlic cloves
To finish:
- 25 g grated Parmesan cheese
- homemade zucchini cream (optional)
- fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Wash the bell pepper and cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the stem completely. Scrape out the seeds as well. Make sure there is nothing left inside so that you can fill it easily.
- Lightly oil the bottom of an oven-safe dish. Place the halved peppers in it, sprinkle with a bit of salt, and let them sit while you prepare the rest.
- Cook the brown rice according to the package instructions, then set it aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C or 392°F (bottom and top heating with air circulation).
- Prepare the bean-corn ragout:Peel and chop the onions; set aside.In a deep pan, heat the olive oil and sauté half of the chopped onions until softened.Add the ground meat, season with salt and pepper, and cook while stirring.Grate in the garlic cloves and sauté briefly with the meat.Add the tomato purée, drained beans, and sweet corn (including their juices), along with the remaining onions. Season with basil and oregano and briefly cook together.
- Scoop out one ladle of the ragout and set it aside. Mix the pre-cooked brown rice into the remaining ragout in the pan, then spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes, until the tops turn nicely crispy. Remove from the oven and while still hot, grate Parmesan cheese over the stuffed peppers.
- When serving, drizzle with zucchini cream (if using), garnish with fresh basil leaves, and serve the reserved bean-corn ragout either underneath or alongside the peppers.
Calories and macros
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