Chilli Stuffed Peppers: Easy Recipe

If you enjoy spicy flavours and you are a fan of chilli con carne, then a different way to serve this is by stuffing peppers with a chilli con carne mixture. My kids love the idea of eating anything that is stuffed and they love the colours. It is easy to make and tastes delicious. If you have chilli leftover after stuffing the peppers, you have an easy lunch to warm up the next day. Here is how to make chilli stuffed peppers.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Vegetarian/ Vegan: NO
Dairy-free: NO
Gluten-free: YES

Ingredients for Chilli Stuffed Peppers

• I kg lean minced beef
• 4 bell peppers
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 8 button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 packer pre-cooked long grain rice or 1 cup of uncooked long-grain rice
• I beef stock cube
• 2 chillies, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp hot chilli powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 4 oz cheese
• 2 tsp paprika
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

How to Make Chilli Stuffed Peppers

1. If you are using uncooked rice, cook this first in boiling water according to the instructions and then drain before setting aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/ Gas mark 4.
3. Cut the peppers in half and deseed before putting them into an ovenproof dish. 
4. Crush the garlic and finely chop the chillies.
5. Add the oil to a pan and put over medium heat.
6. Then, add the chillies, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan and cook for two minutes.
7.  Add the minced beef to the pan and brown.
8. Once the mince is browned, add the chilli powder, paprika, and cumin.
9. Stir in all the spices and leave to cook for a further ten minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the mince.
10. While the mince mixture is cooking, put the peppers in the oven to start cooking.
11. Crumble the beef stock cube into 300 ml of hot water, stir, and then pour over the mince in the pan.
12. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree.
13. Stir the mixture thoroughly and then bring to the boil.
14. Add the rice and stir through.
15. Turn down the heat so the mixture is simmering and place a lid on the pan.
16. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
17. Remove the peppers from the oven and fill with the chilli con carne mixture.
18. Sprinkle with the crumbled cheese and return to the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling and the edge of the peppers begin to brown.
19. Serve 2 stuffed pepper halves per person with salad and sour cream.

Additional Tips

Wine: To find the perfect wine to accompany this dish, read our article on pairing wine with Mexican food.

Spice levels: In my house, we enjoy spicy food. However, if you prefer your food less spicy, it is easy to alter the levels of spice in this chilli stuffed peppers recipe. Simply use fewer chillies and less chilli powder, cumin, and garlic.