Southwestern Style Stuffed Peppers

We love Mexican food at our house. Often, we have “burrito bar” or chicken enchiladas, but this recipe is quickly becoming one of our favorites. It is pretty quick to prepare. Sometimes I even make this one ahead while the kids are at school and I pop it in the oven when we arrive home after dance class or swim lessons. All of the ingredients are “clean”, “real food” and at just 268 calories per serving, it easily fits into my calorie count for the day. I usually leave some of the filling to the side (not stuffed in the peppers) because the kids like to just eat it with a spoon. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.

Mexican Style Stuffed Peppers

3 bell peppers (any color)
1 lb. ground turkey or chicken (or 2 cups sliced mushrooms for vegetarian)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
1 tsp. cumin
2 tbsp. cilantro
salt
pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup Organic Valley Shredded Mexican Blend cheese

Slice 3 bell peppers lengthwise, removing stem and clean out seeds. Spray 13 x 9 casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray. Drizzle a large skillet with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Brown turkey or chicken or add mushrooms and sauté until browned. Add onion and garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add black beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. (Note: the day I took these photos I was out of corn because, well, that’s the way my life works. 🙂 It is an even more colorful and delicious meal when the corn is included.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill peppers with meat filling. Pour 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cheese and place in oven for another five minutes.

Add a dollop of guacamole to the top. My husband and I also add sliced jalepenos and hot sauce to ours before we eat this. I leave it out of the main recipes so the kids will eat it. Serve with brown rice and a salad or quesadilla.