Piñata Peppers!
I was speeding my way through the grocery store with a pound of ground beef and bargain 6-pack of red peppers, trying to figure out what I was going to make for dinner, when the idea came to me – stuffed peppers! Truth be told, not everyone (I won’t mention any names) in our house is a huge fan of traditional stuffed peppers, so I rarely make them. Time to think up a new idea…they like pretty much anything with taco seasoned ground beef and they love cornbread – maybe I could combine those into a stuffed pepper – I’d give it a shot. Peppers filled with taco seasoned ground beef, cheese and topped with cornbread!
It took several tries to work out all the details (like the cheese layer in the center of the pepper that helps to keep the cornbread from absorbing all the juicy taco filling) but eventually they turned out great! It’s fun to cut into the pepper and see the hidden taco surprise (I know I’m easily amused!) I actually got a little cheer the last time I announced that we were having Cornbread & Taco Stuffed Peppers for dinner! Score 1 for Mom!
Cornbread & Taco Stuffed Peppers Step-by-Step:
Prepare Peppers:
Trim a sliver off the bottom of the pepper so it will stand upright. Try not to cut through the pepper wall. Cut off the top of the pepper and trim out the seeds and ribs. Remove the stems then chop the tops of the peppers to use in the taco filling
Taco Beef Filling:
Cook the chopped pepper with some onions. Brown ground beef with the pepper and onions (drain of excess fat) then add taco seasoning and water. Cover and simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish
Steam the Peppers:
Pour salsa in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish and arrange peppers in dish. Cover and microwave peppers for about 6-7 minutes to soften. Fill peppers about 2/3 full with taco beef mixture. Spoon any remaining mixture around the peppers.
Mix the Cornbread Topping:
Stir together the dry ingredients for the cornbread. (If I’m short on time, I’ll mix up one of the Jiffy Corn Muffin mixes.) Add the wet ingredients and mix together. Top the beef mixture with most of the cheese.
Assemble the Piñata Peppers!
Spoon the cornbread batter over the cheese. Bake until almost done. Top with remaining cheese. Finish baking – YUM!
Perfect for Pinning to Pinterest: ⬇
Thank you for spending some time in the cloud with me!
I hope you enjoy the recipe! Tina ( :
Cornbread and Taco Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
Peppers & Beef Filling:
- 6 large red bell peppers
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons oil divided
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- water (follow amount on taco seasoning package)
- 1 1/2 cups prepared (jarred) salsa
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Cornbread Topping: (or use box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix) - follow directions on box
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large egg
Condiment Options:
- sour cream
- lime wedges
- chopped cilantro
- shredded lettuce
- tortilla chips
Instructions
Peppers & Taco Beef
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice a small sliver off the bottom of each pepper, (trying not to cut through the pepper wall) so the peppers will stand upright.
- Cut the tops off the peppers and scoop out the seeds and ribs. Chop the pepper tops, discarding the stem.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add ground beef to the peppers and onions and brown, breaking up while cooking.
- Drain off any excess fat. Mix in taco seasoning and water, reduce heat to low and put lid on pan.
- Pour salsa in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish and arrange the peppers in the dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap or lid and microwave for 6-7 minutes or until the peppers are softened.
- Spoon the beef mixture into the peppers until about 2/3 full. Spoon any additional beef mixture around the bottom of the dish.
- Using 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, evenly sprinkle a layer of cheese onto the beef mixture in each pepper.
Cornbread Mixture* & Baking
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just moistened. Spoon an equal amount of the cornbread batter into each of the peppers.
- Place in oven and reduce temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Top each pepper evenly with the remaining cheese. Continue to bake for 10 more minutes or until the cornbread is cooked through. You can insert a toothpick and see if it comes out clean.
Thank you for the recipe, Tina. Another trick for any kind of stuffed peppers is to cut them in half length-wise instead of cutting off the tops. Usually shortens the cooking time as well!
We made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit! An absolutely great family meal. Tacos and cornbread are two of My toddler daughter’s favorites, and she went bonkers for the “piñata” aspect of seeing the filling fall out when we cut into her pepper. Our one-year-old loved it too – super baby-friendly recipe since the veggies get nice and soft and the meat is ground beef 👍 Husband and I both also love stuffed peppers, and this is one of the simpler/quicker versions we’ve ever seen. Basically, you’re just awesome. I would recommend using medium salsa rather than mild – we tried to keep things tame for the kids, but the sweet cornbread and extra stuffing created by adding the peppers and onions to the meat meant we needed a little more spice to keep things balanced.
Thank you Heather!
Good recipe, but why preheat oven to 400 just to turn it down later?
Yes, lots of muffins/cornbread type recipes like that burst of heat at the beginning to get some nice lift.