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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Taco Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Lime Sauce

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Taco Stuffed Peppers are super satisfying, flavorful, and are a Mexican twist on a traditional stuffed pepper recipe. They’re loaded with hearty quinoa and black beans, fresh corn, bright cilantro, gooey cheddar cheese, and are topped with an avocado lime sauce that will rock your world. A perfect Taco Tuesday recipe that the whole family will enjoy!

taco stuffed peppers on a white plate

I love stuffed peppers! And these taco stuffed peppers are a great variation on the original recipe that’s easy to make and tastes amazing! Peppers hold their shape fairly well even when they are cooked, so stuffing them is no problem at all.

Latest Recipe Video!

The black beans, quinoa, veggies and cheese give the filling a wonderful texture, and the creamy avocado lime sauce adds a satisfying decadence when you dig into these peppers.

My favorite part: the nutritional information for this dish is so great! You can enjoy one delicious taco stuffed pepper for under 500 calories! It’s an easy weeknight dinner, and is so tasty, you won’t believe it’s actually good for you.

How To Make The Best Taco Stuffed Peppers

Recipe Ingredients and Notes

This recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients that can easily be added to your grocery list!

For the Healthy Taco Stuffed Peppers

  • Colorful Bell Peppers: I chose green, red, yellow and orange bell peppers so that we got a variety of colors on our dinner table! You also will want to make sure the size of your peppers is large enough to hold the filling – I used the largest bell peppers I could find.
  • Cooked Quinoa: But any grain would work – try cauliflower rice or even brown rice here.
  • Black beans: A great alternative for meat in this recipe! You can also use pinto beans or even kidney beans.
  • Corn, Tomatoes, Cilantro: These fresh veggies give the filling a brightness and acidity.
  • Cheese: I used cheddar cheese, but any shredded cheese would work well.
  • Taco seasoning mix or chili powder: You can add this to your filling (as much as you’d like to taste!) Feel free to use a pre-made or homemade taco seasoning! For a homemade version, try this Old El Paso taco seasoning recipe!
  • Sour Cream: Used in both the filling and the avocado lime sauce!
  • Salt and Black Pepper: Critical for seasoning – don’t skimp on this!
  • Red Onion: Optional, diced, as a topping.

For the Avocado Lime Sauce

  • Avocado: To make this creamy sauce without any cream, avocados are key!
  • Lime Juice: For acidity and flavor.

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Roast bell peppers: you can roast them on the grill or in the oven. I roasted mine in my oven under the broiler. To roast in the broiler: Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Broil the peppers on high for a few minutes until the skin is blistery/starting to blacken. Then turn the peppers over and broil them on high for about 3 additional minutes until the other side is done. Cut off the top of the pepper (save for garnish) and scoop out the insides. Discard seeds and inside of the pepper.

peppers with the tops cut off

Step 2: Combine all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Spoon into bell peppers. If you have any extra filling left over, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can use it as a topping for nachos or a filling for burritos later in the week!

stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl

Step 3: Place peppers on a baking sheet or in a large baking dish. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 3 minutes. Note: You can also combine the filling ingredients in a large skillet with 1 tsp olive oil and cook them over medium heat for 10 minutes before adding them to the peppers. If you do that, reduce your baking time for the pepper halves to about 10-15 minutes.

quinoa stuffed peppers

Avocado Lime Sauce: Chop Avocado, juice limes: combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. If you want to skip this step, you can also use a pre-made taco sauce as a topping.

avocado lime sauce in a cup

Drizzle the sauce over the peppers.

avocado sauce as a topping for the peppers

Serve warm!

taco stuffed peppers with avocado lime sauce

What Makes These Taco Stuffed Peppers Healthy?

  • Protein and Fiber: Each serving is packed with 20 grams of plant protein and almost 18 grams of heart healthy fiber!
  • Vitamins and Minerals: These stuffed peppers are packed with nutrients. Folate, iron, potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and manganese are just a few of the nutrients found in this recipe.

Will Kids Enjoy These Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers?

While kids will typically enjoy the flavors in these stuffed peppers, it can be a challenge for smaller children to cut and eat themselves. For younger kids, I recommend dumping out the filling, chopping up the bell pepper super small and adding it to the filling – and then serving it more like a “burrito bowl” with some tortilla chips and extra cheese crumbled on top. My kids love eating it that way!

Recipe FAQs

How Do You Store Stuffed Peppers?

These easy taco stuffed peppers can easily be saved and reheated the next day. Once they have cooled, wrap them in foil. Then place the peppers into airtight containers. They will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

How Do You Reheat Mexican Stuffed Peppers?

These peppers can be reheated in the microwave, in the oven, or air fryer. To heat in the microwave, place the peppers in a microwave safe dish and heat for 1-2 minutes until warmed through. To heat in the oven or air fryer, preheat to 350 degrees and heat the peppers for about 8-12 minutes or until they are fully warm.

Recipe Variations

  • Add your favorite cooked taco meat to add more protein. Shredded or ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, or even bacon would all be great options. For a plant based meat, you could also try this vegan walnut taco meat recipe!
  • Try additional spices in the filling mix — taco seasoning, garlic powder, or chili powder would all work well.
  • Swap out the sour cream for Greek yogurt for more vegetarian friendly protein.
  • Feel free to use a different cheese: mozzarella, pepper jack, colby jack, or even provolone would all work!

Top Tips For Making This Stuffed Pepper Recipe

  • If you are having trouble keeping the peppers upright when you’re filling them, try placing them in a large muffin tin. This will make them easier to fill. You could even bake them in the muffin tin too. 
  • To save time, pre-roast the peppers! You can even roast the peppers the day before and stuff them/bake them the day of.
  • This is a great recipe for meal prep – these keep really well in the fridge and are easy to reheat throughout the week!
  • Serve with your favorite taco toppings or tortilla chips on the side!
taco stuffed peppers on a white plate

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🎥 Watch How to Make It

https://youtu.be/NGOCdNxeLQw
taco stuffed peppers on a white plate
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Taco Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Lime Sauce

Taco Stuffed Peppers are super satisfying, flavorful, and easy to make! They're loaded with hearty quinoa and black beans, fresh corn, bright cilantro, gooey cheddar cheese, and are topped with an avocado lime sauce that will rock your world. A perfect Taco Tuesday recipe that the whole family will enjoy!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 480kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

Stuffed Peppers:

  • 4 large Bell Peppers
  • 2 cups cooked Quinoa
  • 15 oz Black beans rinsed and drained 1 can
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
  • ¼ cup Tomatoes diced
  • ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
  • cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
  • cup low fat Sour Cream
  • 1 tsp Salt add more to taste if needed
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper add more to taste if needed – depending on how spicy you want the filling to be

Avocado Lime Sauce:

Instructions

For The Stuffed Peppers

  • Roast bell peppers: you can roast them on the grill or in the oven. I roasted mine in my oven under the broiler. To roast in the broiler: Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Broil the peppers on high for a few minutes until the skin is blistery/starting to blacken. Then turn the peppers over and broil them on high for about 3 additional minutes until the other side is done.
  • Cut off the top of the pepper (save for garnish) and scoop out the insides. Discard seeds and inside of the pepper.
  • Combine all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Spoon into bell peppers. If you have any extra filling left over, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can use it as a topping for nachos or a filling for burritos later in the week!
  • Place peppers on a baking sheet or in a large baking dish. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 3 minutes. Enjoy with avocado lime sauce. Note: You can also combine the filling ingredients in a large skillet with 1 tsp olive oil and cook them over medium heat for 10 minutes before adding them to the peppers. If you do that, reduce your baking time for the pepper halves to about 10-15 minutes.

Avocado Lime Sauce

  • Chop Avocado, juice limes: combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Notes

Top Tips For Making This Stuffed Pepper Recipe
  • If you are having trouble keeping the peppers upright when you’re filling them, try placing them in a large muffin tin. This will make them easier to fill. You could even bake them in the muffin tin too. 
  • To save time, pre-roast the peppers! You can even roast the peppers the day before and stuff them/bake them the day of.
  • This is a great recipe for meal prep – these keep really well in the fridge and are easy to reheat throughout the week!
  • Serve with your favorite taco toppings or tortilla chips on the side!

Nutrition

Serving: 1pepper | Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 71.4g | Protein: 20.1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4.6g | Sodium: 659.9mg | Fiber: 17.9g | Sugar: 8.3g

38 responses to “Taco Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Lime Sauce”

  1. This looks fabulous! great idea I never would have thought about doing this with a capsicum! great idea for a weeknight meal!5 stars

  2. This was the bomb! So tasty and easy. Kids loved it. Thanks so much. I love finding recipes online that are winners!5 stars

  3. I’ve only tried and made rice stuffed peppers the Mediterranean way so far. Your recipe excites me as I love quinoa. And I will definitely have guacamole with this Mexican style stuffed peppers. Can’t wait.

  4. Anjali, This recipe looks awesome. As fellow IIN graduates we are constantly looking for new info and recipes to forward on to our clients. We will definitely be sharing your recicipes and blog.
    Thanks!!

    The 2 Chix

    • Thanks so much!! Can’t wait to hear how you like it – and thanks for sharing my recipes / my blog with your clients! 🙂

  5. I think my friends would love these for our dinner tomorrow–and that avocado lime sauce! Most definitely on my radar. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe, lovin’ it!

    • Thanks Margaret!! I can’t wait to hear how you like this recipe when you try it at home! 🙂

  6. These look sooo tasty Anjali! Is there a best way to keep these if you make extra, or are they more an ‘eat straight away’ kind of dish? Thanks!

    • Thanks!! So with the avocado lime sauce and the roasted peppers, you should eat those as soon as you make them. The filling will last — so you could make a bunch of filling ahead of time, and then just roast the peppers/stuff them and make the sauce on the day of! Hope that helps!

  7. Interesting recipe! I’ve never tasted bell peppers made this way. Maybe I’ll give it a try! Thanks for sharing the recipe and nutritional info. 🙂

  8. Should I cook 2 cups of dry quinoa, or cook 1/2 cup of quinoa so I end up with 2 cups of cooked quinoa?

    • Great question Isabel! You want 2 cups of cooked quinoa, so you should start with 1/2 cup dry. Hope that helps!

  9. I wish I had seen this yesterday 🙁 I made quinoa and ground turkey stuffed peppers (also with black beans) last night. It’s my go-to stuffed pepper recipe, but this would have been a fun change, it looks delicious! Next time!

    • Aw! Well you are right, there is always next time 🙂 Keep me posted on how this turns out for you!

  10. Hi Anjali – These look wonderful. I have never been a big fan of stuffed peppers, but I have only ever had the “grren peppers stuffed with ground beef” variety. These look so much better. I am pinning so I can try them soon.

    • Thank you so much Gaye! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe – I’m sure you will love it!

    • Hi Michaela! I just updated the recipe with nutritional information 🙂 Hope that helps! Let me know how you like it!

  11. Overall, this is very tasty. However, I cannot imagine that 1TBSP is the right amount of salt for the filling. This should likely be 1 TSP, right? Against my better judgement, I added all the recommended salt.
    Thank GOD I am a salt aholic, because it is almost too salty to be edible for me… which means inedible for most people.

    • Omg THANK YOU for the catch!! So sorry the recipe originally read 1 Tbsp – you are right, that is way too much salt. I changed it to 1 tsp which is the correct amount, and added a note that you can add more salt to taste if you like 🙂 Thanks again, and glad you enjoyed the recipe despite the addition of salt!

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