Last week, my wife’s grandpa gave us the last four green bell peppers of the season from his gigantic garden in his back yard. Being entrusted with the fruits of his final harvest, we really wanted to honor the ingredient by making it the starring attraction rather than a secondary component of our meal. Then, we thought, “What better way to feature peppers than to make Stuffed Peppers?” We didn’t have an answer to that question, so stuffed peppers became the choice!
For our filling we decided to go with a Bean Burrito motif and mixed black beans, rice, black olives, chipotle chili peppers, and spices together along with some salsa and melted cheese to complete the ensemble before stuffing into the peppers and baking!
We served our peppers with a side of Cornbread that my mother-in-law brought down a few days prior, and the moistness and sweetness of the bread was a perfect complement to the spice of the peppers!
Time: 70 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Bell Peppers that can stand upright. We used Green.
- 1/6 Cup Dried Rice (we used Arroz) per Pepper
- 1 Can of Black Beans per 2 or 3 Peppers.
- Onion
- Chipotle Chilies in Adobo Sauce. We used 1 chili per pepper, and that added a lot of heat.
- Salsa
- Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack
- Chili Powder
- Ground Cumin
- Optional: Sliced Black Olives
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with some foil.
- Heat some olive oil in a pot, and when it’s hot, add in your rice. Toss to coat, and allow to cook for a few minutes until it turns opaque. Then, add water to your pot…you want around 2-2.5x your dried rice volume. Turn the heat to low, and allow to simmer until all of the water is absorbed.
- As your rice cooks, dice your onion, and slice your chipotle chilies. Then, heat a little oil in a large frying pan, and add your onion and chilies. Cook for a few minutes until the onions turn opaque.
- As your onion cooks, drain and rinse your beans, and slice your black olives (if using). Then, when your onion is ready, add your beans, olives, and chili powder and ground cumin to the pan.
- As everything cooks, remove the tops of your peppers, and set the peppers on your baking sheet.
- When your rice is ready, scoop it into your frying pan with your onions and beans. Then, add in some salsa and cheese, and stir to combine and allow your cheese to melt.
- Scoop your filling into your peppers, and then bake for 45 minutes.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
