Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Peppers With Red Chile Sauce

This Tex-Mex take on stuffed peppers features a creamy, cheesy, tomato-based filling and an enchilada-style sauce.

Updated October 04, 2023

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Closeup of a baking dish full of cheesy stuffed Mexican peppers. — Serious Eats / Jennifer Olvera

Why It Works

The creamy, moist filling incorporates sour cream, cheese, and crushed tomatoes.
Using two cheeses, American and cheddar, keeps the texture lush and the flavor rich.
A chile, cumin, and unsweetened cocoa-infused, enchilada-style red sauce ties everything together.

When I was a kid, I looked forward to birthday presents. Obviously. I also relished the chance to choose my birthday dinner. Stuffed peppers were on the short list. I'm not going to lie: I even dig the Stouffer's version to this day. As such, my mom kept it pretty traditional, using the familiar ground beef and rice filling and then blanketing the peppers in a tomato-based sauce. That got me thinking.

I updated the flavors of that comfort food favorite with a cheesy, creamy Mexican cuisine-inspired filling that's spiked with chile powder and cumin. Like the traditional version, ground beef and rice form the base. But here, a mixture of American and cheddar cheeses and sour cream—when combined with crushed tomatoes—forms a rich, lush filling, one that's complemented by a complex, enchilada-like red sauce that simmers atop the stove. Why American cheese? It's incomparably creamy, and that's what you're going for—this is Tex-Mex, after all. If you have something against it though, go ahead and just use a full cup of shredded sharp cheddar instead. Meanwhile, the sauce gets its depth from ancho chile and unsweetened cocoa powders, and its aromatics from cumin and floral Mexican oregano.

Then the filling is mounded into the peppers, and the sauce is ladled on top. The whole happy concoction bakes, covered with foil, in the oven for about an hour. Be sure to baste the peppers every 15 minutes or so to keep the filling moist and meld the flavors. Then, just remove the foil during the final 15 minutes of cooking so the tops of the peppers get slightly browned.

This recipe was originally published as part of the column, "Sunday Supper."

August 2014

Recipe Details

Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Peppers With Chile Sauce Recipe

Prep 5 mins

Cook 95 mins

Active 25 mins

Resting Time 10 mins

Total 110 mins

Serves 4 servings

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Ingredients

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup beer, such as pale ale or lager
1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Peppers:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 jalapeños, minced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
4 ounces American cheese, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, tops sliced off, seeds and white membranes scooped out, and bottoms trimmed so peppers will stand upright like cups

Directions

For the Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add oregano, chile powder, cocoa powder, cumin, and beer. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
For the Peppers: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef and cook, breaking it up into little bits, until cooked through. Add onion and jalapeños, stir to combine, and continue cooking until vegetables are slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cumin, chile powder, rice, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, sour cream, and both cheeses and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking until cheese is melted and filling is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Arrange peppers in an 8- by 8-inch baking dish standing upright like cups.
Generously mound filling inside peppers and ladle sauce all over. Cover with foil and bake, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until peppers are tender, about 1 hour, removing foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Let peppers rest 10 minutes, then serve.

Special Equipment

Large saucepan, large skillet, 8- by 8-inch baking dish, aluminum foil

Make-Ahead and Storage

The filling can be prepared in advance, and the peppers may be stuffed ahead of time. The same is true of the sauce; however, store the two components separately in the refrigerator. Remove the peppers and sauce from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking to bring them to room temperature.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
790	Calories
40g	Fat
68g	Carbs
41g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	790
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g	52%
Saturated Fat 16g	81%
Cholesterol 129mg	43%
Sodium 1258mg	55%
Total Carbohydrate 68g	25%
Dietary Fiber 9g	32%
Total Sugars 23g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 366mg	1,831%
Calcium 666mg	51%
Iron 8mg	46%
Potassium 1623mg	35%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)