Enchilada-Style Stuffed Peppers

Let's talk about stuffed peppers. I have tried several kids but they always have ground meat and rice in the recipe which makes them kind of....dry and sad. They are supposed to oozing with goodness, tender, and tasty. These met all the criteria. I got the idea for these enchilada-style peppers from Pinterest, but I just did not like all of the ingredients in the Pinterest recipe. After doing a little online reading, I came up with a recipe that combined elements of four different ones. Rich, aka "the anti-veggie" did like the filling but of course does not like bell peppers. ;-) This recipe easily makes 8 peppers so I highly recommend you consider making only half the recipe, or freezing half of the filling. Or, at least invite some guests over :-) I wanted leftovers so I made 5 peppers and put the rest of the filling away.

To start, you've gotta make some roasted chicken. Drizzle four chicken breasts with olive oil, then sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, garlic salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Wrap them in foil and bake at 400 for 45-55 minutes. Cool & shred.

Now, let's make stuffed peppers!

5 large, even-shaped bell peppers in assorted colors (green, red, orange, yellow!)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can Rotel, drained
1 cup finely shredded cheese, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
1 large can mild red enchilada sauce, any brand
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the "white stuff" and the seeds.

Spray a deep covered baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then place the peppers inside. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, beans, corn, cheese, Rotel, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, and the cumin and chili powder. 

Next. generously fill the peppers and pour the remaining enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Bake, covered, at 350 for about 50 minutes, then garnish with cheese and allow about 2-3 minutes for it to melt. 

I served ours with sweet corn tomalito. It's soooooo yummy! One pepper has approximately 325 calories, 8 grams of fat, 33 carbs and 34 grams of protein.

Until you serve with Mexican crema and Wholly Guacamole! Mmmmmmm. So good.