We’re in love with stuffed bell peppers here at the Budget Bytes kitchen, so I decided to make a new variation just so I could have an excuse to eat stuffed bell peppers again. These Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers are full of super flavorful Mexican chorizo, hearty rice, and a rich sauce, then topped with melty mozzarella cheese. They’re SO filling, perfectly portioned for meal prep or freezer cooking, and quite flexible if you want to change up the ingredients to make them even more budget-friendly! Put this one one your to-cook list because I know you’re going to love them!
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Ingredients for Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers
These stuffed bell peppers are packed with flavorful herbs and spices and a rich tomato-y sauce so that every bite is deee-licious. Here are the ingredients for chorizo stuffed bell peppers:
- Bell Peppers: You’ll need three bell peppers to make six servings for this recipe. We used a mix of colors to make it more festive, but you can use any color pepper that fits your budget.
- Mexican Chorizo: Mexican chorizo is a fresh (not cured) sausage that is packed with spices. You can usually either buy this loose or in links. If you buy them in links, simply squeeze the meat out of the casing into the skillet. I like Johnsonville brand, but many larger grocery stores also make their own generic version.
- Garlic & Onion: A little fresh onion and garlic add flavor and texture to the bell pepper stuffing.
- Rice: Long grain white rice bulks up this meal to make it filling while keeping the cost low. We cook the rice right in the pot with the chorizo, spices, and broth for maximum flavor.
- Chicken Broth: The rice is cooked in chicken broth to ensure that every bite is super flavorful. We use Better Than Bouillon to make our broth because it’s budget-friendly and has great flavor.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste is added to the broth to help create an enchilada sauce-like flavor in the rice mixture.
- Diced Green Chiles: Green chiles add even more flavor, color, and texture to the filling. If you prefer a milder stuffed pepper, you can leave out the green chiles or look for a mild green chile.
- Spices: We packed this bell pepper stuffing with even more spices including chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt.
- Mozzarella: The stuffed bell peppers are topped with mozzarella cheese for a rich finish, but you can substitute with a different type of cheese if preferred, like Monterey jack, pepper jack, cheddar, or a Mexican blend.
- Green Onion: A few sliced green onions sprinkled over top of the stuffed bell peppers add a fresh finish, but are entirely optional!
What Else Can I Add?
This recipe is pretty flexible, so if you want to change it up or make it more budget-friendly, here are some other ingredients you can add:
- Beans: Try swapping half of the chorizo with a can of black beans or pinto beans for more fiber and less cost.
- Diced Tomatoes: If you want more color and texture in your bell pepper filling, try adding a drained can of petite diced tomatoes, or diced tomatoes with chiles (Rotel).
- Sweet Potato: Chorizo and sweet potato are a perfect flavor pair. Replace half of the chorizo with one small finely diced sweet potato for a spicy-sweet flavor profile (add it with the rice so it can simmer and soften with the rice).
Mexican Chorizo vs. Spanish Chorizo
It’s really important to use the correct type of chorizo for this recipe. You’ll need Mexican chorizo, which is a fresh (uncooked & uncured) sausage. You’ll find Mexican chorizo in the fresh meat department, usually near bratwurst and other fresh sausages. Spanish chorizo is a cured, sliceable sausage that you’ll usually find near cheese, pepperoni, or other charcuterie-type foods.
What to Serve with Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers
These southwest-inspired peppers are really filling on their own, but if you want to serve something on the side they pair really well with Cumin Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Cowboy Caviar, Sweet Potato Cornbread, or Warm Corn and Avocado Salad.
How To Store Leftovers
I love making stuffed bell peppers for meal prep, so this is how I store and reheat them. The cooked bell peppers can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. I like to reheat them quickly in the microwave (about 2 minutes each).
Or, once chilled in the refrigerator, you can transfer them to the freezer. I suggest packaging them individually in a freezer-safe, air-tight container, so you can reheat one at a time as needed. Frozen stuffed bell peppers can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight and then reheated the next day in the microwave, or thawed straight from the freezer in the microwave using the defrost function, then heated through on full power.
Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers
Servings 6Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers ($4.07)
- 1 lb. Mexican chorizo ($4.99)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 4oz. can diced green chiles ($0.99)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.20)
- 2 tsp chili powder ($0.20)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup long grain white rice (uncooked) ($0.13)
- 1 cup chicken broth ($0.19)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella ($1.25)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut each bell pepper in half so there is a top and bottom portion, then remove the seeds and ribs. You can either carefully cut the stem out of the center of the top half, or eat around it later. Place the halved bell peppers in a baking dish, cut sides up. Par-bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Add the chorizo to a large deep skillet and cook over medium heat until browned. While the chorizo is cooking, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the chorizo and continue to cook until the onions are softened.
- Add the diced green chiles, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt to the skillet and stir until combined.
- Add the uncooked rice and chicken broth to the skillet and stir until combined again. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil.
- As soon as the broth begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and let the rice simmer over, low without lifting the lid or stirring, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest for five more minutes.
- Finally, remove the lid and gently stir the rice and chorizo mixture. All of the broth should be absorbed and the rice tender.
- Divide the rice and chorizo mixture between the six bell pepper halves, then top with shredded cheese. Cover the baking dish and return it to the 350ºF oven and bake for 20 minutes more. Finally, top with sliced green onions and serve!
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Nutrition
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How to Make Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 350ºF. Cut three bell peppers in half to create a top and bottom piece for each pepper. Scoop out the seeds and ribs. You can either cut out the stem from the top half of the peppers, or eat around them later. Place the halved peppers in a baking dish and par-bake them for 15 minutes in the fully preheated 350ºF oven.
Meanwhile, cook 1 lb. of Mexican chorizo in a large deep skillet over medium heat until browned. The chorizo has plenty of fat, so you likely won’t need to add any additional to the skillet. Dice one yellow onion and mince 2 cloves of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet with the chorizo, and continue to cook until the onions are softened.
Add one 4oz. can of diced green chiles, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and ¼ tsp salt to the meat and onions. Stir to combine.
Add ½ cup of uncooked long grain white rice and 1 cup of chicken broth to the skillet. Stir well to combine, then place a lid on top, and turn the heat up to medium-high. When the broth reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and allow it to continue to simmer over low (without removing the lid or stirring) for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest for 5 more minutes.
After simmering for 20 minutes the broth should be absorbed and the rice should be tender. Gently stir the rice and chorizo mixture with a spoon.
Divide the rice and chorizo mixture between the six par-baked bell pepper halves, then top with shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup). Cover the dish and bake in the 350ºF oven for 20 minutes.
Top the chorizo stuffed bell peppers with sliced green onions and serve!
Enjoy the cheesy chorizo-y goodness!!
I made it exactly to the recipe and it was delicious. The directions were easy to follow.
This was SOOOOO good. I had planned to have 6 meals from this recipe, but it was SO good that I ate 2 the first time for breakfast and then again for dinner 😅 They’re just the right amount of spicy and the texture contrasts between the bell pepper, chorizo, rice, and cheese is incredibly satisfying. I did burn the rice to the bottom of my pan – but that is my own inability to figure out rice. Definitely making it again!
I made this as a base recipe with some changes: cut the peppers at the top to make them taller and used the remaining parts, chopped those and threw them in to the meat/onion mixture; used half ground turkey/half chorizo; didn’t have green chilies; didn’t use tomato paste or chicken broth but one small can tomato sauce (4oz?) plus water instead to cook rice; used queso fresco and cilantro in meat mixture and on top. Turned out great and will definitely cook again!
I’m pretty sure you’re a bot but I do hope the food was good because I’m making it for cooking class.
The peppers still had a lot of crunch. Should have upped the par-baking time. Also the rice on top was not cooked through. Flavor was good though.
Disappointing. The filling was too consistent in texture, which was kind of mushy. Would have benefited from adding corn or something textural, and more rice. Also, the par-cooking was insufficient and peppers were still pretty crunchy.
bot
What a mean delicious homemade bite and a great way to use chorizo. I made a vegetarian version. The filling was so tender and I fun dipping into plain yogurt. It really is low budget; I had everything in stock except the peppers, onion, and chilies.
Oh no,I hope the food wasn’t mean! I hope your feelings are okay and the food was still good to eat!
I’m vegetarian, so I used a plant-based “chorizo” and “chicken” broth. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. So good! Will try subbing half the meat for beans next time.
They were so good. Will definitely make again
Could you make these with the mini sweet peppers and serve them as an app? How do you think that would impact the baking time and water added to the pan?
Hmm, that’s tough to say. There are so many variables there that I’d really need to test it before offering advice.
This was SOOOOOOOOO good! I could have just eaten the pepper stuffing by itself, but stuffed in a pepper covered in cheese (chef’s kiss). I substituted quinoa for rice because that’s what we had on hand and it turned out amazing.
way too bland but otherwise good
Do you think these would freeze well after baking? Or would you recommend freezing them assembled but before baking? Thanks!
I suppose it depends on how you plan on reheating. If you’re going to reheat one at a time in the microwave, I’d probably just bake it before freezing. If you plan on thawing the entire meal then baking, I’d assemble and then freeze without baking first.
We made these with Trader Joe’s Soyrizo and tossed in a bag of steamed riced cauliflower instead of using rice. Also, I just put a little bit of cheese on top of each stuffed green pepper (I used what I had on hand: a Mexican blend) – probably a TB or so if I had to guess. (trying to keep it low carb
We easily had enough filling for another 9 green pepper halves (granted, our green peppers were fairly small but I grabbed what they had at Aldi).
I love how far the recipe goes, how quick it goes together, and how it can be modified, like we did, to make it super healthy and vegetarian (or vegan if you use soy cheese).
We enjoyed it. LOTS of leftovers. Thanks for a great meal!
These were great. I substituted in finely chopped cabbage for the rice and only used half the black beans to make it low carb!! I would recommend to anyone! This will be a go to!
This recipe was SO GOOD. I hate green bell peppers, but we had several on hand from our CSA and were looking for a way to use them up. I made the recipe vegetarian by using Trader Joe’s Soyrizo (vegan chorizo), as my husband and I do not eat meat, and it worked really well. This recipe could easily be made vegan by using a chorizo meat substitute like the Trader Joe’s Soyrizo and omitting the cheese or using vegan cheese. This is definitely going in our regular rotation!
I felt the Chorizo might have been too fatty so I cut it in half with ground turkey…It was AMAZING, steamed it with the Cowboy Caviar and sliced avocados. New Favorite!!!
Don’t get me wrong, these were delicious and made a beautiful presentation but they were really spicy! I don’t know if it was the chorizo since I’m not used to cooking with it or if it was the Rotel. I think next time I will try just regular diced tomatoes or use half ground beef? Also, I like my peppers with a little crunch but my husband doesn’t. I will pre-bake them next time. I will definitely make again.
I made these last night and it was the first time I have ever made stuffed bell peppers. They were very good, except I felt like I would have enjoyed eating just the filling more than the complete dish. The cooked green peppers were kind of flavorless. I know I’ve had stuffed green peppers before that didn’t really have this issue. Is there something I potentially did wrong, or something I can do to improve the pepper itself apart from using a yellow/orange/red pepper (although I really have no problem trying that)?
Sounds delicious. This way of cutting the peppers in half lengthwise is new to me! Love it!
Can this be made with rice and beans instead of chorizo?
Sure, I think that would be a delicious filling. You may need to add quite a few extra spices to make up for all the seasoning that is in chorizo, though.
Another winner! Served with some sweet potato fries tossed with cumin and lime juice (because I was too lazy to chop up my own sweet potatoes). The peppers were a little al dente for my taste, so next time I might put them in the oven as it heats up as someone else mentioned. But the flavors were great!
Also, I noticed that in the step-by-step section with photos, you forgot to mention adding the chili powder and salt. They’re in the photo but not in the caption underneath.
Thank you for catching that!
I made these a few weeks ago and they were amazing! And the leftovers were fantastic. Thanks so much!
Amazing recipe! I tried doubling it, but unless you have giant peppers, you really don’t need to double the filling. I forgot the can of green chilies, so i tried sautéing an onion before adding the chorizo to the pan – and it worked great! I added some chopped cilantro because I had it on hand which was also wonderful. I think this recipie is going on regular rotation at my house!
I’m a HUGE fan of stuffed bell peppers. This recipe is completely different. My sister and I LOVE the Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers. I forgot to purchase diced canned tomatoes with green chiles and used fresh tomatoes. We made a batch of the red enchilada sauce and used shredded cheddar cheese. Since we have enough filling to make six more stuffed bell peppers, we’re going to have leftovers that will last for a few days.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at Monique’s review of this recipe. I don’t think she’s aware that this is Budget Bytes. As I mentioned in my previous comment, there’s nothing wrong with using different colored bell peppers, but green is the most economical vegetable in the produce section at the grocery store. This recipe is delicious, despite what she thinks. Thank you, Beth!!! :-)
I swapped three poblanos for the bell peppers and roasted them at 425. Delicious!
These were amazing.
We grilled them instead of baking. We turned one side of the grill onto medium-high heat, and left the burner off on the other side (the “cool” side). We then put aluminum foil down on the cool side and grilled the peppers for about 30-35 min on the cool side. They were fantastic.
I made these last night and they were great! I tried the microwave trick and left out the water in the pan, which worked just fine. I cooked it uncovered. I also thought I had a can of Rotel on hand but didn’t, so I chopped up a jalapeno and half an onion (didn’t have green onions) and cooked them up with the chorizo, then added 10oz of diced tomatoes. Worked like a charm! Perfect.
This recipe is awesome! Super easy, super tasty and filling. Will definitely be making it again!
Unfortunately was really not a fan of this recipe. Since chorizo mince/ground chorizo was not specified I assumed the recipe called for diced sausage, which resulted in a somewhat unappealing texture for the rice mix. The mix tasted quite bland and unappetising, and red, orange or yellow bell peppers would have been a much sweeter and more flavourful option than green peppers.
It sounds like you used Spanish chorizo instead of Mexican chorizo. I’ll add a note to the recipe for further clarification.
Spaniard here! Chorizo comes originally from Spain and it comes in different varieties. It is essential that contains paprila and garlic. It can be the sausage-y type, like the one you use for this recipe. We call that “fresh chorizo”. The dry-meat type it basically the same but it has been cured and dried until reaching the desired firmness. We call that “cured chorizo”. Mexican chorizo is a variety of our fresh chorizo, I think the only difference and the spices used. So the original recipe what right, you can use Spanish chorizo for the recipe, as long as it is the “fresh” type. Maybe it will help to add a picture of the “raw” chorizo links, as the visual difference is huge.
Sorry for the long comment. I love your recipes!
Thank you for the info, Marina! :)
This isn’t exactly a fair review.
If you stray from a recipe, be it intentionally or not, you can’t blame the recipe for the outcome.
Since you used diced sausage instead of Mexican chorizo, you haven’t tried what this recipe is supposed to make. How can you fairly judge something you’ve never tried?
Your response is not a fair response.
In case you didn’t notice, what type of chorizo was not specified until it was noted by reader who made the dish, of hich in turn had Beth M stating she’d add a note to recipe for further clarification.
Since you have no idea what the OP actually did whilst making this dish, save for what your imagination has come up with, one could ask you the same question, how can you fairly judge a person’s actions when you know absolutely nothing about them?
Green bell peppers are the most affordable compared to red, orange and yellow bell peppers. Even though I think it’s a great idea to use those colors to make this recipe, not too many people can afford them. I’m a huge of green bell peppers because it’s delicious. I’m looking forward to making this recipe very soon. :-)
I made these today and followed the suggestion to pre-cook my Peppers as the oven warmed up and I prepped the other ingredients. I did not have chorizo on hand so instead I use ground beef and seasoned it to have a similar flavor to it. I sauteed it with yellow onion since I did not have green onions on hand. I have to say this is very tasty and I will make this again. I tried a few other recipes on Budget Bytes and they are great. I love that they are budget-friendly, simple, and taste delicious. Looking forward to trying some other recipes and adding them to my regular rotations.
Made this earlier this week exactly as the recipe calls for and it was DELICIOUS :D (Okay, I think I was maybe 2 oz short on chorizo amount, still yummy.) Thanks for the great recipe!
Love everything I have tried from here so far while trying to be more consistent with my meal planning.
Would this work with a veggie chorizo like the Trader Joe’s version?
I made these tonight with TJs soy chorizo. So good! Used half a package, 3 servings of rice, mild Rotel, and 2.5 peppers (everything else the same) the soy chorizo is spicy so I just used half but will try more next time for more kick.
Yes, I think that would work great. :)
This recipe is very similar to a dish I make, and always a hit! Because we like tomatos and things saucy, I use tomato sauce, leftover spaghetti sauce, or even tomato soup or enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan, (whatever’s in the frig and needs to be used up) but all diluted with a good bit of water. It adds extra flavor plus with more liquid the peppers get done faster. I will also try nuking the peppers as the other poster suggested. Seems like a good idea!
Because peppers seem to take quite a while in the oven, I like to precook them a little. Like you, i cut them into halves when stuffing. I end up cooking them in a casserole–since mine has a lid, I put them covered in the microwave for about 1-1.5 min per pepper, or until slightly softened, then proceed to stuff and bake. I add the cheese when I put them in the oven, since everything is already cooked and just needs to heat–plus we like the cheese slightly browned. It really will cut the oven time in half. DH loves stuffed peppers, so I do enough to make sure I have leftovers for another meal later in the week. This combo looks fantastic!
I precook my peppers too. I pre-bake them in the oven while prepping the other ingredients.
Never thought to use the microwave!
Where can I find nutrition information on this recipe?
I don’t find online calculators reliable, so I don’t post that information here, but I have some links to popular nutrition calculators in my FAQ (1st question).
This looks easy and delicious! And thank you so much for including the “pairs well with” suggestions because that’s always my first question after deciding on an entree recipe. Love your blog and recipes!!
Oh my, this looks so good. Thank you for your blog!