If you couldn’t tell, I am a big fan of Beyond Meat products. Not only are they soy, gluten and dairy free, they are remarkably similar to meat for those who choose to be plant based, but still enjoy the taste and texture of meat in a cruelty free way. While a lot of people may say that these products are too processed, I don’t find them to be filled with anything too chemical considering what they are. As a meat substitute, you’re bound to have a bit of processing, but from what I can tell, nothing jumps out as too terrible.
Today’s recipe uses one of Beyond Meat’s newer products, Beyond Ground Beef. It comes in a 16oz package, and it is incredibly versatile. You can use it for hamburgers, meatballs, meat sauce, soups – really – whatever you would use regular ground beef for, but today we are using it for these Beyond Beef Mexican Stuffed Peppers.
Stuffed peppers are just good. They are a filling, but still relatively light meal, and are perfect as the weather starts to heat up. Besides the Beyond Ground Beef, I used Trader Joe’s Risoni legume based rice to make these grain free, but you could totally use regular rice if grain free isn’t something you care about. I also added in about 1/2 cup of black beans for texture, but you could omit these if you are looking to cut down the carbs a little more.
Feel free to top these with whatever your heart desires. I chose to do some fresh avocado slices and pico de gallo, but some other great options would be:
- hot sauce
- vegan sour cream
- vegan cheese
- guacamole
- salsa
- green onion and cilantro
Stuffed peppers are not a quick recipe, but the majority of that cook time is hands off (aka- the oven will do it for you), so dig into a dish that the whole family will love.
Beyond Beef Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine
- 1 package of Beyond Ground Beef – you will only need half, the rest can be saved in a ziplock for later
- 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Risoni grain free rice. You can also use the same amount of regular rice, just follow the package instructions
- 1 cup water or vegetable broth
- 3 large peppers- yellow, red and orange – halved, seeds removed
- 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
- 1/2 large sweet onion – chopped finely
- 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- Avocado oil or olive oil for brushing peppers
Mexican Seasoning:
- 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp. onion powder
- 1/8 tsp. orgeano
- 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- Pinch of salt
- 1 grind of ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish or rimmed baking sheet
- In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of vegetable broth or water to a boil. Once boiling, add in the Trader Joe’s Risoni or 1/2 cup regular rice. Cook according to package directions.
- While the rice is cooking, cook chopped sweet onion until starting to turn slightly translucent.
- Add in half the pack of Beyond Ground Beef (8oz) and cook just as you would regular ground beef.
- While Beyond Beef is cooking, mix together your spices for your seasoning.
- When beef is done, add in seasoning and stir to thoroughly combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together your finished Risoni or rice and your seasoned Beyond Beef.
- Add in 1/2 cup drained and rinsed black beans and stir to thoroughly mix.
- Brush halved peppers with a neutral, high heat oil, such as avocado oil. Olive oil will work too if you don’t have avocado oil.
- Generously stuff halved peppers with quinoa mixture until all peppers are full, then cover the dish with foil tightly.
- Bake for 30 minutes covered. Then remove foil and increase heat to 400 degrees F (204 C), and bake for another 20 minutes, or until peppers are soft and slightly golden brown.
- Serve with desired toppings (listed above) or as is. Best when fresh, though leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven until warmed through – about 20 minutes.