This Mexican rice with stuffed peppers pairs a fluffy, tomato-red Mexican rice with tender green peppers stuffed with refried beans and more of that rice, all baked under a blanket of melted cheese. The rice is good enough to make on its own, and the whole dish gives you protein and fiber in one pan.

Mexican stuffed peppers topped with melted cheese and cilantro in a glass baking dish of Mexican rice

This recipe is a little more time-involved than a typical weeknight dinner, but it's worth it. Most of the hands-on work goes into the rice, and once that's done, the peppers take only a few minutes to fill before they go into the oven.

How to Make the Mexican Rice

The Mexican rice in this recipe is the perfect side for any Mexican meal, so it's worth knowing on its own. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add 2 cups of uncooked long-grain white rice and half a sliced jalapeño. Stir often for 8 to 10 minutes, until the grains turn golden and smell toasty. Pour in a 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (juices and all) and 3 cups of chicken broth, bring it to a boil, then cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Take the pan off the heat, let it rest covered for 5 minutes, and fluff it with a fork. Taste and add a pinch of salt if it needs it.

That's it. You can stop there and serve the rice with tacos, enchiladas or grilled chicken, or keep going and use it to stuff the peppers below.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Long-grain white rice. Long-grain rice like Mahatma extra-long-grain cooks up into separate, fluffy grains, which is exactly what you want here. Jasmine rice works too. Avoid short-grain or arborio rice, which turns sticky. Brown rice works if you add about ½ cup more broth and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes.
Diced tomatoes with green chiles. A 10-ounce can of RO*TEL Original gives the rice its color and a gentle kick. For less heat, use the mild version or a can of plain diced tomatoes plus a small can of green chiles.
Chicken broth. Broth flavors the rice from the inside out, so use one you like, such as Pacific Foods organic chicken broth. Vegetable broth works for a meat-free version. If your broth is low-sodium, you'll want a little extra salt.
Jalapeño. Half a jalapeño adds warmth without much fire. Remove the seeds for a milder rice, or use a whole pepper if you like it spicy.
Bell peppers. Large, wide green peppers sit flat in the pan and hold the most filling. Red, yellow or orange peppers are sweeter and cook a little faster.
Refried beans. Canned refried beans like Old El Paso Traditional make this easy. Black refried beans or your own mashed slow cooker pinto beans are great swaps.
Mexican-blend cheese. The shredded blend melts smoothly over the top. Cheddar, Monterey Jack or pepper jack all work.

Helpful Tips

Toast the rice first. Browning the dry rice in oil before any liquid goes in coats each grain and firms up its surface, so the grains stay separate instead of turning to mush. Keep stirring so it colors evenly and doesn't scorch.

Measure the liquid and keep the lid on. The canned tomatoes add their own juice, so 3 cups of broth is plenty for 2 cups of rice. Too much liquid is the most common reason Mexican rice turns mushy. Once the pan is covered, resist the urge to peek or stir; stirring releases starch and makes the rice gummy. Let it rest off the heat before fluffing so the last bit of steam finishes the job.

Don't overcook the rice before it bakes. The rice spends another 40 minutes in the oven, so it only needs to be just tender when it comes off the stove. If it's already soft and wet, it will go mushy in the oven.

Give the peppers enough time. Raw pepper halves need 35 to 40 minutes under foil at 350°F to turn tender. The foil traps steam, which softens the peppers while the rice underneath stays moist. If you prefer very soft peppers, microwave the halves for 2 to 3 minutes, or blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes, before stuffing.

Help them sit flat. Cut the peppers through the stem so each half keeps a bit of stem as a handle, and nestle them into the layer of rice in an 8x8-inch glass baking dish. The rice holds them steady so the filling doesn't tip out.

Close-up of a stuffed pepper half filled with refried beans and Mexican rice under melted cheese

Variations

Add ground beef. Brown 1 pound of ground beef with a tablespoon of homemade taco seasoning, drain it, and stir it into the rice before stuffing the peppers. For a slow cooker version with beef, try these ground beef stuffed peppers.
Add chicken. Stir 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken into the rice. Leftover Mexican slow cooker shredded chicken or a rotisserie chicken both work well.
Vegetarian. Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and check that your refried beans are made without lard. Add a cup of black beans or corn to the rice for extra heartiness.
Beans-only shortcut. To cut your cooking time nearly in half on a busy night, fill the peppers with only refried beans and top them with cheese for the last 5 to 7 minutes of baking. Serve them on top of or beside the Mexican rice for the same great flavor.
Extra spice. Add ½ teaspoon of ground cumin to the rice while it toasts, use pepper jack cheese, or leave the seeds in the jalapeño.

Serving Ideas

With rice, beans, vegetables and cheese in one dish, this is a complete meal on its own. Serve each stuffed pepper half on a scoop of the rice from the bottom of the pan, and set out sour cream, salsa, sliced avocado and extra cilantro so everyone can top their own.

For something fresh on the side, a crunchy black bean salad with corn and avocado or a bowl of roasted chili corn salsa with tortilla chips rounds out the plate. If you're serving a crowd, pair the peppers with a big pan of tacos or enchiladas and let the Mexican rice do double duty as the side dish.

Baked stuffed pepper halves with melted cheese nestled in Mexican rice

Storing & Freezing

Let leftovers cool, then cover the baking dish or move the peppers and rice to airtight containers. They'll keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, covered, with a splash of water or broth sprinkled over the rice so it doesn't dry out. To reheat the whole dish, cover it with foil and warm it at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Both the rice and the stuffed peppers freeze well for up to 3 months. Freeze the peppers in a single layer in a freezer-safe container, and freeze extra rice flat in zip-top bags so it thaws quickly. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat covered in the oven or microwave. The peppers will be a little softer after freezing, but the flavor holds up nicely.

To make this ahead, cook the Mexican rice up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate it. Stuff the peppers straight from the fridge and add about 10 minutes to the covered baking time.

Stuffed peppers on a bed of Mexican rice in a glass dish on a red towel with cilantro

More Mexican Recipes

If you loved this recipe, here are a few more Mexican-inspired dishes you might enjoy:

Recipe

Mexican rice with cheesy stuffed pepper halves in a glass baking dish with fresh cilantro

Mexican Rice with Stuffed Peppers

Fluffy, tomato-red Mexican rice made from scratch, spooned into green peppers with refried beans and baked under melted cheese. Serve it as a hearty dinner, or make just the rice as a side.

4.9 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 30

Course Main Course, Main dishes

Cuisine Mexican

Servings servings

Calories 534 kcal

Equipment

large skillet with a tight-fitting lid
8" x 8" square baking dish

Ingredients

Mexican Rice

2 cups white rice uncooked long-grain
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ jalapeno sliced (seeded for less heat)
10 oz canned diced tomatoes with peppers with liquid, such as RO*TEL
3 cups chicken broth

Stuffed Peppers

2 bell peppers large, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
16 oz refried beans canned
½ cup Mexican-blend cheese shredded
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the uncooked rice and sliced jalapeño and cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the rice is lightly golden and smells toasty.
Stir in the diced tomatoes with their liquid and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes without lifting the lid, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just tender. Remove from the heat, let stand covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Taste and add salt if needed.
While the rice cooks, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise through the stem and remove the seeds and white ribs.
Spoon refried beans into one side of each pepper half, then pack Mexican rice into the other side.
Spread the remaining Mexican rice in an 8x8-inch baking dish and nestle the stuffed peppers into the rice. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the peppers are tender.
Uncover, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the peppers and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more, until the cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve each pepper half with a scoop of the rice.

Notes

For fluffy rice, keep the lid on while it simmers and don't stir it. The rice only needs to be just tender before it goes into the oven.

Brown rice works too: add ½ cup more broth and simmer 40 to 45 minutes.

Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and freeze well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 534kcalCarbohydrates: 94gProtein: 17gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 1402mgPotassium: 448mgFiber: 8gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2662IUVitamin C: 88mgCalcium: 174mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.

Comments

4.89 from 9 votes (7 ratings without comment)