Black Bean, Corn, Sweet Potato Stuffed Bell Peppers

Salsa + chips + guacamole complete me.

I have an obsession with Southwestern food and flavors. I love the flavor profiles of these foods so much that nearly every dish I create uses cumin, jalapenos, cilantro, and involves a hefty amount of avocado. Definitely no apologies there.

With minimal effort, you can be pulling piping hot peppers from your oven tonight.

Sweet bell peppers are stuffed with a hearty filling of sweet potatoes, corn, black beans and jalapenos, and baked until tender. These are the things that dreams are made of. Spiced with a simple blend of chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, these peppers are bursting with flavor and texture.

Each serving contains a solid amount of  fiber, protein, Vitamin-C and antioxidants.

I like to dress up my stuffed peppers with an extra sprinkling of chopped cilantro, but there’s plenty of room for creativity. Try topping these gorgeous peppers in Tabasco or adding pumpkin seeds, pickled jalapenos, a big scoop of guacamole or a dollop of Greek yogurt. I like the idea of setting out an array of toppings and letting your friends & family go nuts.

Filling + gorgeous + healthy.

Black Bean, Sweet Potato & Corn Stuffed Bell Peppers

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
1 cup corn
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
salt & pepper to taste
3 large bell peppers, cut vertically and seeds removed
optional: guacamole, hot sauce, pumpkin seeds, chopped cilantro, Greek yogurt, pickled jalapenos

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a saute pan over medium-high heat olive oil. Add onions, jalapeno. and garlic and saute until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent about 4-5 minutes. Place into large bowl and set aside.

Place a medium pot over high heat and fill with water, bring water to a boil and add in diced sweet potato. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and continue to cook for about 6 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. This might take more or less time depending on how small you cut your sweet potatoes. Once tender, drain water from sweet potatoes and place into bowl with onion mixture. Gently stir in black beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cilantro and salt and pepper.

Arrange bell peppers in large baking pan and stuff with a heaping 1/2 cup of the mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes until peppers are tender. Remove and serve immediately with optional toppings.