Cuban Stuffed Peppers (Ajies Rellenos) is an easy stuffed peppers recipe filled with seasoned Cuban ground beef picadillo and then roasted until moist and tender. You can either make the Cuban picadillo from scratch or use leftover beef picadillo and white rice to stuff the bell peppers. Perfect dinner idea for any day of the week!
Unless you're using leftovers, make the picadillo. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and green peppers and, sauté for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Next, add ground beef and cook, breaking the meat apart, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat down to medium-low. Stir in cooking wine, tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, and, salt + pepper to taste. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until fragrant and saucy. Remove from the heat. Stir in olives and raisins (if using). Transfer the cooked picadillo to a bowl.
If you're using leftover cooked white rice, mix together the cooked picadillo with the cooked rice until well combined. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the sliced bell peppers on a 13x9 baking dish.
Divide the mixture evenly into each bell pepper. Add toppings if using*. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake the stuffed peppers for 40-45 minutes until the peppers are moist and tender. Remove from oven. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
*Topping Ideas
Love cheese? Feel free to add shredded mozzarella on top of each stuffed pepper before roasting.
Prefer saucy stuffed peppers? Top each stuffed pepper with your favorite salsa, marinara/pasta sauce, or a homemade tomato-based sauce (recipe below!)
In a saucepan, heat up 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup dry cooking wine, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until all is combined and the sauce is pourable. Spoon this sauce evenly over each stuffed pepper before placing them in the oven. Adapted from icuban.com.