Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour about 1/4 cup of water into the parchment paper-lined baking dish and set aside.
Prepare the mini peppers: rinse the mini peppers under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the mini peppers on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut each mini pepper in half, lengthwise through the middle. Remove the seeds. Set aside.
Cook the beef: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet, over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until the onion has softened (about 3-4 minutes). Reduce heat to medium if the onions are starting to burn. Add ground beef and sauté breaking up the beef (about 2-3 minutes). Add the seasonings (salt, ground black pepper, and chili powder), chopped cabbage, and the bacon bits. Stir well and cook until the cabbage has softened and the meat has cooked through (the meat is not red or pink inside when you are stirring). Stuff each mini pepper half with about one tablespoon of the cooked beef mixture and gently place each pepper on the parchment paper lined baking sheet (on the water). Cover the baking sheet with foil (tightly, so no steam escapes) and bake the stuffed peppers in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on how crunchy, or soft, you like the peppers. You can take the peppers out of the oven 20 minutes after cooking and check the peppers' texture by piercing a fork or toothpick into the thickest part of the pepper. If you would like them softer textured, cook for another 10 minutes.
While the peppers are in the oven, follow the steps below to prepare the Tahini Sauce - or this step can be skipped and Tahini sauce can be substituted for hot sauce or sour cream.
Take the peppers out of the oven and allow to cool down, about 10 minutes. Place the peppers on a serving platter and pour the tahini sauce over each half of the mini pepper. Serve warm.
To Prepare the Tahini Sauce:
In a medium mixing bowl combine 2 tablespoons of tahini paste, 1 pressed garlic clove, about 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (squeezed from fresh lemon), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and about 1/2 cup of cold water.
Using a fork, whisk the mixture until well combined.
Have a taste - add more salt, if required, more water to make it thinner.
Notes
Store tahini leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one week. Tahini sauce does thicken slowly. Once it thickens, you may like to use it as a spread, or add more water to dilute and use as a dressing in a salad or over your leftover stuffed mini peppers.