Bell peppers are native to Mexico and stuffing them to create a delicious meal has been around for more than 100 years.
There are so many variations when it comes to making stuffed bell peppers, which is the beauty of this versatile dish. Make it with rice. Without rice. With sausage. With corn. Green, yellow, or orange peppers. Peppers in halves or hollowed out. There are lots of options when it comes to stuffed bell peppers.
This stuffed bell peppers recipe is one that I’ve been making for years. I use rice because it’s a staple in my pantry, and there’s usually an abundance still warming in my rice cooker from the previous night’s meal. I also prefer using hollowed out peppers because they’re like little portable, edible bowls. I usually top the peppers with a little cheese, though there are times I leave them plain. It often depends on what I have in the refrigerator that day.
You can easily change this recipe to suit your liking. Whichever way you decide to make these stuffed peppers, the premise is always the same: stuff, bake, and serve.
It’s that easy!
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Worry-Free Cooking |
- I use a covered Granite Ware Covered Casserole Roaster for this recipe because of its non-stick surface, and it cooks evenly. There’s plenty of room to hold all my stuffed peppers. The lid is also convenient because it covers nicely and pops off easily during the final 15 minutes of baking time.
- Keep rice warm until you’re ready to cook using a rice cooker with a built in warming feature — a must have in any kitchen.
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Menu Planning |
- Stuffed peppers make a meal in themselves, so there’s little to worry about when it comes to sides. Corn on the cobb, a small Caesar Salad, or Creamy Beet Salad with Sweet Peas are good options.
- You could easily make this a make-ahead meal. Cook the filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to two days. When ready, clean peppers, stuff, and bake as directed.
- May sound crazy, but I love adding a little Crystal Hot Sauce to the top of my cooked peppers for a little Cajun zest.
- Freeze leftover peppers in an airtight container for up to two months in the freezer. Thaw overnight and reheat in the microwave or 350° F oven until warm.
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Helping Hand |
- Any color bell peppers will work. I tend to use red and yellow because they’re a bit sweeter; however, the green ones are just as good. Pick a favorite or mix it up. Whichever you choose, though, be sure to pick larger, rounded peppers.
- Preboiling or steaming bell peppers before stuffing them isn’t necessary. Bell peppers cook well and get nice and tender in the oven. All you need to do is stuff the peppers with the rice mixture and pop them into the oven for a whole lot of deliciousness.
- Cut a tiny bit off the bottom of the peppers to help them stand up in the baking dish. Be careful, though. If you cut too much, you risk having the pepper filling seep out the bottom.
- While this recipe calls for lean beef, ground turkey or a mixture of beef and sausage are good alternatives. Shredded leftover rotisserie chicken is another possibility for a tasty must-go meal.
- Any variety of white or brown rice will work for this recipe. I prefer white rice, which I always prepare well in advance using my rice cooker that keeps rice warm until I’m ready.
- You can easily make these stuffed peppers keto-friendly by using cauliflower rice instead — or skip the rice altogether.
- You can use all types of cheese like cheddar, mozzarella, Colby jack, Monterey jack, and pepper jack.
- After stuffing all the peppers, you may find there’s rice stuffing leftover. That’s never a problem because the stuffing is tasty all on its own. I usually spoon all the remaining rice into the bottom of the baking dish before placing the stuffed peppers in the dish. This helps the peppers stay upright and gives me a little extra rice to serve alongside the stuffed peppers.
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Grocery & Gourmet |
- Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning adds an extraordinarily good blend of spices that enhance the flavors in this dish. You can easily add a little more for an added zest; however, be careful not to go overboard. Too much of this seasoning may cause the dish to be overly salty.
- Add Crystal Louisiana Hot Sauce to the top of cooked peppers for a little Cajun zest.
