There’s something wonderfully satisfying about a stuffed bell peppers filled with savory ground beef, rice, vegetables, and tomato sauce, then baked until tender and topped with melted cheese. And when it comes to making stuffed bell peppers, there are just about as many variations as there are cooks!
With rice. Without rice. Ground beef, sausage, or turkey. Green, red, yellow, or orange peppers. Cut in halves or hollowed out and stuffed whole. The possibilities are practically endless.
This is a recipe I’ve been making for years, and one of the reasons I enjoy it so much is how easily it comes together with ingredients I usually have on hand.
Rice is a staple in my kitchen, and there’s often some left over from the previous night’s dinner or still keeping warm in my rice cooker. Rather than letting it go to waste, I put it to good use in these stuffed peppers.
I also prefer leaving the peppers whole and hollowing them out rather than cutting them in half. They become little edible bowls filled with a delicious mixture of seasoned ground beef, tender vegetables, rice, and tomato sauce. And they’re pretty darn cute, too!
I usually finish them with a little shredded cheese, although there are times I leave the cheese off entirely. It often depends on what’s in the refrigerator that day.
That’s another thing I enjoy about this recipe. You can change the meat, rice, cheese, and seasonings to suit your family’s preferences without making the preparation any more complicated. Just prepare the filling, stuff the peppers, and pop them into the oven.
Stuff, bake, and serve.
It’s that easy!
Why You’ll LOVE Stuffed Bell Peppers
What You’ll Need
Recipe Tips
Choose the right peppers. Look for large, rounded bell peppers with relatively flat bottoms. They hold more filling and are easier to arrange upright in the baking dish.
Mix up the colors. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers tend to be sweeter, while green peppers have a slightly more pronounced vegetable flavor. I enjoy using a combination for a colorful presentation.
Don’t precook the peppers. There’s no need to boil or steam the peppers before stuffing them. They become tender as they bake, saving an extra step and one more pot to wash.
Help the peppers stand upright. If a pepper won’t sit flat, carefully trim a very thin slice from its bottom. Be careful not to cut through the flesh or the filling may leak out during baking.
Use leftover rice. This is an excellent recipe for rice from a previous meal. Just be sure leftover rice has been promptly refrigerated and properly stored. White rice, brown rice, or a combination of the two works well.
Change the meat. Ground turkey or a mixture of ground beef and sausage makes a delicious alternative. You can even use shredded leftover rotisserie chicken for a tasty Must-Goes meal.
Try cauliflower rice. For a lower-carb variation, substitute cooked cauliflower rice for traditional rice. Reduce the added liquid as necessary because cauliflower rice doesn’t absorb moisture the same way.
Experiment with cheese. Cheddar, mozzarella, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, and pepper jack all work beautifully. Or skip the cheese entirely.
Use the extra filling. If there’s more filling than your peppers can hold, spoon it into the bottom of the roasting pan around the peppers. It helps stabilize them and gives you a little extra rice mixture to serve alongside dinner.
Add a Cajun kick. I sometimes drizzle a little Crystal Louisiana Hot Sauce over my cooked peppers. It’s a delicious way to add a little extra zest!
Watch the seasoning. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning adds wonderful flavor, but it also contains salt. Taste the cooked filling before adding additional salt.
How to Serve Stuffed Bell Peppers
Drink Pairings
The savory ground beef, tomato sauce, and sweet bell peppers pair well with drinks that complement the dish without overwhelming its flavors.
Try some of my favorites, like these:
FAQs
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Recommended
Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers cleaned
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- Shredded cheese for topping, optional
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut the tops off the bell peppers approximately ½ to 1 inch below the stems. Remove the stems, seeds, and membranes, then rinse the peppers. Finely chop the usable portions of the pepper tops and set aside.
- Place the hollowed-out peppers upright in a covered roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold all six.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Add the ground beef and cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into small pieces as it browns. Drain excess grease.
- Stir in the celery, garlic, chopped bell pepper tops, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, Creole seasoning, and water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cooked rice until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be moist enough to spoon easily but not watery.
- Spoon the beef and rice mixture into each hollowed-out pepper, filling generously. If you have extra filling, spread it around the peppers in the baking dish.
- Spread a spoonful of tomato paste over the top of each stuffed pepper. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, if desired.
- Cover the roasting pan with its lid or tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for approximately 45 minutes.
- Remove the lid or foil and continue baking uncovered for another 15 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the filling is thoroughly heated.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and allow them to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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