Stuffed Peppers with beef, rice, tomato sauce, onions, garlic, Italian Seasoning and Parmesan Cheese. Quick and easy and great for meal prep!
Stuffed Peppers are a classic family favorite option perfect for the fall and winter months just like Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Tater Tot Casserole and Stuffed Shells.
STUFFED PEPPERS
Stuffed Peppers are an easy meal you can prep ahead of time, cook ahead of time, or freeze, and the bell peppers are such a good vessel for the filling that reheating is easy too.
If you have an aversion to bell peppers you can even use tomatoes in your stuffed peppers. Simply buy larger beefsteak or on the vine tomatoes and core them out with a spoon. When coring out tomatoes, leave a 1/2-¾ inch thick tomato wall to avoid the tomatoes bursting from the stuffing.
Fill the tomatoes with your rice and meat mixture and bake as you would the bell peppers.
You can also stuff zucchini. Cut in half lengthwise then scoop out the inside of the zucchini using a spoon.
MORE STUFFED PEPPER RECIPES
Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
BBQ Beef Stuffed Peppers
Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can also use alternatives to ground beef. Ground turkey and ground chicken work well too. When using them it’s a good idea to add 1-2 tablespoons of canola oil to the pan so you get a good sear on the meat to form a crust.
Instead of any versions of meat you can actually use stuffing mix along with sautéing vegetables in the bell peppers.
When putting the stuffed bell peppers into your baking dish just add a couple cups of water, chicken or beef broth to the pan. Then be sure to wrap it tightly with foil to keep the steam in. This keeps the bell peppers and the filling from drying out while they’re cooked.
If you want to swap out the rice you can successfully use quinoa or couscous quite easily. If you would prefer to use brown rice use a batch that is 75% cooked or instant brown rice to cut down on cooking time. Do not use uncooked brown rice as it won’t finish cooking in the time required.
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HOW TO USE COOKED RICE IN STUFFED PEPPERS
- In the Microwave: This trick will cut down on cooking time if you don’t have to cook rice in the peppers. Clean and cut them, then cover them with a wet paper towel on a plate and cook for 4-5 minutes while preparing the stuffing. You just cut your cooking time in half.
- In the Oven: Depending on the filling, you’ll want to cook the peppers for at least 30 minutes. Keeping the bell peppers covered and including a bit of liquid in the filling or in the pan will help cook the bell peppers faster by creating steam.
- Parboiling: If you have a pot of water going drop the bell peppers in it for 3-4 minutes to cook them halfway before stuffing them. This leeches vitamins so it is not normally recommended.
- On the Stovetop: The primary thing here is to keep liquid in the pot and to keep it covered to help steam the bell peppers. Depending on the filling you could even be done in 15-20 minutes with the direct heat of a stovetop.
- In the Slow Cooker: Add all the ingredients as you would below, but cut the tops off the peppers and stuff from the top of the pepper. Cook on low for 4 hours.
MORE ITALIAN GROUND BEEF RECIPES
Ultimate Meat Lasagna
Baked Ziti
Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti
Homemade Meat Sauce
HOW TO STORE STUFFED PEPPERS
- Serve: This dish is best served fresh and hot. Keep at room temperature for up to 2 hours before storing.
- Store: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove top in sauce.
- Freeze: This recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container or freezer safe bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove top in sauce for best taste.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef , 85/15
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 1/2 cups instant white rice , or half cooked plain white rice
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups beef broth
- 6 large bell peppers , cut in half through the stem and cleaned
- Parmesan cheese , optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add in the beef breaking it apart as it cooks then remove it from the skillet and drain the fat.
- Add in the olive oil and onions, reduce heat to medium, cooking for 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, rice, water, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning along with the ground beef back into the pan and mix it all together.
- Add 2 cups of beef broth and the bell pepper halves to a baking dish and fill with the mixture and bake for 60 minutes wrapped tightly with foil.
- Garnish with Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Change Serving Size: Click on the yield amount to slide and change the number of servings and the recipe will automatically update!
- Conversion: To convert measurements to grams, click on the Metric option next to Ingredients in the recipe card.
- Kitchen Timer: Click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
Nutrition
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I had a grand time yesterday writing out the recipe for your copycat Stouffers MacNCheese. The recipe for the braided loaf of bread with sesame seeds really peaked my interest! When my granddaughter heard about it, she was very excited to give this chemistry experiment a try. I bought the fresh yeast and double sealed Ziplock bags. But now I can’t find the recipe! I’m hoping you may be able to help us. Thank you!
Hmm, I don’t recall a braided loaf of bread with sesame seeds on the site; however! I am planning to post my challah bread (which is braided and can be topped with sesame seeds) recipe on the site so stay tuned! If you email me at [email protected] and ask for the challah bread recipe I will send it to you privately! Enjoy.
My family of 4 (plus our handyman) gobbled these up. In place of the tomato sauce I used Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies. Served with garlic bread and a salad. Was hoping to have leftovers (although I did let the handyman take 2 to his parents.) My grown boys (men in their 50’s) said they were the best I’d ever made with just that one change!. I want to make more next time but wrap them for the freezer. BTW, I’ve been cooking for about 70 years, but I’m finding many of your recipes new and delightful. Would love to give you a 10 on this.
Thank you!
I’ve been cutting my peppers “in half, through stem” for years! Mostly because you can stuff more into them, but also to get more cheese (I load them with cheddar) on top.
Thanks for validating my method!
Yum!
Happy to help!
SOOOO GOOD!!! Whole fam loved it!
Thanks so much for this yummy recipe!! My mom always added Worcestershire sauce to the meat mixture, and boiled the pepper halves for just a few minutes before stuffing. I did the same, and they were absolutely delicious! One of our favorite week night suppers!!
When I have made stuffed peppers in the past, I boiled the peppers for about 5-7 minutes. Do you need to do this with this recipe?
My mom passed away almost 2 years ago and this tastes just like the ones she used to make. So glad I found this recipe and it’s the only recipe I’ll use. Have made this a few times now and it tastes fabulously every time without fail. My family also gobbles this up and my toddler eats just the stuffing. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Mia, my condolences and I am so happy you enjoyed it! What a lovely comment for me to read, thank you so much!
This is the best recipe. I made it last night my husband loved it. 10 Stars
Wow! Thanks, Sonya!
Super good. Followed exactly. Flavorfull and texture was great too. Thank you!!
I don’t know how to cook, but this seemed easy so I gave it a try. I latinized this by adding sofrito, it tasted soooo good. Both my boyfriend and I were amazed by my new acquired skill. I know making these videos of recipes requiere lots of time and effort, Thank you so much, it really helps people like me. Thank you
I’m so glad you decided to try!
I made these and they were rather dry. I will tweek it next time
This looks so yummy. I’ll be trying this one soon for sure! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for the great recipe, yum!
So bland. Didn’t taste like stuffed peppers at all. Boyfriend and I both agreed. I think the meat should be cooked inside the pepper to give additional flavor. I guess that is just our personal opinion. Good shot though.
Sorry it didn’t live up to your expectation.
Just finished making these. I wanted to say no where in the instructions does it mention what to with the rice. I assumed you mix it in with the beef before putting it the peppers.
Haven’t tried the finished project, fingers crossed they turn out.
The rice is mentioned in step 3. You’ll add it with the garlic, water, tomato sauce, etc. I hope you enjoyed it.
It’s say a half cooked rice, do I just cook the rice half way then use it like that, while there is still some water in It or wait til most of the water is absorbed?
Thanks. Can’t wait to try them.
You’ll want to use just the rice that is half cooked. No need to add the water that hasn’t absorbed yet. Hope this helps!
Sorry, but everyone that ate it said it had no flavor. It was very bland.
I’m so sorry to hear that. Feel free to customize the seasonings to your liking for next time.
Made this recipe for the family tonight and it was excellent! I replaced the water with beef broth and shredded a bit of parmesan into the mix before baking. This would also make an excellent soup. Thank you for this easy and flavorful recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I do have a recipe for it as a soup too.
Here’s the link: https://dinnerthendessert.com/slow-cooker-stuffed-pepper-soup/
FYI, you don’t have beef broth listed in your ingredients list. But it says to add it to the pan before baking.
Thank you so much for catching that! Just fixed it.
I don’t precook my meat. I like it cooked in the peppers for added flavor. I also use ground Italian sausage.
Sounds delicious!
What kind of side dish do you make with stuffed peppers?
I love roasted vegetables. Here a few links to some suggestions.
https://dinnerthendessert.com/crispy-roasted-cauliflower/
https://dinnerthendessert.com/corn-pudding/
List of ingredients is a bit confusing….you don’t need 6 bell peppers you need 3 to make 6 halves….thankfully I only halved 4 as it seemed off when I read it. I filled 7 halves with the ingredients as listed.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I doubled the recipe filling because my family are hearty eaters, using the 6 peppers, which made 12 halves. I used medium sized peppers and it’s really perfect for us. I want to try this filling with eggplant or zucchini next.
Hi Ellen, the recipe takes 6 bell peppers, all of them cut in half. I had plenty of stuffing mix to fill all 12 halves. Two halves make a serving. In my opinion this is a great recipe and I have been cooking for along time. You should give this another try.
I just put this in the oven. It smells wonderful, just like Mom used to make! Thank You!
Aww thank you so much! That’s the best review ever!
I’d actually given up on making stuffed peppers because they were never that great, but these looked so good I decided to give it another go. Wow! These were the best stuffed peppers I ever had. I think I had them in the oven for 30 minutes with the foil on and then left them for another 20 minutes or so with foil off. The pepper texture was so perfect. Not soggy, not crunchy, just right:) Thank you!
Yay!! This just made my day!!
Stuffed peppers are my favorite dish to make! I cant wait to try these!
These look VERY tasty!
I always steer clear from stuffed peppers because I’m not a pepper fan, but I do like the inside! I think I”ll just make the good part!
Go for it!
Love stuffed peppers! Need to make these soon!
Mmm, stuffed peppers are one of my faves! My mom always called them stuffed mangoes when I was growing up… Maybe it’s a regional thing?
MMM! Looks good!
Wait until you taste it! Yum!