These stuffed bell peppers are filled with a mixture of ground beef, tomato sauce and rice, then topped with cheese and baked to perfection. A classic dish that’s comfort food at its finest!
I love to prepare stuffed veggies such as stuffed zucchini, stuffed cabbage and these fabulously delicious stuffed peppers. My family requests this recipe time and time again, it’s just that good.
Stuffed bell peppers have been popular for many years for good reason – they’re totally delicious! My version features a hearty beef and rice mixture with plenty of melted cheese. Serve your stuffed peppers as-is, or add a side salad for a meal that your family will be sure to love.
How do you make stuffed bell peppers?
Prepare the bell peppers by slicing off the tops and removing the seeds. Bake the empty peppers to soften them up before you add the filling. The filling for these peppers is a mixture of ground beef, tomato sauce, rice and cheese. After the peppers have softened, they’re filled with the stuffing and a layer of cheese goes over the top. Bake your peppers until they’re completely tender, then add a sprinkling of parsley and serve.
Tips for stuffed peppers
- Look for bell peppers that are about the same size to make sure that each of the peppers takes the same amount of time to cook.
- If a pepper does not stand up on its own, cut a thin slice off of the bottom of the pepper to make the bottom level.
- Feel free to use different colored bell peppers. The cooking process is the same for each of the colors and the dish will be more vibrant.
Do peppers need to be cooked before they’re stuffed?
Peppers need to be cooked before they are stuffed to ensure they are tender. If you want a crispier pepper you can omit the par-baking step.
Can stuffed bell peppers be made in advance?
Stuffed peppers can be made in advance. You want to follow all the steps in the recipe except topping the peppers with cheese, then refrigerate the peppers. When you are ready to serve the peppers, top them with cheese and bake them at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove the covering and bake them for an additional 10 minutes.
How do you reheat stuffed peppers?
You can reheat stuffed peppers either in the oven or in the microwave. To reheat in the oven, bake the peppers in a covered dish at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. To reheat the peppers in the microwave, cook them individually on high heat for 2 minutes.
Stuffed bell pepper variations
These meaty stuffed peppers are delicious as-is, but you can also customize them to suit your taste.
- Meat: You can use sausage or ground turkey instead of ground beef.
- Grains: Try quinoa or orzo instead of rice
- Veggies: These peppers are great with other vegetables added to the filling such as diced zucchini, olives or corn.
- Cheese: You can use a different cheese to top the peppers such as cheddar or Monterey Jack.
These stuffed bell peppers are a classic dish that remain popular because they are so delicious. Everyone will be asking for seconds when these stuffed peppers are on the dinner table!
More comfort food classics
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers any color, or a combination of colors
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, divided use
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray.
- Slice the tops off the peppers and remove the ribs and seeds inside.
- Place the peppers cut side down in the baking dish. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the dish.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- While the peppers are cooking, prepare the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until meat is cooked through.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the rice, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and drain off the water. Turn the peppers over and fill each one with the beef mixture.
- Top each pepper with the remaining cheese. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned and peppers are tender.
- Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Joan says
I make these Stuffed Peppers quite often I. The summer..bell peppers in the garden are easy to grow & plentiful. This recipe is easy & just delicious.
I’ve loved every recipe of yours that I’ve made. I’m a senior citizen, I cook a lot, and I love good food that’s not going to take all day.
That’s why I keep coming back! 😋😍
kelly says
Is the rice cooked or uncooked when you mix it with the cooked ground beef? Some recipes call for cooked rice and some call for uncooked rice.
Sara says
it is cooked!
Di Lemberger says
We make this using brown rice use raw ground chuck in with rice and tomato mixture. We don’t double bake peppers just stuff bake at 375° and serve. Delicious starter recipe.
Jeff says
What kind of rice is best for this dish? Can you use Basmati?
Sara says
Any medium or long grain rice will work including basmati!
Jessi Hulsey says
Followed recipe and I have to say that these are the best stuffed bell peppers I have ever made! So yummy!!
Jackie says
It was delicious! I made it with hot Italian sausage instead of ground beef
Michelle says
Recipe came out perfect! I did use ground turkey instead of beef and it came out just as good!
Connie says
I followed the recipe but instead of the ground beef, I substituted ground turkey. I had to drain the ground Turkey cause it’s filled with lots of water. But it turned out good and tasted, less fat.
Monica Martinez-Olsen says
FIve stars. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out beautifully (both taste and presentation). Thank you for the recipe.
It is a keeper!
chris says
Very good. Used lots of smoked cheddar cheese and red/orange peppers, sweeter, less acid than green. Agree with other comments, softened the onions first, then garlic, then ground beef. I always add a little bit of water to ground beef as I am browning to help break it down into smaller pieces.
Mark Sommer says
It was really good. The meat filling actually is enough for 8 peppers.
Lisa says
Fantastic! Easy prep, delicious outcome. My whole family loves this recipe!
Mikaela says
Hello! Is the nutrition information for 1 stuffed pepper?
Sara says
Yes it is!
Natalie says
Is there anyway to freeze these?
Sara says
You can freeze them but the peppers will be softer when thawed.
David says
I cook this, but I don’t understand cooking the meat first and then adding in the onions and garlic. I do it the other way around. Very yummy
Cheryl says
Great recipe to make with my nieces 😊
Rita says
I put raw ground beef, 1 egg, finely chopped green onions, spices and baked for 45 mts at 350 with the pepper top and 10 uncovered 400 deg with some mozzarella cheese