Stuffed Bell Peppers

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.

Stuffed Bell Peppers Ingredients

• Bell Peppers: You can choose any color bell peppers you like. Be sure to choose peppers with flat bottoms so they will stand up in the baking dish.
• Ground Beef: I use 90% lean ground beef as it has plenty of flavor without a lot of grease. If you use meat with a higher fat content you may need to drain excess grease from the pan after it is cooked.
• Rice: This recipe calls for cooked rice. Leftover rice will work just fine.
• Onions: The onions should be finely diced and add a lot of flavor to the beef and rice mixture.
• Seasonings: Season everything up with salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning. Tomato sauce adds moisture and flavor. A sprinkle of parsley over the baked peppers is the perfect finishing touch.
• Cheese: I use freshly grated mozzarella cheese in this recipe, but you can feel free to substitute your favorite cheese if you prefer.

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. While the peppers are cooking, brown your beef in a pan and break it into crumbles. Add onion and garlic to the pan, and cook until the vegetables have softened.

Next, place the rice, tomato sauce and seasonings in with the beef and stir to combine. When the meat mixture is finished, use a spoon to place it into the peppers. Add the cheese to the tops of the peppers and bake. Finish the dish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy.

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.

Recipe FAQs

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

• Chicken Casserole
• Chili Mac
• Stuffed Tomatoes
• Cheeseburger Pie
• Stuffed Pork Chops