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 in a baking dish topped with melted cheese.

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

Bowls of ingredients including ground beef, peppers, rice and seasonings.
  • 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.

Step by step process shots on cooking bell peppers and ground beef.

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.

Process shots making ground beef filling and stuffing it into peppers.

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

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.

What should I serve with stuffed peppers?

I like to serve my peppers with a veggie based side dish such as green beans, broccoli or a green salad. For heartier appetites, I also include a sliced baguette bread.

A stuffed bell pepper cut open on a plate.

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

5 from 201 votes

Stuffed Bell Peppers

AuthorSara Welch
Stuffed bell peppers in a baking dish topped with melted cheese.
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!
Time
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Serves 6

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 do not use raw 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.

Notes

  1. Look for peppers with flatter bottoms so that they will stand up in the pan. If your peppers are not completely flat on the bottom you can cut a thin slice off to help them stay up better.
  2. Be sure to use cooked rice in this recipe, raw rice will not work.
  3. If you are using meat that has a higher fat content, you may need to drain excess grease from your pan after it is cooked.

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 628mg | Potassium: 912mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4335IU | Vitamin C: 160mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 4.1mg

Hello! I’m Sara!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made these stuffed peppers for dinner. I used ground turkey and quinoa. They were yummy! I will be making this recipe again. I also cut my pepper in half.

  2. 5 stars
    Yummy! Swapped riced cauliflower for rice and used Mexican cheese. Peppers could have cooked a bit longer, but otherwise a recipe I will use again.

  3. 5 stars
    First time making stuffed peppers and they turned out great.
    Adjusted the recipe a little bit.
    Used 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb sweet Italian sausage. Eliminated the italian seasoning and onion. Mixed the parsley into the meat with the tomato sauce.
    Only used orange and yellow peppers. Did not precook before adding meat.

  4. 5 stars
    Thank you! I have not made stuffed bell peppers for ages. This recipe is the best ever. Also, the super picky man I live actually liked it! I made it exactly as directed and the flavors were awesome and soooooo good. I definitely will make these again and often.

  5. 5 stars
    I made recipe and it tasted great. I premise everything the night before. I followed the instructions when reheating but the middle was cold other than that I loved it

  6. Yum! Made this with ground turkey and made my own Italian seasoning and used Mexican blend cheese as that’s what I had. So very good! Thank you.

  7. I made it like recipe. Added some frozen corn.. It was delicious. I used green, orange and red peppers.

  8. 5 stars
    My oh my, best recipe I’ve tried on stuffed bell peppers. Don’t shoot, but my peppers weren’t the same size, so I diced and made it deconstructed. So good! Thank you!!

  9. 5 stars
    Delicious. Some recipes don’t tell you to precook the peppers. This is crucial. I like them soft. Precook longer for thick peppers. Great flavor. I cooked with the ingredients
    just as written. The flavor was great. I cooked my meat (ground sirloin) to a very brown state on high heat. I think that helps the flavor. Then cooked the onions in the leftover oil separately. Broke the meat up in the food processor . Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

    1. 5 stars
      Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made these for my family last night. Everybody commented on how good they were. Even my picky son who never compliments my cooking stated this morning: “Hey mom those peppers last night were really good!”

  10. 5 stars
    So Yummy! I only had 2 bell peppers but I made the whole recipe. The stuffing is good on it’s own, perfect for leftovers! I love how the ingredients are what is already in my pantry normally! Thank you 🙂

  11. Hi just wanted to thank you for this recipe I made this for my little family (boyfriend & 2 year old son) they loved it and devoured it! I paired it with some cubed Italian seasoned roasted potatoes and a salad . We were stuffed with one pepper and my son with half . I will definitely be using this again and again!!thank you so much 🙂

  12. 5 stars
    I used the recipe tonight with a southwest twist. I used salsa rather than tomato paste, chili flakes and cheddar cheese. Delicious!