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

4.99 from 200 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!

Learn more about Sara

Related Posts

Free Bonus

5 Secrets to Meal Planning + Free Toolkit!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Delicious! Baking the green peppers first made a huge difference for a milder taste. I used what I had, minced turkey sausage, corn, kalamati (sp?) olives, Arborio rice, barley, laughing cow cheese.

  2. 5 stars
    Made these for the first time tonight so yummy I am glad I found a easy recipe for my first time making them. I made 6 they came out perfect.

  3. 5 stars
    very good!!! But I followed the instructions and the peppers were not soft enough… still kind of crunchy. So how can I get them softer ?
    I added black beans to mine and 3 types of cheese instead of all mozzarella.

  4. 5 stars
    This is a delish recipe and I like that it’s so colorful! The kids love them, too! A winner in our house 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    This is a great recipe! I love the meat/rice combination for these stuffed peppers. Together they make a great, hearty meal!

  6. 5 stars
    I tried making stuff bell papers out of their halves in the past, but I love your way better. Made it for dinner. It was beyond delicious!!!

  7. 5 stars
    I love stuffed peppers so much, I never realised they were this simple to make! Can’t wait to try the recipe 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    I make these quite often. However, I’ve never pre-bake the peppers. I stuff them raw, and then put them in the over for about an hour, testing with a fork to make sure they are tender. They are always so good!

  9. Ohhhh this just looks so good 😊 and delicious! I will try this receipt this week. Thank-you, Amazingly scrumptious.

  10. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. I made 6 peppers. Red, orange, yellow. Ground beef onion mushrooms corn and black beans. Sharp cheddar cheese and a few splashes of worch. sauce. 😋

  11. 5 stars
    It was wonderful in my toaster oven!!😋😋😋 I made 4. I even put the peppers in the toaster oven with water and covered up for 25 minutes. Perfect💯💥

  12. 5 stars
    This was an awesome recipe! It was very easy for me. I also cooked my meat and onion the night before to save time and just simmered it a couple minutes while the peppers cooked with the other ingredients. Perfect. I only used 4 bell peppers so I only needed 1 cup of water and smaller dish. Another trick I used was when cooking the rice I used 4 cups of water with 2-3 teaspoons of beef bouillon. Man that was awesome and really made it tasty! Thank you for sharing!

  13. Can I assemble the peppers the day before and finish cooking the peppers the next day? I assume would take out of fridge to bring to room temperature before finish cooking time.

  14. I made mine with raw ground beef, never cook it. I do blanch my peppers first and use cooked rice ,crumbles of feta in mixture. I also add feta cheese on top with marinara sauce as a older woman 94,taught me. I used spices,garlic and onion .The Feta cheese really makes them delicious..MADE 12 peppers numerous times none we’re left x 4 people. Enjoy !!!