These stuffed bell peppers are the weeknight dinner that actually makes meal planning easier. Ground beef, rice, and seasonings stuffed into bell pepper halves bake into this complete one-pan meal. I make stuffed bell peppers whenever I need a recipe for stuffed bell peppers that feeds my whole family without multiple side dishes.
Why You'll Love This Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
Real talk, this stuffed bell peppers recipe is one of the most satisfying comfort food dinners I've made and my family requests these more than any takeout.
What Actually Works: This stuffed bell peppers recipe combines browned ground beef with cooked rice, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and cheese, then packs everything into halved bell peppers and bakes until the peppers are tender. Simple ingredients, about an hour total from start to finish. Tastes like an old fashioned stuffed bell peppers recipe your grandmother would make but requires no special skills or fancy equipment.
My husband who usually complains about "health food" asks for these stuffed bell peppers twice a month. They look impressive enough for company dinners but are so simple that even cooking beginners get perfect results every time. People always assume there's some complicated technique involved when really it's just how to make stuffed bell peppers the easy way with pantry staples.
The thing that changed everything: Understanding that you need to soften the peppers first and not overstuff them for stuffed bell peppers. My first attempt I used raw bell peppers straight from the fridge and packed the filling in so tightly the peppers cracked. The peppers stayed crunchy and tough even after 45 minutes in the oven while the filling dried out from overcooking. Some pepper halves split open and spilled filling everywhere in the pan.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
- What You'll Need for Stuffed Bell Peppers
- How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Top Tip
- Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
- Storage and Reuse Instructions
- What to Serve With Stuffed Bell Peppers
- My Stuffed Bell Peppers Journey
- FAQ
- More Recipes You'll Love
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Related
- Pairing
What You'll Need for Stuffed Bell Peppers
Basic ingredients you probably already have. This is the easiest beef recipes for dinner you'll make this week.
For the Stuffed Peppers
- Large bell peppers (any color)
- Ground beef
- Cooked white rice
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Onion
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Optional Add-Ins
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
- Red pepper flakes
- Worcestershire sauce
- Corn kernels
- Black beans
Exact measurements in the Recipe card.
How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers
This stuffed bell peppers recipe comes together in about an hour. The technique is simple but makes all the difference.
Step 1: Prep the Bell Peppers
Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise through the stem and remove all seeds and white membranes inside using a spoon. Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop pepper halves in for exactly 3 minutes to soften them. This blanching step for stuffed bell peppers with rice makes the peppers tender enough to eat but still sturdy enough to hold their shape during baking.
Step 2: Cook the Beef Filling
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add diced onion, cooking until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Crumble in ground beef and cook until no pink remains, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. The beef should be fully browned with crispy bits forming on the bottom of the pan for maximum flavor in your easy stuffed bell peppers.
Step 3: Mix in Rice and Tomatoes
Stir cooked rice into the beef mixture along with diced tomatoes and half the tomato sauce, mixing everything until well combined. Let this simmer for 3 minutes so the flavors marry together. The mixture for stuffed bell peppers without rice alternatives would use cauliflower rice, but traditional white rice gives that classic comfort food texture everyone expects.
Step 4: Stuff the Peppers
Spoon the beef and rice mixture into each pepper half, filling them about three quarters full and mounding slightly on top. Don't pack the filling down too hard or press it in tightly because stuffed green peppers with ground beef need room to expand slightly as they bake. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish around the peppers, not directly on top of them.
Step 5: Bake Until Tender
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes so the peppers steam and become completely tender. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly with golden spots. The peppers should be soft enough to cut with a fork but still hold their shape without collapsing.
The filling will be hot and steaming with tender peppers that cut easily. Serve these best stuffed peppers recipe portions with the tomato sauce from the bottom of the pan spooned over each one.
Top Tip
Pre-soften your bell peppers and don't overstuff them for perfect stuffed bell peppers:
- That blanching step is what makes stuffed bell peppers healthy versions actually work
- Made this mistake three times using raw peppers because I thought they'd soften enough in the oven
- The peppers stayed crunchy and tough even after an hour of baking
- The filling dried out from extended cooking time while waiting for peppers to soften
- Started blanching pepper halves in boiling water for 3 minutes before stuffing
- Filled them only three quarters full instead of packing them tight
- Suddenly got tender easy stuffed peppers that were soft and sweet
- They cooked evenly with moist filling and perfectly soft peppers every time
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
The base stuffed bell peppers are perfect but you can customize for different flavor profiles.
Italian Stuffed Peppers
Use Italian sausage instead of ground beef and add fresh basil, oregano, and parmesan cheese to the filling. Top with mozzarella and marinara for authentic Italian stuffed peppers that taste like they came from a trattoria.
Mexican Style
Season the beef with cumin, chili powder, and paprika, then add black beans and corn to the rice mixture. Top with pepper jack cheese and serve these stuffed sweet peppers with sour cream and cilantro for taco flavored stuffed peppers.
Low Carb Version
Use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice for stuffed bell peppers without rice that work for keto diets. The cauliflower absorbs all the tomato and beef flavors while keeping the carbs low and makes buffalo stuffed peppers style variations work perfectly.
Storage and Reuse Instructions
Yeah, stuffed bell peppers keep great actually.
Refrigerator: Cover leftover stuffed bell peppers with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or microwave individual portions for 2 minutes until heated through.
Freezing: These easy casserole recipes freeze perfectly for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, wrap each pepper individually in plastic wrap then foil, and freeze in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat covered at 350°F for 25 minutes.
Make Ahead: You can assemble the stuffed bell peppers completely and refrigerate unbaked for up to 24 hours before cooking. Just add 5 extra minutes to the covered baking time since they'll be starting cold from the fridge.
Serving: Serve these best stuffed bell peppers hot from the oven with the tomato sauce from the pan drizzled over top. The filling is moistest and the cheese is perfectly melted when freshly baked.
What to Serve With Stuffed Bell Peppers
This recipe for stuffed bell peppers is hearty enough to be the main dish but pairs great with simple sides.
Classic Options
Garlic bread for soaking up the tomato sauce, a simple green salad with Italian dressing, or roasted vegetables. The sides keep things light since the stuff peppers in the oven are already filling.
Make It Heartier
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or crusty bread. These additions turn your stuffed bell peppers with rice into an even more substantial comfort food meal.
Fresh Additions
A Caesar salad, coleslaw, or cucumber tomato salad adds freshness that balances the rich beef casserole recipes flavors. The crisp vegetables contrast nicely with the soft tender peppers.
My Stuffed Bell Peppers Journey
First time I made stuffed bell peppers I used raw peppers at 400°F because I thought higher heat meant faster dinner. The pepper skins blistered and burned while the insides stayed crunchy and the filling dried out. Had to scrape out the filling and eat it separately while throwing away the burnt pepper shells. My kids refused to try them.
Tried again using blanched peppers at 375°F covered with foil for the first part of baking. Suddenly the bell peppers recipes turned out tender and sweet with the filling staying moist and flavorful. My daughter who'd sworn off peppers asked for seconds.
Then I overstuffed the peppers and packed the filling down hard because I thought more filling meant better value. The peppers split open during baking and spilled everything into the pan, plus the filling in the middle stayed cold. Started filling them only three quarters full and leaving them loose, and got evenly cooked beef recipes easy versions that held together perfectly.
Now I make this old fashioned stuffed bell peppers recipe twice a month because I know the tricks: blanch the peppers first, don't overstuff them, cover for most of baking, and use the right temperature.
Similar Easy Dinner Recipes Worth Making
Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole: One-pan dinner with seasoned ground beef, fluffy rice, and melted cheese that bakes into comfort food perfection in 40 minutes.
Mexican Stuffed Zucchini Boats: Hollowed zucchini filled with taco-seasoned beef, black beans, and cheese for a low-carb dinner that tastes like stuffed peppers but lighter.
Italian Sausage and Pasta Bake: Rigatoni tossed with Italian sausage, marinara, and three cheeses that bakes into a bubbly casserole everyone devours.
These easy beef recipes for dinner all use similar techniques and deliver that same satisfying comfort food feeling as stuffed bell peppers.
FAQ
Should I cook my bell peppers before stuffing them?
Yes, blanch bell peppers for 3 minutes in boiling water before stuffing for best results. This pre-cooking step for how to make stuffed bell peppers ensures tender peppers that are soft enough to cut with a fork.
What goes inside stuffed bell peppers?
Traditional stuffed bell peppers filling includes ground beef, rice, tomatoes, tomato sauce, onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, and cheese. The old fashioned stuffed bell peppers recipe always includes rice for texture.
How long should stuffed pepper go in the oven?
Stuffed bell peppers should bake covered at 375°F for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 10 more minutes. Easy stuffed bell peppers are done when tender and the filling reaches 165°F.
What are some common mistakes when making stuffed peppers?
The biggest mistake is using raw peppers that stay crunchy after baking. Another error is overstuffing the peppers too tightly, which causes them to split open during cooking.
More Recipes You'll Love
Once you've nailed this stuffed bell peppers recipe, try my Buffalo Chicken Wraps for another easy dinner that comes together in 20 minutes with spicy chicken and ranch. My Keto Chaffles Recipe makes crispy cheese waffles that work as bread replacements for any meal. And my Brown Sugar Pineapple Chicken turns ordinary chicken breasts into sweet and savory magic that my family requests constantly.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise through the stem and remove all seeds and white membranes using a spoon so the halves look like little boats ready to hold filling.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop pepper halves in for exactly 3 minutes to soften them, then drain and place cut side up in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add diced onion, cooking until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes so the onion sweetens.
- Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant, then crumble in ground beef and cook until no pink remains, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Drain excess grease if there's more than a tablespoon, then season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning while the meat is hot so the flavors penetrate the beef.
- Stir cooked rice into the beef mixture along with diced tomatoes and half the tomato sauce, mixing everything until well combined and letting it simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add half the shredded cheese and stir until melted throughout the mixture, then taste and adjust seasoning before stuffing.
- Spoon the beef and rice mixture into each pepper half, filling them about three quarters full without packing down too hard so they have room to expand.
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce around the peppers in the bottom of the baking dish, not directly on top, then sprinkle remaining cheese generously over each stuffed pepper.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes so the peppers steam and become completely tender.
- Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly with golden spots, then let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Notes
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Stuffed bell peppers:
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