This classic stuffed peppers recipe features a rainbow of sweet red, yellow, and orange bell peppers filled with a rice and ground beef mixture. This is an easy, family-friendly dinner idea any night of the week and can even be made in advance.
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“We really, really like this recipe. We’ve made it several times and tweak it a bit each time, based on our mood. We’ve used ground beef, turkey and Italian sausage. I LOVE that you can change up the recipe to your liking and it still turns out terrific.” -Gary, FoodieCrush reader
You Can Have These Weeknight-Friendly Stuffed Peppers on the Table in an Hour
Ever since I was a starry eyed pre-teen, I’ve been a fan of drawing rainbows. Now I eat them.
But as a kid, I wrinkled my nose at the sight those orbed vegetables, and when they showed up on my dinner plate, I plotted how to ditch every single bite in a napkin that was slipped slyly to the dog anxiously waiting under the table. I was a kid, and eating a whole bell pepper even if it was stuffed with ground beef was not my idea of dinner. Now, it’s my favorite part!
As an adult, eating the food you hated as a kid suddenly becomes not. that. bad. and sometimes really, really good. So much so that I make these ground beef and rice stuffed peppers recipe on repeat pretty much all year long.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Customize the filling using what you have on hand. This is one of those throw-what-you-have-in-the-fridge type of recipes. Use my portions as guidelines but definitely put on your experimental hat when choosing ingredients.
Blanch the peppers to shorten the bake time. I always blanch the peppers briefly in the microwave to get the cooking process started while I work on making the filling.
Keep your peppers from falling over! To prevent the stuffed peppers from falling over, use a baking dish that snugly fits the peppers. The peppers shrink as they cook, so pack them in tightly when raw, and they’ll soften and fall a bit with heat. Another surefire way to keep them standing up straight is to trim the bottom of the pepper. This gives the bell peppers a flat surface to stand on by evening out their rollicking bottoms.
The Main Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Bell peppers — Today’s selection of peppers comes from a mix of grocery store varieties (red, yellow and orange) and ultra local farmer’s market (more yellows and purple) for a rainbow of sweetness begging to be stuffed. If you prefer green peppers, for sure go for it and use them instead.
- Lean ground beef — I choose 90% lean hamburger meat to prevent the filling from tasting greasy.
- Mushrooms — Use what you’ve got, be it white button, cremini, or portobello.
- Cooked white rice — Medium, long grain white rice or jasmine rice is the rice I use most often in stuffed peppers. But brown rice, Spanish rice, or other grains like farro or quinoa in these peppers are terrific options too.
- Diced tomatoes + tomato paste — Canned tomatoes are easy on the wallet and provide lots of moisture and flavor to the filling. Tomato paste lends the filling a been-simmering-for-hours flavor minus the time commitment.
- Corn, celery, onion and garlic — Mix and match the veggies and aromatics to create different flavor and texture profiles.
- Cheese — I added some grated fontina, but you could use Monterey jack or mozzarella or whatever’s on hand.
- Spices — I raided my spice cabinet and wound up using tried and true Italian staples like dried basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes to flavor the filling.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the white rice for cooked brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, farro, or another favorite grain.
- Omit the rice entirely for a high-protein, low-carb variation of this dish.
- Replace the ground beef with ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy), ground chicken, or ground pork will all work. If using a leaner ground meat, like chicken or turkey, you might need to add extra spices and / or oil to the pan since they’re drier and less flavorful than beef.
- Use a different cheese or omit entirely. Shredded Parmesan, crumbled feta, medium cheddar, or Pepper Jack could all be substituted.
- Make them Mexican-inspired with this easy Mexican stuffed pepper recipe.
How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice
- Brown the ground beef. Adding juicy, browned meat adds loads of flavor to this dish, so be sure not to skip this step. Brown the meat before adding the vegetables, where they will soften and gain flavor, and add the seasoning afterward to simmer and meld the flavors.
- Simmer the filling. Stir in the canned tomato products and spices, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to give the flavors time to meld. Stir in the rice last, cooking just long enough to warm it up (but not so long that it turns mushy).
Heidi’s Tip: This is a great recipe to use up leftover cooked rice. Or, while the meat is cooking, prepare the white rice or other grain you’re adding to the pepper mixture, and stir it into the meat and vegetables just before filling the peppers.
- Blanch the peppers (my secret time saver!). I always pre-cook my peppers by adding them to a microwave-safe baking dish and sprinkling the interior of the peppers with a bit of kosher salt, then adding ¼ cup water to the bottom of the dish. Cover the peppers and give them a 5 minute blast in the microwave to pre-cook and soften them.
Heidi’s Tip: Cut the tops off of the peppers to stuff the whole thing with beefy goodness. Or, if you prefer smaller portions, cut the peppers in half and serve open faced.
- Stuff, then bake. Pack those peppers with the hot filling, sprinkle liberally with cheese, then bake until the cheese is golden and the bell peppers are soft.
Make-Ahead Option
You can assemble these ground beef stuffed bell peppers in advance by blanching and filling them, then refrigerating for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, set on the counter while the oven preheats so they don’t go in fridge-cold.
Once baked, the peppers will last up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Frozen stuffed peppers can be reheated in the microwave or oven from frozen, no need to thaw first!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
THE BEST Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 4 mushrooms , chopped
- 3 ears fresh corn kernals (or 1 ½ cups frozen corn)
- 2 ribs celery , chopped thinly
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons basil
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 ½ cups cooked long grain white rice
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
- 6 bell peppers
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese or monterey jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Prepare the filling. Brown the ground beef in a large fry pan over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until cooked almost through. Add the mushrooms, corn kernels, chopped celery, onion and garlic and cook until vegetables are softened. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes.
- Simmer. Season with kosher salt and ground pepper to taste and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the cooked rice. Stir in cooked rice and chopped parsley and cook for another 5 minutes or until the rice is warmed through.
- Prepare the peppers. Meanwhile, cut off the tops of the peppers and spoon out the ribs and seeds, then rinse. Lightly sprinkle the inside of the peppers with kosher salt and place in a microwave safe dish with ¼ cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
- Bake. Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish and fill the peppers with the hot meat and rice mixture. Sprinkle the tops with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until peppers are tender and cheese is browned. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
If you blanch the bell peppers first as instructed, you can then stuff them with the warm filling and cook in the oven for 20 minutes or until fork-tender and the cheese begins to bubble.
Absolutely! Freeze stuffed peppers after cooking them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them in individual servings for lunch or pull out for a quick-to-heat dinner.
To reheat frozen stuffed peppers, microwave in a microwave-safe container for 20 minutes on HIGH heat or until warmed inside. To cook in the oven, preheat to 375°F and cook for 1 hour.
Simple: you overcooked them! If you know your oven runs hot, start checking the stuffed peppers at the 15-minute mark to be safe.
What to Serve With Stuffed Peppers
More Easy Stuffed Pepper Recipes
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Tricia
I followed this recipe exactly and I really wanted to love it, but we just didn’t. It was just OK but not something I will ever make again.
Sorry it didn’t meet your expectations Tricia. Maybe you’d like to try my Mexican Stuffed Peppers next time instead?
Robin Byrd
Easy and delicious! Did not microwave the bell peppers as we prefer them kind of crunchy so filled and placed directly in oven. Thanks for yet another terrific food experience. :-)
Sounds delicious Robin!
DYAN
I love this recipe! I have used itailan sausage when I didn’t have beef on hand. I have cut up a zucchini or yellow sqaush when I needed to use them up. It always turns out with so much flavor! Thank you so much for sharing!
Love that you add what you have on hand Dyan! THanks for the comment and 5 star rating!
Lisa w.
Can you freeze the left-over ground beef mixture??
Hayley
Hi Lisa! Absolutely. We hope you enjoy these!