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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Jackie in Seattle
Thank you for the microwave version of a favorite dish I grew up with (I’m 78). We are snowed in here in Seattle and I did stock up on food including some bell peppers, canned tomatoes and hamburger. Several more inches of snow coming any time now, so this will be a comforting supper.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Keep warm Jackie!
Awesome Jackie! I hope you enjoy it!
Erin
I would reduce the amount of tomatoes, or add more spices. Tastes too Italian.
Lewy
1st night I used pork sausage and no corn or celery as we were out. Sweet and green bell peppers. Awesome.
2nd night with the leftovers and I used Pablano peppers. Awesome again.
Great recipe!
Nicole Madison
Hi – I literally just made my mom’s 70s version of these last week for my family. Hers is pretty simple (beef, onion, rice, tomato sauce and chili powder) but comforting as it’s from my childhood – although I did not serve the Stouffer’s frozen mac and cheese as my mom did but roasted broccoli. I will for sure be trying your version next time! Thanks
Ashley Sorenson
I love those meals that bring back memories! I hope you love my version as much as you love your Mom’s! Good choice on the broccoli ;)
Lisa Fraser
I made these last night. They were so delicious. Even the picky eaters in my household had seconds. The stuffed peppers were also filling, and the leftover I saved for my lunch was just as delicious microwaved today. Thank you for such a terrific recipe.
Acquista PhenQ in Italia
A recipe with lot of healthy ingredients and full of colors. It seems delicious and I’ll try it.
mp3 juice
These look so incredible! Love that cheese!
Sooperchef
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your beef or sausage is especially greasy, then yes, drain the meat
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john
do you drain the beef/sausage before adding other ingredients?
If your beef or sausage is especially greasy, then yes, drain the meat.
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Debbie
Ok, this was super delucious…..used ground bison from Costco, and only 1/2 cup of rice. Yum!!
Margie Pocock
Made these for dinner tonight. They are fabulous. Will definitely be making them again.
Rosemary Crowley
Love this recipe and just made it, BUT I am going to refrigerate for about 4 hours before putting in the oven. How much longer do you think to ad for cold stuffed peppers. I think I will put foil over for a bit and then uncover and add cheese 10 mins before. Any suggestions?
Thanks for the recipe
Rosemary
Michelle
Just made a version of this tonight! Thanks for the recipe. I had to make some adjustments based on what I had and my picky husband. I omitted the mushrooms, celery, and red pepper flakes (which would have been lovely). Also I ran out of oregano so I subbed the oregano, basil, and parsley for 3 tbsp Italian seasoning. Also I only had instant rice so I added 3/4 cup of water to the mixture, brought it to a boil, added 3/4 cup of instant rice, covered, and let sit for 5 minutes (off of the heat). I was worried there was too much liquid but it was great after the 5 minutes. I also used Colby Jack and Parmesan cheeses. So good! I loved the suggestion of Italian sausage. The touch of heat would be nice so I will be adding that to my portion next time!
Lisa
This was absolutely delicious. I made a few substitutions/additions: added sweet Italian sausage to the ground beef, no mushrooms, basmati rice instead of long grain. I also drained a little bit of the liquid that accumulated while cooking (reserved some) and finally sprinkled Monterey jack shredded cheese over top then baked. AMAZING.
Trevor
Great! I subbed for ground turkey but otherwise the same. I also used fresh cherry tomatoes and added jalapenos. Great healthy easy dinner!
Thanks for the inspiration.
KZ
How do I find out the calories for this?
Hi Katy, I don’t give calorie counts for my meals but if you want to plug them in, you can try a counter like My Fitness Pal.
Melissa A. Wertman
Made this dish the other night.First time I made stuffed instead of classic green bells & with this recipe it turned out awesome!…
My roommate eats very unhealthy and fatty foods,so even though he said he liked it,..I was happy with leftovers ……new fav!Thanks!
lena
can you freeze this
Suzanne
These look and sound so delicious! We have tons of bell peppers and tomatoes from our garden so I will be making this very soon. Any tips for using fresh German Johnson tomatoes vs. canned? Thanks!
Hi Suzanne, you could certainly try the fresh tomatoes, they just wouldn’t be quite as liquid-y. Sounds delicious!
Suzanne
Ok, I’ll give the fresh ones a try and let you know how it turns out. Thanks!
Suzanne
I used 3 very large and juicy German Johnson tomatoes and it was really wonderful and juicy! I also put a layer of Monterey Jack cheese in the middle in addition to the top. Used the same amount of cheese as your recipe, just divided it to make it more decadent throughout. Thanks for such a great stuffed pepper recipe!!!
Sounds delicious Suzanne!
Ashley
These were amazing, I omitted the celery since my husband cannot stand it and added a few sliced black olives on top before the cheese and they were perfect!!!
Phoebe Corcoran
I wanted to make stuffed bell peppers tonight and came across this recipe. it looked delicious. I only added Anaheim peppers, a few eggs since I didn’t have tomato paste, Old Bay seasoning, celery salt and a 1/4 tsp habanero pepper. They were incredible. Even without my changes, they would have been just as delicious. Thank you!!
Phoebe
I added Italian sausage too to compliment the hamburger !
Oh Phoebe, that’s a great idea!
The habenero pepper sounds like a solid addition. Thanks for sharing your version.