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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Gary Hagen
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. We also love that you can freeze what you’re not gonna eat presently. They’re delicious when baked, right out of the freezer. Only thing I do differently is microwave for less time (3 1/2 minutes) than called for.
Hayley
Thanks for taking the time to share this with us, Gary! We’re so happy to hear you and your family love these and that you’ve switched it up from time to time!
Cher Richards
I have used ground beef. Ground chicken, ground lamb and just add any bits of anything left in the fridge I also some red pepper flakes and any seasoning that apeals on that day – never the same twice
Hayley
It’s always great to be able to use up what you have! :) We hope you enjoyed these!
Donna
Love this recipe, family favorite. I made a few modifications to this recipe that my family loves. I added 1 sweet Italian sausage, I used two cans of petite diced tomatoes that have garlic, basil, oregano. For the cheese I use Cheddar Gruyère and OMG does this add some fantastic flavor.
Hayley
Thanks for sharing, Donna. We’re so happy you and your family enjoy this (and that cheddar gruyere blend sounds fabuous)!
Sana
Great! I subbed for ground but otherwise the same. I also used fresh cherry tomatoes and added jalapenos.
Brenna
Made this the other night and my hubby loved it. He told me it’s the best he has had and to save the recipe. He wants it like this all the time. I’m so happy! Thank you!!
Hayley
Thanks for sharing, Brenna—we’re go happy you and your husband loved these!
Nancy
Excuse me, Susan, is this a negative response to my comment about not just using basil and oregano to this recipe and using Italian seasoning instead? Of course, Italian seasoning also has a few other spices/herbs (i.e. rosemary, marjoram, thyme) but I think the main ingredients are basil and oregano. And if you felt it changed the taste then all I can say is that this seasoning enhanced it.
Tiva Wallon
I made this for dinner tonight. Used Rotel original diced tomatoes and it came out terrific
Sounds great Tiva!
Nancy
I made these last night and they turned out great. I followed the recipe except for 2 things…I did not add the corn (I couldn’t see why it would be in the recipe since there was rice in it) and instead of the basil and oregano I added 3 tablespoons of Italian seasoning. I know there are “naysayers” wondering why I would give the recipe 5 stars since I adapted it and that is because I didn’t make any changes that would effect the taste.
Thank you Nancy! So glad you enjoyed!
Susan
Of course your change (adding Italian seasoning instead of just basil and oregano) will affect the taste!
Bonnie
Really enjoyed this recipe! I’ll use less oregano next time. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed Bonnie!
Gary
Loved this recipe. Relatively easy and so darn tasty! Will definitely make this again and I love that you can tweak it to your liking/mood !
I’m glad you enjoyed it Gary!
Frances
This is a great recipe and a good one to improvise with what have on hand. I really like the pre cooking the peppers a bit as I like them softer. I really liked the celery and onion in this and the italian seasonings, I skipped corn and mushrooms ( Only because out of mushrooms) and used steamed cauliflower rice rather then rice to keep carbs lower. Thanks great recipe.
Happy to hear you enjoyed!
Regis
Bake at what temperature?
Regis
Sorry I see it now.
Hayley
Hi Regis, these bake at 350 degrees F.
Linda Law
Made these for dinner and they were great! My favorite stuffed pepper recipe by far!
I’m glad you enjoyed it Linda!
Reckless1
I’ve made your ground beef recipe stuffed peppers several times. It is delicious.
This last time I added some ground Italian sausage, frying this along with the browning of the ground beef. It added a little different flavor in the recipe.
Dawn
Fixed stuffed peppers to night … very good my family loved them. I just need more people to eat them, I froze the left over mixture for another nightNd gave some to my friend.
Perfect idea to freeze and share!
Deborah Baker
I was glad to find this recipe. When we lost our grandmother, she took her recipe with her. All we know is she used up her leftovers and this was a clean the refrigerator meal. She would make them for us, but never let us help or watch. She said that she used what she had and never made them the same way twice. They were always delicious. I can’t wait to try these.
Shannon C Hopfinger
This recipe was excellent. The ONLY thing I changed is that I used priced cauliflower and sweet potatoes instead of regular rice. It was so delicious. My husband said it was the best meal I had cooked in weeks, and he loves my cooking so that was a real compliment and I have to agree. Delicious.
Shannon C Hopfinger
That was supposed to say RICED cauliflower and sweet potatoes. Not priced.
Darline
Made these tonight with rotel tomatoes and cauliflower rice. Omitted the celery because I don’t care for celery and the corn to keep it low carb. Fantastic and filling. Thanks for the recipe!
Heather
Made this yesterday. It was quite good. The steaming of the peppers in the microwave was a great idea. I would probably do a few more minutes. The peppers were still a little firm after cooking. They don’t really soften much more in the oven so get them to your liking before stuffing them. I used “cauliflower rice” instead of rice to get more veggies in. Family couldn’t tell the difference. I would probably reduce the overall spice (basil and oregano) content slightly next time. I found the meat mixture a little over powering but it was less when eaten in the pepper. I will make it again.
Lisa
These are the best stuffed peppers I’ve ever had . Great recipe !
So glad you enjoyed!
Marilyn G
Delicious recipe! I’ve made stuffed bell peppers for years but this became our favorite recipe when trying it last month! We just throw whatever we have into them so can make them almost any time without specifically shopping for them! Love it! Thanks Heidi for sharing!
So glad it’s your new favorite!
Melanie Foshee
Love this recipe! I also added cream cheese to the beef mixture!
YellowTulips
I have always loved stuffed peppers! ( I grew up with a mom who used green bell peppers straight from her garden but I love all bell peppers ). This is a solid recipe but corn didn’t appeal to me, so I switched to baby green peas and it was a hit with my family.
Parris
Thank you for recipe–easy and great. I would never microwave plastic wrap over food, though.
Rachel Cummings
Wonderful tasty recipe! Thank you for sharing