Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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This stuffed peppers recipe is an easy, healthy and hearty dinner your whole family will love. A flavorful beef & rice filling is topped with cheese and baked in bell peppers.

7 stuffed peppers on a plate


This stuffed peppers recipe is an easy and delicious meal, perfect for entertaining.

A delicious ground beef filling contains veggies, spices, tomato sauce and rice – making it hearty and healthy.

Then peppers are pre-cooked in the oven (not boiled), then stuffed with filling, topped with cheese and baked until bubbly perfection.

Serve with your favorite sides or enjoy these stuffed bell peppers as a complete meal on their own.

6 Stuffed Peppers in a baking dish after baking

Stuffed Peppers: Ingredients & Substitutions

overhead photo of the ingredients in this Stuffed Peppers Recipe
  • White rice. This is the perfect recipe for using up leftover cooked rice. If cooking your own, you can use any rice you prefer – white, brown, wild, etc. Just remember that cooking brown or wild rice takes about twice the amount of time as cooking white rice.
  • Bell Peppers. Use your favorite color or a variety.
  • Ground beef. Ground turkey is a great substitute.
  • Diced tomatoes. You can use crushed if you prefer.
  • Worcestershire sauce. BBQ sauce is a good substitute.
  • Cheddar Cheese. I prefer a sharp cheddar – you can use your favorite cheese variety such as mozzarella, Colby Jack, gouda, et.c
front view of 6 stuffed peppers

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

This stuffed peppers recipe is really easy to make – especially if you have cooked rice ready to go in the refrigerator. We’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Cook the Rice

Begin by cooking the rice according to package instructions. White rice takes about 25 minutes, brown rice takes about 45 minutes.

Be sure to measure it after cooking, for some brands, 1 cup uncooked rice yields 2 cups of cooked rice. For others, 1 cup uncooked rice yields more than 2 cups cooked rice. You will use 2 cups of rice in this recipe.

Time Saver

To make preparation easier, cook the rice in advance (either the night before, the morning of, etc.). Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the stuffed peppers.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers - cooked rice in a pot

Pre-Bake the Peppers

It’s important to pre-cook the peppers so they have just the right amount of firmness without being too crunch. I choose to bake them instead of boil them for a few reasons:

  1. It’s easy to monitor the cooking progress and avoid over-baking them.
  2. Baking retains the flavor of the peppers.
  3. It’s easier – less dishes!

Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F and greasing a baking dish, then set it aside.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers - greased baking dish

Next, cut whole bell peppers in half lengthwise, then remove the seeds and core from each half, carefully.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers - 9 bell pepper halves on a plate

Then, place the bell pepper halves open side up on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.

Bake for 15 minutes (baking time depends on thickness of your peppers) in the preheated oven until they just begin to soften. Remove the peppers from the oven and set aside.

two photos showing 12 bell pepper halves on a baking dish befor ebaking

Make the Stuffed Peppers Filling

While the pepeprs are baking, make the filling by combining the ground beef, onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic to a 5-quart Dutch oven or sauce pan.

Cover and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft., stirring often and breaking up the ground beef into small pieces,

two photos showing How to Make Stuffed Peppers filling

Then, turn the heat to medium-low and stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, cumin, coriander salt and pepper.

two photos showing How to Make Stuffed Peppers filling

Then, turn off the heat and add cooked rice and stir until combined.

At this point, you should taste filling and adjust salt/pepper/seasonings to your liking.

two photos showing How to Make Stuffed Peppers filling

Assemble the Stuffed Peppers

Now that all the components are ready (rice, filling, pre-baked peppers), it’s time to assemble the stuffed peppers.

To do this, add about ½ cup of filling to each bell pepper half (or as much as can fit without overflowing).

12 stuffed peppers on a baking sheet

Then, top each filled bell pepper with about 2 Tablespoons of cheddar cheese.

stuffed peppers on a baking sheet topped with cheese before baking

Then, bake the stuffed peppers in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

two photos showing stuffed peppers after baking

Serve

These stuffed peppers are best served warm garnished with some fresh parsley. They are a meal in themselves, and I usually just serve them without any sides. But, if you’d like, here are some suggestions for dishes that pair well with this recipe.

Stuffed Peppers after baking garnished with parsley on a baking sheet

Store/Freeze

Store leftovers in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for 2 months.

Reheat in the oven set to warm, or in the microwave.

a fork taking a bite of stuffed bell peppers on a plate

Stuffed Peppers Recipe FAQS

Should I boil peppers before stuffing them?

No – I don’t prefer to boil peppers before stuffing them. I suggest following this recipe and baking them instead.

Do you cut peppers in half for stuffed peppers?

Yes, cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise (from top to bottom).

How long to heat up stuffed bell peppers in oven?

Reheat stuffed bell peppers in the oven set to warm for 15 minutes.

What goes well with stuffed peppers?

Many dishes pair well with this recipe, here are some suggestions:
Saladburrata salad, kale salad and spinach salad are all great choices.
Roasted vegetables – you can serve them with roasted broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts or roasted asparagus for extra greens!
Bread Homemade french bread, dinner rolls, and no knead bread go great with these stuffed bell peppers.

7 stuffed bell peppers on a plate garnished with parsley

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Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

Laura
This stuffed peppers recipe is an easy, healthy and hearty dinner your whole family will love. A flavorful beef & rice filling is topped with cheese and baked in bell peppers.
5 from 2 votes
Course dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 306
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

Cook the rice:

  • Begin by cooking the rice according to package instructions. White rice takes about 25 minutes, brown rice takes about 45 minutes. Be sure to measure it after cooking, for some brands, 1 cup uncooked rice yields 2 cups of cooked rice. For others, 1 cup uncooked rice yields more than 2 cups cooked rice. You will use 2 cups of rice in this recipe.

Pre-bake the peppers

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
  • Grease a baking dish and set aside.
  • Cut whole bell peppers in half lengthwise, then remove the seeds and core from each half, carefully.
  • Place the bell pepper halves open side up on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.
  • Bake 15 minutes (baking time depends on thickness of your peppers) in preheated oven until they just begin to become soft. Remove from oven and set aside.

Make the filling.

  • Add the ground beef, onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic to a 5-quart Dutch oven or sauce pan. Cover and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft., stirring often and breaking up the ground beef into small pieces,
  • Turn heat to medium-low and stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, cumin, coriander salt and pepper
  • Turn off heat and add cooked rice and stir until combined.
  • Taste filling and adjust salt/pepper/seasonings to your liking.

Assemble the stuffed peppers

  • Add about ½ cup of filling to each bell pepper half (or as much as can fit without overflowing).
  • Top each filled bell pepper with about 2 TBS cheddar cheese.
  • Bake peppers in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
  • Remove from oven and serve.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions/Notes
White rice. You can use leftover cooked rice. If cooking your own, use any rice you prefer – white, brown, wild, etc. Just remember that cooking brown or wild rice takes about twice the amount of time as cooking white rice.
Bell Peppers. Use your favorite color or a variety.
Ground beef. Ground turkey is a great substitute.
Diced tomatoes. You can use crushed if you prefer.
Worcestershire sauce. BBQ sauce is a good substitute.
Cheddar Cheese. I prefer a sharp cheddar – you can use your favorite cheese variety such as mozzarella, Colby Jack, gouda, etc.
Store/Freeze
Store leftovers in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for 2 months.
Reheat in the oven set to warm, or in the microwave.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5pepper | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 421mg | Potassium: 475mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3977IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Absolutely incredibly delicious. A bit more complex than the other recipes I’ve tried but awesome and definitely worth it.