Colorful bell peppers are stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, tomatoes and rice and topped with cheese. This stuffed bell pepper recipe is an easy dish to make that’s full of flavor.
This classic stuffed bell pepper recipe is tried and true. It’s not fancy or complicated, but it’s comfort food at its finest.
This recipe is filled with a mixture of ground beef, tomato sauce and rice and then topped with cheese and baked to perfection.
Stuffed bell peppers ingredients
- Bell Peppers: Choose any color bell pepper you like. Personally, we like to use red and yellow peppers, but they’re all good.
- Ground Beef: We typically use grass fed beef that is about 90% lean for this recipe since it has lots of flavor and not too much grease. If you use beef with a higher fat content, be sure to drain the grease.
- Rice or Quinoa: You can use either brown or white rice, or quinoa in this recipe. In this recipe, we’ve used brown rice. If you substitute with quinoa, the stuffed pepper’s filling will change slightly, but it will still taste great. Be sure to use cooked quinoa.
- Cheese: We prefer pepper jack or mozzarella cheese
Recipe variations
Stuffed peppers are a classic dish, but there are lots of variations you can make to this recipe. Here are a few ideas:
- Vegetables: This is a great recipe to add more veggies, such as corn, mushrooms or diced zucchini.
- Cheese: Cheese: Try any of your favorite cheeses, such as cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or Pepper Jack.
How to make stuffed bell peppers
- Prepare: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare bell peppers by cutting the top off and remove the seeds and membranes. If needed, cut a thin slice at the bottom so they stand up straight.
- Filling: In a large skillet, cook beef and onions. Add cooked rice and diced tomatoes.
- Stuff Peppers: Stuff with beef mixture. Stand peppers in an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish. Top with cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake as indicated in the recipe.
- Serve: Serve hot.
Tips for selecting bell peppers
- If you’re making a stuffed pepper that stands up (like a cup), you can trim the bottom of the pepper and give it a flat surface so it stands up, if needed.
- Look for bell peppers that are about the same size so that they all cook evenly.
How to make stuffed bell peppers stand up
This may be incredibly obvious, but there are two different ways to stuff peppers – vertically (like a cup) or horizontally (like a boat).
We use both methods and it’s based on the shape of the pepper and who is going to eat them.
In our house, adults get vertical peppers and kids get horizontal peppers since they’re a little easier to eat that way. Use whichever method works for you based upon the peppers that you have.
Does the meat need to be cooked before stuffing the peppers?
Yes, for this recipe, the ground beef does need to be cooked before stuffing the peppers. Browning the ground beef with the vegetables adds a tremendous amount of flavor.
Can Stuffed Peppers be made in advance?
Stuffed bell peppers can be made up to 2 days in advance. When making stuffed peppers in advance, follow all the steps in the recipe except topping with cheese. Then, refrigerate the peppers. When you’re ready to serve, top them with cheese and bake them as indicated in the recipe.
How to store and reheat stuffed bell peppers?
Store: Cooked stuffed peppers will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator if stored correctly in an airtight container.
Reheat: It’s easy to reheat stuffed bell peppers in the oven or microwave. Our favorite method is the oven. To reheat in the oven, bake the peppers for 15-20 minutes in a covered dish at 350 degrees F until heated through. To reheat in the microwave, cook them individually on high for 2 minutes.
What to serve with stuffed bell peppers?
This is a healthy all-in-one dinner that could be served alone. However, we usually like to serve it with a side salad that is loaded with veggies.
Other ways to use beef and peppers
In our kitchen, bell peppers and beef go together like peanut butter and jelly. We are always combining them in recipes. Here are a few of our other favorite recipes with bell peppers and beef
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
- Pepper Steak Stir Fry
- Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
- One-Skillet Nacho Supreme Dip
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- How We Raise Our Grass Fed Beef
- Bonfire Burger
- Prime Rib Roast with Garlic Herb Butter
Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers any color
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup cooked brown or white rice (you can also use cooked quinoa but it will change the texture of the recipe)
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes awith green peppers and onions, drained (14.5 oz)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 cup mozzarella or monterey jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°F
- Cut tops off bell peppers. Set tops aside. Using a paring knife, carefully remove the membranes and seeds from the bell peppers.
- Arrange peppers in an 8-inch square baking dish. Place tops on empty peppers. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil; bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; cool.
- While the peppers are cooking, heat a large nonstick skillet and cook ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat. Break beef into 1/2 inch crumbles. Cook approximately 4 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes, cooked rice, tomato paste, dried parsley, salt and black peppers. Cook 5 minutes until heated through, stirring constantly.
- Remove pepper tops, and stuff peppers with beef mixture. Stand peppers upright in an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish.
- Bake for 17-22 minutes at 475°F until instant read thermometer registers 160°F and bell peppers are tender.
- If desired, sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is fully melted.
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We're Matt & Jessica, fifth-generation cattle farmers & the owners of Clover Meadows Beef. Good food starts with knowing where it comes from. On our blog, you'll find easy beef recipes, cooking tips, stories of how we raise our cattle, and how to buy farm-fresh beef locally. Our goal is to make cooking beef easy so you feel confident cooking any cut of beef in your home kitchen.