Stuffed Peppers

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Homestyle Stuffed Peppers ! Multi-color, nutritious bell peppers are loaded with a stuffing of seasoned ground beef, hearty rice, and mildly sweet tomatoes, then they’re finished with mozzarella cheese and baked until perfectly tender. It’s a delicious, classic dinner in one that you’ll want to put on regular rotation!

Stuffed Bell Peppers cut in half to show filling including ground beef, rice, tomato sauce and cheese. - 1

Stuffed Peppers Recipe

I’ve always loved stuffed peppers, but I’ve hated the extra step of boiling water and parboiling peppers before baking. So instead, here we pre-bake the peppers (in the same baking dish you’ll already be using to bake the stuffed peppers) while the filling cooks, it’s a no-brainer. Plus, when you roast vegetables, it creates a deeper flavor than boiling!

Stuffed Peppers Video

Then, to make prep faster, use leftover rice from a dinner you made the day before if you’ve got some.

These are easier to make than you’d think, and they make delicious leftovers the next day for lunch. (Just store them in an airtight container.) Plus, how else could we eat a whole pepper in one sitting? A great way to get the whole family to eat more veggies!

Nothing fancy or complicated here, just fresh, flavorful, comfort food tossed and layered together and baked until perfectly tender and tasty.

Multi-color stuffed peppers in a white baking dish. - 2 Multi-color stuffed peppers in a white baking dish. - 3

Ingredients for Stuffed Bell Peppers

  • Long-grain white rice – leftover rice works great if you have some.
  • Bell peppers – if you’d prefer, you can use all green if they’re what’s cheaper.
  • Olive oil – only a little is needed for sautéing. Another neutral oil will work, such as vegetable oil.
  • Ground beef – use one that’s at least 80% lean.
  • Yellow onion and fresh garlic – these create a delicious base of flavor, only use fresh.
  • Canned petite diced tomatoes – I like these smaller chunks, but standard cut canned tomatoes will work fine.
  • Tomato sauce – if you are looking to reduce sodium in the recipe, use no-salt tomato sauce and canned tomatoes. And of course, season with less salt.
  • Italian seasoning – I love to use this blend here rather than adding 5 kinds of dried herbs individually.
  • Fresh parsley – this adds lots of fresh flavor. It’s one of my go-to ingredients I always keep stocked.
  • Mozzarella cheese – if you want even more flavor, substitute 1/4 cup of the mozzarella for parmesan.
Ingredients to make stuffed peppers show here including bell peppers, ground beef, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, italian seasoning, mozzarella, white rice, olive oil, parsley. - 4 Ingredients to make stuffed peppers show here including bell peppers, ground beef, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, italian seasoning, mozzarella, white rice, olive oil, parsley. - 5

How to Make the Best Stuffed Peppers

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice according to package instructions.
  • Meanwhile, trim about 1/4-inch from the tops of bell peppers and then remove stems, ribs, and seeds. Fill a baking dish just large enough to fit peppers with about 1/2-inch of water.
  • Place peppers upside down in water, cover tightly with foil, and bake 20 minutes.
6 multicolor bell peppers in a white baking dish. - 6 6 multicolor bell peppers in a white baking dish. - 7
  • Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add onion and saute 3 minutes. Move onions to one far side of the skillet.
  • Add beef in chunks, season with salt and pepper, then let sear until browned on bottom, about 2 – 3 minutes.
Showing how to make stuffed peppers, browning ground beef in a skillet along with yellow onions. - 8 Showing how to make stuffed peppers, browning ground beef in a skillet along with yellow onions. - 9
  • Break up beef and toss with onions and continue to cook 2 minutes, add garlic and cook until beef is cooked through, about 1 minute longer.
  • Remove from heat, drain off excess fat (I like to tilt the skillet to one side and dab up excess fat using tongs and paper towels).
Draining fat from ground beef in skillet using a paper towel and tongs. - 10 Draining fat from ground beef in skillet using a paper towel and tongs. - 11
  • Stir in tomatoes, half of the tomato sauce (about 1/2 cup), cooked rice, parsley, Italian seasoning, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Adding cooked rice, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and herbs to ground beef mixture in skillet. - 12 Adding cooked rice, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and herbs to ground beef mixture in skillet. - 13

How Long to Cook Stuffed Peppers?

  • Reduce oven temperature to 350. Turn par-baked peppers upright and fill with beef filling.
  • Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the peppers. Cover with foil and continue to bake 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, return to oven, and bake until peppers have reached desired tenderness, about 10 – 20 minutes (thinner peppers will be done near lesser time, thicker near greater). Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.
Stuffing par cooked bell peppers in baking dish with rice and ground beef filling. - 14 Stuffing par cooked bell peppers in baking dish with rice and ground beef filling. - 15

Can I Use Brown Rice?

Yes. Brown rice will work great here too, just use the same amount (2 cups cooked).

Can I Use Ground Turkey instead of Ground Beef?

Yes. Ground turkey will work great too (85 – 93% lean). Using the brown rice and ground turkey substitutions is are great healthier option here. I think crumbled sausage would be another tasty option.

Can I Cook the Stuffed Peppers in a Slow Cooker?

Yes, these can also be cooked in a slow cooker. Skip the pre-baking for the peppers, just fill them with the prepared cooked rice mixture and cook in a slow cooker on low heat for about 3 1/2 – 4 hours or until tender, add cheese during the last 10 minutes.

Overhead image of six stuffed peppers in a white baking dish. - 16 Overhead image of six stuffed peppers in a white baking dish. - 17

How Can I Make Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers?

  • Swap the Italian seasoning with 1 – 2 Tbsp taco seasoning (omit salt and pepper).
  • Trade the parsley for cilantro.
  • Replace mozzarella with Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese.
  • Optional: add in some black beans for an extra filler.

Can I Prepare Them Ahead of Time?

You can prep them up to 1 day in advance, if going that route, though I recommend boiling the topless peppers for 5 minutes first. Then stuff them with prepared filling and refrigerate. The following day, let it rest at room temperature while the oven preheats. Increase baking time by about 10 minutes or so since they’ll be starting out cool.

Can I Make Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers?

Sure! Instead of ground meats, use a meat substitute or simply add more veggies to the rice mixture.

Close up overhead image of stuffed peppers in a baking dish. - 18 Close up overhead image of stuffed peppers in a baking dish. - 19

More Stuffed Pepper Recipes You’ll Love:

  • Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers
  • Unstuffed Pepper Bowls
  • Stuffed Pepper Soup

More Ground Beef Recipes to Try:

  • One Pan Beef Stroganoff
  • Swedish Meatballs
  • Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
  • Ground Beef Tacos
Red yellow and green stuffed pepper in a serving bowl. - 20 Red yellow and green stuffed pepper in a serving bowl. - 21

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Multi-color stuffed peppers in a white baking dish. - 22

Stuffed Peppers

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Watch the video

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup long grain white rice*
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 bell peppers, any color (medium-large size)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/4 lbs lean ground beef**
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp)
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice according to package instructions.
  • Meanwhile, trim about 1/4-inch from tops of bell peppers and then remove stems, ribs and seeds. Fill a baking dish large enough to fit peppers with about 1/2-inch of water.
  • Place peppers upside down in water, cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over-medium high heat. Add onion and saute 3 - 4 minutes. Move onions to one far side of the skillet. Add beef in chunks, season with salt and pepper then let sear until browned on bottom, about 3 minutes.
  • Break up beef and toss with onions and continue to cook 2 minutes, add garlic and cook until beef is cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Remove from heat, drain off excess fat.
  • Stir in tomatoes, half of the tomato sauce (about 1/2 cup), cooked rice, parsley, Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 350. Turn peppers upright, sprinkle inside peppers lightly with salt and fill with beef filling. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover with foil and continue to bake 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, return to oven and bake uncovered until peppers have reached desired tenderness, about 10 - 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.

Notes

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  • ANN BAKER Excellent basic recipe! I played around with the quantities a bit since I only had 4 (large) peppers and 1# of gr. beef. Added a little extra cheese in the middle and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the stuffing mix. Think next time I’ll add a touch more of tomato sauce. :) December 20, 2025 Reply
Multi-color stuffed peppers in a white baking dish. - 23

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup long grain white rice*
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 bell peppers, any color (medium-large size)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/4 lbs lean ground beef**
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp)
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice according to package instructions.
  • Meanwhile, trim about 1/4-inch from tops of bell peppers and then remove stems, ribs and seeds. Fill a baking dish large enough to fit peppers with about 1/2-inch of water.
  • Place peppers upside down in water, cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over-medium high heat. Add onion and saute 3 - 4 minutes. Move onions to one far side of the skillet. Add beef in chunks, season with salt and pepper then let sear until browned on bottom, about 3 minutes.
  • Break up beef and toss with onions and continue to cook 2 minutes, add garlic and cook until beef is cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Remove from heat, drain off excess fat.
  • Stir in tomatoes, half of the tomato sauce (about 1/2 cup), cooked rice, parsley, Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 350. Turn peppers upright, sprinkle inside peppers lightly with salt and fill with beef filling. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover with foil and continue to bake 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, return to oven and bake uncovered until peppers have reached desired tenderness, about 10 - 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.

Notes

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