Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef are the classic way to turn bell peppers into dinner: whole peppers filled with lean ground beef, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, rice and cheddar, baked until tender and finished with more melted cheese on top. The recipe makes 6 stuffed peppers.
How to make them: Cut the tops off 6 bell peppers and stand them in a baking dish with a cup of water. Brown the beef with onion and the chopped pepper tops, stir in garlic, tomatoes, seasoning, cooked rice and half the cheese, and spoon it into the peppers. Bake covered at 400°F for 40 minutes, then add the rest of the cheese and bake 5 to 10 minutes more.
Why You’ll Love It
- A full meal in a pepper: meat, rice, tomato sauce and cheese in every one.
- Nothing wasted: the pepper tops are chopped into the filling.
- Tender, not mushy: the peppers steam under foil and come out soft but still standing.
- Any color: red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers all work.
Ingredient Notes
Bell peppers: Six large ones, any color.
Lean ground beef: One pound. See the section below on which beef to use.
Cooked rice: One cup. Half a cup of uncooked rice makes a little more than you need.
Onion, garlic and olive oil: Half a medium onion, chopped, 3 cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of oil.
Crushed tomatoes: One 15-ounce can. Tomato sauce works in its place.
Worcestershire and Italian seasoning: A teaspoon of Worcestershire (optional) and half a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
Cheddar cheese blend: Two cups, shredded. One cup goes into the filling and one on top.
Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers, any color
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese blend, divided
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup water, for the baking dish
How to Make Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers
1. Cook the rice. If you don’t have cooked rice, make some; 1/2 cup of uncooked rice makes a little more than you need.
2. Prep the peppers. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle. Cut the tops off the peppers as evenly as you can, remove the seeds and membranes, and chop the usable parts of the tops for the filling.
3. Set up the dish. Stand the peppers cut side up in a 9×13-inch baking dish and pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the dish.
4. Cook the filling. Sauté the oil, onion and chopped pepper tops in a skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and no longer pink (160°F), about 8 minutes. Spoon out excess fat.
5. Season. Stir in the garlic, crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire and Italian seasoning and let it warm through, then take the pan off the heat. Stir in the rice and 1 cup of the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and spoon the filling into the peppers.
6. Bake covered. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. The peppers should still be a little firm to the touch; if they feel too firm, bake a little longer.
7. Add the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes more, until the cheese melts and the filling is hot (165°F). Broil for a few minutes at the end if you want the cheese browned.
What Ground Beef Is Good for Stuffed Peppers?
Lean ground beef, anywhere from 90% lean to 93% lean or leaner. Brown it in a skillet first, and drain or spoon off the fat before the tomatoes and rice go in.
One pound of beef fills 6 large peppers here. Break it into small crumbles as it browns.
To tenderize the beef, mash it with 1 teaspoon of salt and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and let it sit for 20 minutes before cooking. Then brown it as usual.
How to Get Peppers That Are Tender but Hold Their Shape
The two ways stuffed peppers go wrong are shells that are still crunchy and shells that slump open. The fix is to control how the peppers cook.
Steam them in the dish. The cup of water in the bottom of the dish, with foil sealed tightly over the top, steams the peppers as they bake, so they cook faster.
Check at 40 minutes. Take the dish out and press a pepper. It should still be a little firm, not limp. If it feels too firm, give it more time before the cheese goes on.
Cut the tops evenly. A level cut, like carving a pumpkin, keeps the pepper standing and the filling inside.
Other ways to pre-soften the shells: roast pepper halves, cut side up, at 425°F for about 20 minutes until slightly browned and tender-crisp before filling; bake whole peppers covered for 15 minutes first; or simmer the shells in water for 3 minutes, then drain.
Tips for Success
- Taste the filling: season it with salt and pepper before it goes into the peppers.
- Seal the foil tightly: it keeps the steam in while the peppers bake.
- Brown the cheese: run the peppers under the broiler for a few minutes at the end if you like it golden.
Variations
- Tex-Mex: season the beef with chili powder, cumin and oregano, use an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce, and top with Monterey Jack or cheddar jack.
- Italian: halve the peppers, bake them on a layer of marinara, and mix marinara, parmesan, parsley and Italian cheese into the filling.
- Quinoa: use cooked quinoa in place of the rice.
- Classic tomato sauce: use tomato sauce instead of crushed tomatoes, half in the filling and half spooned over the top.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat stuffed peppers until the filling reaches 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve them with a green salad or crusty bread. If you like the flavors but not the stuffing, try stuffed pepper casserole. For more stuffed dinners, there are stuffed cabbage rolls, slow cooker unstuffed cabbage roll soup and taco stuffed baked potatoes, and for other ground beef classics, hamburger steaks with onion mushroom gravy and old fashioned goulash.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common mistakes to avoid when making stuffed peppers?
Uneven tops that let the filling fall out, skipping the drain after browning the beef, and baking the peppers until they go limp. Cut evenly, spoon off the fat, and check the peppers at 40 minutes.
What are the ingredients for stuffed bell peppers with ground beef and rice?
Bell peppers, lean ground beef, cooked rice, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, cheddar, salt and pepper.
What is a good filling for stuffed peppers?
Browned ground beef with onion, garlic, tomatoes, rice and cheese is the classic. Chili powder and cumin make it Tex-Mex; marinara and parmesan make it Italian.
Do I need to cook the peppers before stuffing them?
Not with this method: they bake covered with water in the dish for 40 minutes. Other methods roast, bake or simmer the empty shells first.
Final Notes
Drain the beef, steam the peppers under foil, and pull them while they still have a little firmness. If you make them, tell me how they turned out in the comments.
Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef
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Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers any color
- 1 cup cooked rice white jasmine or any white rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 15 ounces, or tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce optional
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese blend divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup water for the baking dish
Instructions
- If you don't have cooked rice, make some; 1/2 cup of uncooked rice makes a little more than you need.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle. Cut the tops off the peppers as evenly as you can, remove the seeds and membranes, and chop the usable parts of the tops for the filling.
- Stand the peppers cut side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish and pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the dish.
- Sauté the oil, onion and chopped pepper tops in a skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and no longer pink (160°F), about 8 minutes. Spoon out excess fat.
- Stir in the garlic, crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire and Italian seasoning and let it warm through, then take the pan off the heat. Stir in the rice and 1 cup of the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and spoon the filling into the peppers.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. The peppers should still be a little firm to the touch; if they feel too firm, bake a little longer.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes more, until the cheese melts and the filling is hot (165°F). Broil for a few minutes at the end if you want the cheese browned.
