BEST Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my .

Classic stuffed peppers with rice, ground beef, and a healthy rainbow of sweet red, yellow, and orange bell peppers make the best easy dinner idea any night of the week.

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. And I can’t stop! I just keep making more versions of this meal served in it’s own vessel like my Mexican Stuffed Peppers, Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers, Zuccnini, Quinoa and Turkey Stuffed Peppers and even Baked Eggs in Stuffed Peppers.

But the cornerstone of all peppers is this classic recipe for the best stuffed bell peppers with rice and ground beef.

The Best Type of Peppers for Stuffing

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.

I went back to the memory of my mom’s recipe with ground beef and rice in a tomato based sauce, and embellished it with chunks of mushroom and fresh cut corn and a sprinkle of herbs and red pepper flakes.

What You Can Put In Stuffed Peppers

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:

Red, yellow, orange or even green bell peppers
Lean ground beef
Mushrooms
Cooked white rice (you can use brown rice, farro or quinoa, too)
Tomato sauce
Corn, celery and garlic
Cheese, I added some grated fontina, but you could use Monterey jack or mozzarella or whatever’s on hand.
If you prefer green bell peppers, certainly use them instead of or in addition to this bevy of colorful beauties.

Cut the tops off of the peppers to stuff the whole thing with beefy goodness. If you prefer smaller portions, cut the peppers in half and serve open faced.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers Stand Up

When I ate these as a kid, my mom served the peppers cut in half, laid on their backs. But I like stuffed peppers best when standing straight up, brimming to the top with filling.

Cook the Meat Before Filling

When making stuffed peppers, a popular question is, “Do I have to cook the meat before stuffing the peppers?” The answer is, yes. Adding juicy, browned meat adds loads of flavor to this dish, so be sure not to miss 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.

The Best Rice for Stuffed Peppers

Medium, long grain white rice or jasmine rice is the rice I use most often in stuffed peppers. But brown rice or other grains like farro or quinoa in these peppers are terrific options too.

This is a great recipe to use up leftover 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.

How Long Do You Cook Stuffed Bell Peppers?

A common question is, how long do you cook stuffed peppers?

My secret time saver: Blanch the peppers in the microwave to cut the cooking time!

I 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.

Stuff the peppers with the warm filling and cook in the oven for 20 minutes or until fork-tender and the cheese begins to bubble.

Make Them In the Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

This recipe is one of the easiest to transition to the slow cooker or Crock Pot.

To cook in the slow cooker, prepare the recipe as instructed through step 3. Spray the inside of your Crock Pot with cooking spray before adding the peppers, adding any extra filling to the bottom of the crock’s insert. Wait to add the cheese until the last half hour of cooking time.

Cook for 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low, or until the peppers are soft and tender.

How to Freeze Stuffed Peppers

Freeze stuffed peppers after cooking them. Store in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze in individual servings to take to work 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.

What to Eat With Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed bell peppers are really a whole meal in one, so all you really need to complete your easy, healthy dinner, is a simple salad and an easy dessert if you feel like going the distance.

BEST Stuffed Bell Peppers with Ground Beef

I use red, orange and yellow bell peppers to cover all the colors of the rainbow, and stuff them with lean ground beef, mushrooms and top with a little cheese for a good healthy dose of Vitamin C, protein, and carbs at the same time.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword peppers

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Calories 308kcal

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef , (90% lean)
4 mushrooms , chopped
3 ears of fresh corn kernals , or 1 ½ cups frozen corn
2 ribs of 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 rice
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
6 bell peppers
1 cup shredded fontina cheese or monterey jack cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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 kernals, chopped celery, onion and garlic and cook until vegetables are softened. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Season with kosher salt and ground pepper to taste and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and chopped parsley and cook for another 5 minutes or until the rice is warmed through.
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.
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.

Nutrition

More Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipes

The BEST Mexican Stufffed Peppers Recipe
Southwestern Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
Spiralized Zucchini, Quinoa and Turkey Sausage Stuffed Peppers
Baked Eggs in Stuffed Peppers
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers
27 Ways To Make Your Bell Peppers Less Boring

We send good emails.Subscribe to FoodieCrushand have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.

Follow me onInstagram,Facebook,PinterestandTwitterfor more FoodieCrush inspiration.

As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.

BEST Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef | foodiecrush.com (2024)