If you like peppers, you gotta try my stuffed peppers recipe, boos. And if you’ve got leftover rice, that’s your sign to make these even sooner! These stuffed peppers start with a hearty mix of seasoned ground beef, veggies, and rice, get stuffed into roasted peppers, then finished with a melty cheese topping. You can serve these as an appetizer, but I usually make them the main dish. They’re a hit at dinner! Super nutritious and easy to make.
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How to Make Stuffed Peppers
These step-by-step photos show how to make beef and rice stuffed peppers, but be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Best Stuffed Peppers Recipe
1. Prep the peppers
Stand each pepper upright and use a small knife to cut around the stem at the shoulders carefully. Remove the stem piece, then cut away any usable pepper around it to save for the filling. Slice each pepper in half vertically and remove the white ribs and excess seeds.
2. Roast the pepper halves
Place the pepper halves on a prepared baking sheet, drizzle with oil on all sides, and lightly season with salt. Roast, flipping halfway through, until the peppers look slightly translucent with softened, lightly darkened edges and smell fragrant.
3. Start the filling base
While the peppers roast, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and chopped bell pepper and cook until softened and translucent, then add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant.
4. Brown the beef and bloom the spices
Add the ground beef along with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up as it browns. Stir in the chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and onion powder and cook briefly until the spices are toasted and fragrant.
5. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, cooked rice, and tomato sauce
Cook until everything is warmed through and well combined.
6. Finish the ground beef filling mixture
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1¼ cups of shredded cheese along with the parsley until evenly incorporated.
7. Remove the peppers from the oven and portion the filling into each half
Smooth the tops before sprinkling with the remaining shredded cheese.
8. Return your ground beef stuffed peppers to the oven and bake
Bake until the peppers are tender, and the cheese is melted and bubbling. Let them rest briefly, then serve warm and enjoy!
PRO TIP: You can swap the ground beef for ground turkey, vegan meat crumbles, or sausage. I still think about the sausage-stuffed peppers with ranch dip I had on my 40th birthday trip. So good! If you do use sausage, just ease up on the salt since sausage is already seasoned.
Full Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Stuffed Peppers Recipes
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Peppers
- 4 multicolored bell peppers
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
For the Filling
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 medium onion
- Bell pepper trims finely diced (about ½ cup)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound ground beef 90/10
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon dark chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese divided
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the oven rack in the top third position. Prepare a sheet pan or 13×9 baking dish with parchment paper or foil.
- To prepare the peppers, stand each one up and use a small knife to cut around the stem at the shoulders of each pepper. Remove the stem portion and cut the remaining pepper around it to be added to the filling. Cut each pepper in half vertically and remove the white ribs and excess seeds.
- Place the pepper halves on the prepared pan and drizzle with oil on all sides and lightly season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping the peppers halfway through. The peppers should look a little more translucent, with softened and slightly darkened edges and smell fragrant.
- While your peppers are roasting, prepare the filling by heating the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until translucent and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add in the ground beef, salt, and pepper. Brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, and cook for an additional minute, until toasted and fragrant.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, cooked rice, and tomato sauce and cook for 2 minutes until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in 1 ¼ cup of shredded cheese and parsley.
- When ready, remove the peppers from the oven and portion the filling into each half. Smooth the tops of the filling and garnish with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Place back in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes, until peppers are a bit softer and the cheese is bubbling. Remove from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
How to Store
- Fridge: Let your stuffed peppers cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They reheat great!
- Freezer: Wrap each stuffed pepper tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, or pop them into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Warm them up in a 350°F oven until heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes. For a quicker option, the microwave works too. Heat in short bursts so the peppers don’t get soggy.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- You can use any different pepper to stuff to make this recipe your own. Know you’ll need to adjust the number of peppers and the cooking time accordingly.
- Choose peppers that are close in size. That way they roast and bake at the same pace without some getting too soft before the others are ready.
- Cook your rice before stuffing the peppers. Any kind works here, white, brown, whatever you’ve got, just make sure it’s already cooked before it goes in.
- Season them however you like! You can swap in Cajun, blackened, or even Italian seasoning.
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Serving Ideas
- Bread Sides: A warm slice of garlic bread, skillet cornbread, or soft dinner rolls are great for soaking up any extra filling left on the plate.
- Fresh Salads: Make a simple vinegar coleslaw, Caesar salad, or a cucumber and onion salad to balance out the peppers.
- Vegetable Sides: Double down on the veggies! Okra and tomatoes, green beans, or fried zucchini.
- Saucy Extras: A spoonful of marinara, salsa verde, or a dollop of sour cream on the side gives people options and lets them dress their classic stuffed peppers how they like.
Recipe Help
Fo sho! Complete steps 1-6, then allow the filled peppers to cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, remove the peppers from the refrigerator 30 minutes ahead, then bake as instructed.
Swap the ground beef for a plant-based meat or cooked lentils, use vegan cheese, and double-check that your Worcestershire sauce is vegan. Everything else works the same.
That’s normal, boos. Peppers hold a lot of water and release it as they cook. Just let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
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