Stuffed Peppers
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Classic stuffed peppers loaded with savory ground beefricetomato sauceand melty cheese—comfortingcrowd-pleasingand easy enough for a weeknight.
Almost every cuisine has its own version of stuffed peppers—bell peppers filled with some combination of meattomato saucevegetablesriceand cheese. In the U.S.the dish is undeniably retro (the most popular recipe online is still the one from Betty Crocker!). HereI’ve given the classic recipe a little update by quickly tenderizing the beef before cooking and seasoning it with Southwestern spiceswhich pair perfectly with the sweetness of the bell peppers. That saidthe recipe is endlessly flexible—you can switch up the meatspicesgrainor cheese to give it a whole new twist. I like to serve this version with cornbread.
The peppers need a head start in the oven so they cook all the way through. A lot of recipes call for boiling them firstbut I prefer roasting—more flavorless cleanup! Just slice the peppers in half from top to bottomscoop out the seeds and membranesand roast until they’re tender-crisp.
“These stuffed peppers are so good I was asked to make them for dinner twice in one week! And there were leftovers in between!”
What You’ll Need To Make Stuffed Peppers
When selecting bell pepperslook for peppers that are brightshiny and firm. They should not have wrinkled skinsoft spotsor moldy stems. I prefer redorangeor yellow peppers; green peppers are unripe and have an unpleasantsomewhat bitter taste. (If left to fully ripengreen peppers will eventually turn another colorand the flavor will become increasingly sweet.) Bell peppers keep for up to a week in the refrigerator crisper drawer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Tenderize the beef. In a medium bowlcombine the beef with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the baking soda. Mix it with your hands until it’s evenly combinedthen let it sit for 20 minutes while you prep the rest of the recipe. The baking soda works its magic during this time—it raises the pHwhich helps the beef stay tender and juicy as it cooks. (I use this tenderizing technique in many ground beef recipesincluding beef enchiladasbeef chiliand shepherd’s pie.)
Step 2: Prepare the peppers. Slice the peppers in half from top to bottomthen scoop out the seeds and membranes with your hands or a small knife.
Step 3: Pre-roast the peppers. Place the pepper halves cut side up in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Roast for about 20 minutesuntil they’re just starting to brown and are tender but still holding their shape. Don’t worry if some liquid collects in the peppers—that’s totally normal.
Step 4: Make the filling. Meanwhileheat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cookstirring frequentlyuntil soft and translucent3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more; do not brown.
To the skilletadd the ground beef mixturechili powdercuminand oregano and increase the heat to medium high.
Cookbreaking the meat up with a wooden spoonuntil the meat is browned and almost cooked throughabout 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium low and cookuncovereduntil the meat is cooked through2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked rice and 3/4 cup of the cheese.
Stir until melted and remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 5: Fill the peppers. Take the peppers out of the oven and spoon the meat filling evenly into each one. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining ¾ cup of cheese.
Step 6: Bake. Return the filled peppers to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutesuntil the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve warm and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Stuffed Peppers
Heartycomfortingand always a hit—these stuffed peppers are easy to makegreat for leftoversand freezer-friendly too.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 1¼ teaspoons saltdivided
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large redyellowor orange bell pepperscut in half from the stem to the bottom and cored
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin oil
- 1 medium yellow onionfinely chopped
- 3 cloves garlicminced
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup cooked ricequinoaor any grain
- 1½ cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Tenderize the beef: In a medium bowlusing your handsmash the beef with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the baking soda. Let sit for 20 minutes while you continue with the recipe.
- Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil for easy clean-upif you like. Place the pepperscut side upin the baking dish; drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Roast the peppers for about 20 minutesuntil slightly browned and tender-crisp. A bit of liquid will accumulate in the bottom of the peppers; that's okay.
- Meanwhileheat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cookstirring frequentlyuntil soft and translucent3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more; do not brown. Add the ground beef mixturechili powdercuminand oregano and increase the heat to medium high. Cookbreaking the meat up with a wooden spoonuntil the meat is browned and almost cooked through4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium low and cookuncovereduntil the meat is cooked through2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked rice and ¾ cup of the cheeseand stir until melted. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and spoon the meat filling evenly into the peppers. Sprinkle with the remaining ¾ cup cheese and place back in the oven. Roast for 10 to 15 minutesuntil the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and bubblingand serve.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The peppers can be partially cooked and filled with the beef mixture up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigeratedor frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to servedefrost overnight in the refrigerator if frozencover the dish with foiland bake in a 425°F-oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and remove and discard the foil. Top the peppers with the cheese and place back in the oven for about 5 minutesor until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: One 1/2 pepper
- Calories: 381
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Sodium: 646 mg
- Cholesterol: 74 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculatorEdamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional informationthese figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchasednatural fluctuations in fresh produceand the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermoredifferent online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipeyou should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipeusing your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledgeall of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergiesalways read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Can these be prepared a day ahead?
Yesthey can be partially cooked and filled with the beef mixture up to two days ahead. See the bottom of the recipe for specific make-ahead instructions. Hope you enjoy!
Hisorry no stars yet as I haven’t yet tried the recipe but will add some in due course! I’d like to make these with minimal carbs. Could I get away withperhapshalf the amount of rice or half a cup of breadcrumbs? 🙏
Sureyou can get away with half the amount of rice. You could also replace the rice with black beans. While they still have carbsthey’re definitely lower in carbohydrates than rice.
Thank you for your quick reply! I’ll try it with half of the rice.
Just loved it. I made this today with chickenand used only 300 gms of chicken plus rice as given to fill 8 capsicum halves. Four halves were on the smaller side. Forgot to add oregano. Added extra chilli powder. Still these are so yummy. My very first attempt at making stuffed capsicums and this really hit the nail on the head.
How long do you suggest cooking the peppers for when freezing ahead?
Hi Christeneyou’ll go through all the steps of the recipe up until filling the peppers with the meat mixture. Hope that clarifies!
I don’t leave comments on recipe websitesbut here I am! My family loves these stuffed peppers. There are hundreds of recipes onlinethis is the one you should use! It is easy and well seasoned. I make one small change. I blanch the pepperswhich allows me to reduce the roasting time. (I saw this tip on America’s Test Kitchen.) Thanks for this great recipe!
This is my go-to stuffed pepper recipe. I’ve been using it for years! It is so delicious. Since I’ve made it a bunch of times I also have tweaked it. I skip the tenderization in the ground beef and I sometimes add black beans instead of cooked rice. And just one more thing- I have made this recipe countless timesand 3 peppers is not enough for how much mixture there is. I used 4 peppers today and it was much better. Unless you’ve got some crazy extra large bowling ball sized peppersI would do at least 4! 🙂
I found the same thing. there was too much rice for meat so I held some back and still had leftover rice and meat. just put in a container for another quick meal for lunch 🙂
Loved these! Instead of the spices I added a packet of taco mix and instead of tomato sauce added a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with chillies. Yum!
I have made stuffed peppers many timesbut this was the best they’ve ever come out. From the consistency to the flavoreverything was just right. I thought to myself these are the best peppers I’ve ever had. Then I thought maybe I was being over the top. Then my husband ate them and also said they were the best he’s ever had. Definitely a saver. I used what I had in the housethe only deviation was cheddar cheese in the filling and Mexican on top. So good!