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Stuffed peppers are one of those dinners I keep coming back to when I want something comforting but still easy enough for a weeknight. I’ve been making this version for years because it gives me all the classic flavors I grew up loving without a long prep list or extra dishes. Juicy bell peppers filled with seasoned ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce, then baked with plenty of melted cheese, make this a dependable dinner that always gets plates cleared.
This stuffed peppers recipe is one of those dependable dinners I keep in my back pocket when I want something filling without a lot of effort. I like that it uses basic ingredients I almost always have on hand, and it bakes up into a complete dinner all in one dish. It is hearty, comforting, and simple in a way that makes it feel doable even on busy nights.
Why I love This Recipe
This is the kind of dinner I rely on when I want real food that feels homemade but does not take over my evening.
- It is a classic dinner recipe made with simple ingredients like ground beef, rice, bell peppers, tomato sauce, and cheese
- Everything bakes together in one dish which keeps cleanup easy
- The peppers turn tender while the filling stays hearty and flavorful
- It is a family friendly dinner that works for busy weeknights or make ahead meals
- You can prep it ahead, bake it fresh, or reheat leftovers without losing texture or flavor
If you want a cozy dinner that feels familiar and filling without extra steps, these stuffed peppers always deliver.
Looking for more easy healthy recipes? Try my Egg Roll in a Bowl and swap out your buns and bread for our cloud bread.
Ingredients Notes
- Bell peppers – Use large bell peppers so they hold plenty of filling. Any color works, but red, yellow, or orange add a slightly sweeter flavor.
- Yellow onion diced
- Olive oil
- Lean ground beef – Lean ground beef works best so the filling does not get greasy. You can drain any excess fat after browning. Feel free to swap ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or meatless crumbles.
- Minced garlic
- Can petite diced tomatoes
- Long-grain cooked white rice – I use long-grain white rice, but leftover rice works perfectly too. Feel free to substitue with brown rice, jasmine rice, wild rice, quinoa, or farro. Our Cauliflower Fried Rice works great too for a low-carb option.
- Kosher salt, ground black pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes
- Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese
How To Make Stuffed Peppers with Rice
- Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prep the peppers: Wash, slice the tops off, remove seeds, and place upright in a baking dish. Trim the bottoms if needed so they stand flat.
- Cook the vegetables: Sauté the onion and pepper tops in oil until softened..
- Brown the beef: Add the beef and garlic to the veggies and cook until the beef has completely browned. Drain.
- Make the filling mixture: Stir in the tomatoes, rice, salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Fill the peppers: Spoon the mixture into each pepper and top with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
- Bake: Add water to the baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more.
- Serve: Serve while hot. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope. These peppers cook right in the oven. The water in the bottom of the pan and the foil help steam them so they turn tender without getting mushy. One less step. We love that.
That usually means the rice absorbed more liquid than expected. You can stir a few tablespoons of water before stuff the peppers.
That usually means the rice absorbed more liquid than expected. You can stir in a few tablespoons of water before stuffing the peppers.
If you prefer, you can split your peppers from top to bottom, then lay them flat on their backs in the baking dish and stuff them.
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
- Reheat: Warm in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes or microwave individual peppers.
- Freeze: Freeze unbaked stuffed peppers for up to 3 months.
- Make ahead: Prepare the peppers and filling up to 1 day ahead. Store separately or assemble and refrigerate. Add extra bake time if starting from cold.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Stuffed Pepper Recipe with Rice
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup long grain white rice cooked
- ½ – 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the outside of the bell peppers.
- Start cooking your rice according to the package directions and set aside once done while prepping the rest of the dish.1 cup long grain white rice
- Carefully cut the tops off each of the bell peppers. Discard the green stem, but keep the top pepper flesh around the green stem. Dice the pepper tops.6 bell peppers
- Remove the seeds and the membranes from the peppers. Place the empty bell peppers in a 9×9 baking dish. If the bottoms of the peppers do not sit flat, carefully slice a thin amount off the bottoms.
- In a large skillet, over medium to medium high heat, add the olive oil, diced yellow onion and diced pepper tops. Using a wooden spoon stir often, and cook uncovered for 5-7 minutes, until softened and opaque.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 small yellow onion
- Add the 1 lb of lean ground beef and the tablespoon of minced garlic. Continue using the wooden spoon to stir often and break up the ground beef as it cooks. Cook uncovered until ground beef is cooked completely.1 lb lean ground beef, 1 tbsp minced garlic
- Remove the ground beef mixture from the heat and drain. Return the ground beef mixture to the skillet and the stovetop.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the can of petite diced tomatoes and the cup of cooked rice. Stir.14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- Add the kosher salt, black pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low.½ – 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp oregano, ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Allow the ground beef mixture to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Evenly fill the peppers with the ground beef mixture. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the grated parmesan cheese over the top of the ground beef mixture.¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Sprinkle 1 ½ tablespoons of the mozzarella cheese on top of the peppers. (we want enough cheese to lightly cover the filling but we still want the filling to slightly pop through the gooey cheese)1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Pour ½ cup of water into the bottom of the pan to help steam the stuffed peppers. Spray the foil with cooking spray and cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. The cooking spray will help preventing the cheese to stick to the foil as it bakes.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve while hot.
Love this dish! I usually double the quantity when hosting dinner parties. Other variations include added seasoning (e.g. chili powder, cumin, cajun seasoning) and, to save some prep time, I will use 90 second microwavable rice.
Great feedback! So glad you enjoy them!
My Romanian grandma (and my mom) never cooked the rice, and we only use pork. I put the stuffed peppers in a large “walla” (pot) and fill it with tomato soup. There will always be extra sauce (:zamma”) to put over the peppers. Baba would never put cheese on the peppers.
So sorry you didn’t enjoy them. I love how versatile the recipe is – beef, pork, cheese, no cheese! You can really customize them however you like.
Rachelle
This was an easy recipe and the peppers tasted great. Love this recipe
So glad you enjoyed them!!
my mom make’s these
This made enough for about five large peppers. Very good but I’ll adjust next time to reduce liquid. Won’t use much, if any, of the juice from diced tomatoes and cut back on the water in the bottom to an 8th of a cup. Otherwise, delicious.
can’t wait to make these
Can you use instant rice?