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Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

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These classic stuffed bell peppers are filled with rice, browned ground beef, a delicious spice blend, and cheese. Stuffed peppers make a satisfying and easy weeknight meal!

This post is sponsored by BUBBL’R.

Stuffed Bell Peppers With Ground Beef

These stuffed bell peppers are quick and easy, and packed full of delicious flavor.

The fire roasted tomatoes mix with the homemade spice blend to season the rice perfectly. That’s paired with browned ground beef and shredded cheese to make the most incredible filling.

The peppers are perfectly tender without being soggy, and that’s really the key to this dish. Perfectly cooked peppers make all the difference when you’re baking stuffed bell peppers.

I’ve partnered up with BUBBL’R to bring you this healthy dinner recipe. I love enjoying a refreshing can of their pomegranate acai refresh’r flavor while I’m cooking this meal. You can find out where to buy BUBBL’R here.

Stuffed bell peppers next to a can of BUBBL'R.

Ingredients

Bell Peppers: This is the base of this dish. You can use any color of bell pepper, but red bell peppers are my favorite. Try to pick large peppers that are all roughly the same shape and size. It’s also helpful to look for peppers that have a flatter bottom and are able to stand on their own.

Oil: I prefer using olive oil in this dish, but you could swap that for most cooking oils (though I would opt for a neutral tasting one).

Onion and Garlic: Using fresh aromatics like garlic and yellow onion adds tons of flavor to this recipe.

Spices and Herbs: We’re using a combination of chili powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper. Even though I prefer this particular blend of spices, you could swap this for a couple of teaspoons of taco seasoning if you prefer. A bit of Cajun seasoning would also taste great in this dish.

Meat: Lean ground beef is my favorite meat to use in stuffed red peppers, but you could also use ground chicken or ground turkey. You could even use a meatless option to make this vegetarian. Another option is to use up your leftover chopped steak, shredded rotisserie chicken, or crumbled sausage.

Rice: Long grain white rice is my favorite here. It really takes on the flavors of the tomato and spices, which is so nice. You can use any long grain rice, so if you’d rather use brown rice or a wild rice mixture, feel free to use that instead. I also think yellow rice would taste great here! Quinoa is another option that would work if you prefer that flavor.

Tomatoes: Canned diced fire roasted tomatoes are my favorite. If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes, just use regular canned diced tomatoes and add a little more chili powder.

Cheese: Freshly shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack are both delicious options. They both melt well and have a flavor that pairs really well with the spices.

The labeled ingredients for stuffed peppers.

How To Make Stuffed Peppers

Prepare the peppers by removing the tops and cores, then place them in a greased baking dish. Heat a large nonstick skillet, then add the olive oil and saute the onions until they’re translucent. Add in the garlic and saute until it’s aromatic. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)

Sauteing onions and garlic in a black skillet.

Add the ground beef and cook it until it’s fully browned and no pink remains. Sprinkle in the chili powder, dried oregano, dried cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Browning ground beef in a skillet with spices.

Add in the cooked rice and canned fire roasted tomatoes, and mix.

Stirring fire roasted tomatoes and cooked rice into browned ground beef.

Sprinkle in some of the shredded cheese, then stir to mix.

Stirring shredded cheese into a ground beef and rice mixture.

Spoon the beef and rice mixture evenly into the bell peppers.

Filling red pell peppers with a ground beef and rice mixture.

Top the peppers with the remaining shredded cheese, and drizzle the tops with a little more olive oil. Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the baking dish, then cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake covered until the peppers are tender. Remove the aluminum foil and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. See the recipe card for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.

Stuffed peppers topped with shredded cheese, shown before and after baking.

Do You Have To Boil Peppers Before Stuffing Them?

It depends on the recipe. For this recipe you don’t need to boil them first. That’s because the water in the bottom of the baking dish creates steam that cooks the peppers perfectly. The steam is trapped thanks to the aluminum foil, then we remove the aluminum foil at the end to let the cheese topping get melted and golden brown.

How Do You Keep Stuffed Peppers From Getting Soggy?

This is one of the benefits of not boiling your peppers first. They naturally won’t end up soggy because they didn’t absorb all that extra water. The only things that are important to pay attention to are 1) don’t pour any water inside the peppers and 2) only pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the baking dish.

Stuffed bell peppers on a tray fresh out of the oven.

How Long Does It Take To Soften Peppers In The Oven?

It takes about 35 minutes for peppers to soften in the oven.

Should You Cover Stuffed Peppers When Baking?

Yes, you should cover stuffed peppers for the first part of baking.

Can I Freeze Stuffed Peppers?

Yes! Stuffed peppers are a perfect dish for freezing. The texture, flavor, and shape all stay amazing after thawing then baking. Just assemble them, then freeze them in an airtight container before you cook them.

Keep In Touch

I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime

Click here to pin this recipe for later!

A Pinterest pin image of stuffed peppers with ground beef with title text at the top.

Recipes With Peppers

If you like these stuffed peppers, check out these other reader favorites that feature peppers:

Yield: 6 servings

BEST Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

The best stuffed bell pepper recipe.

These classic stuffed bell peppers are filled with rice, browned ground beef, a delicious spice blend, and cheese. Stuffed peppers make a satisfying and easy weeknight meal!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 large bell peppers (any color, tops and cores removed)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
  • 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
  • 3 medium cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder*
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese (divided)**

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
  2. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking oil, then place the prepared bell peppers cut side up in the dish.
  3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onions and saute until they’re tender and translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and saute until aromatic (about 30 seconds).
  4. Add the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until the beef is fully browned and no pink remains (about 8 minutes). Drain any excess fat off the skillet before returning the skillet to the stove.
  5. Stir in the chili powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, fine sea salt, and black pepper. Add in the cooked white rice and fire roasted diced tomatoes and stir. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the excess liquid has evaporated. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  6. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese, then spoon the ground beef and rice filling evenly into the peppers. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
  7. Use a liquid measuring cup to pour a small amount of water around the bell peppers. There should be just barely enough water to cover the bottom of the baking dish with a thin layer. Be careful to not pour any water inside the peppers.
  8. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes (or until the peppers are tender), then remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (or until the cheese is bubbly).

Notes

*This chili powder is a seasoning blend sold in the US and Canada. It’s not the same as chili powder sold in the UK and the rest of the world (where it’s pure ground chilis and much spicier than the type listed here).

**It’s important to use freshly shredded cheese. Pre-grated cheeses are coated in an anti-caking agent that stops them from melting smoothly.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1/6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 20.5gCarbohydrates: 23.2gFiber: 4.5gSugar: 9.6gProtein: 29.5g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

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Try making these delicious old fashioned stuffed bell peppers!

The best stuffed bell pepper recipe.

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