Bell peppers are stuffed with ground beef and rice for a healthy and delicious dinner perfect any night of the week. We have taken our classic recipe for stuffed peppers and updated it to reduce the cooking time significantly. Now you can have these on the table in about 40 minutes (our old recipe took an hour and a half!).
I found myself not wanting to make this dish because it was too time consuming. So I set out to make it easier and found a different cooking process to use to get these on the table fast.
So I combined the cooking method I found on Giant Savory with my recipe for an easy meal the whole family loves. Stuffed peppers have been a dish even my kids loved when they were little (they were both picky eaters). My oldest even requested them for her birthday dinner one year.
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Ingredients
See recipe card for a full list of ingredients with exact amounts.
Ingredients Notes
bell peppers – we usually buy green peppers but sometimes our store is out of those and I buy red, yellow and orange bell peppers.
ground beef – I generally only buy lean ground beef. It’s better for us but my favorite reason it that I don’t have to drain it.
rice – this is a great recipe to use up leftover rice. If I don’t have leftovers I use boil-in-bag rice.
tomatoes – canned diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning add more flavor than plain tomatoes.
mozzarella cheese – I almost always use pre-shredded mozzarella because it’s easier. You can use sliced fresh mozzarella if you want.
garlic – we buy minced garlic in a jar, but fresh garlic is great too.
seasoning – simple salt and black pepper are used to season the ground beef mixture.
olive oil – we like olive oil for this, vegetable oil or canola oil can be used.
How to make stuffed bell peppers
- Preheat the oven to 375° and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash and dry peppers then cut in half lengthwise and remove the ribs and seeds.
- Place cut-side down on the rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, bake for 15 minutes.
- While the peppers cook brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When the beef is brown drain the excess fat if not using lean ground beef. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and let cook a minute or two. Add the diced tomatoes and rice and cook until hot.
- Turn peppers over and divide the meat mixture between them. Top with the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until hot and the cheese has melted.
We prepare a side salad while these are in the oven for a complete meal.
Substitutions and additions
- Brown rice or even cauliflower rice can be used instead of white rice.
- Use any ground meat you want. Ground turkey, ground chicken or ground Italian sausage can all be substituted for the beef.
- Any color bell pepper will work. Green bell peppers are usually less expensive and are perfect for this recipe. My grocery store was out of them when I shopped for the ingredients to make this recipe. Aldi also has the red, orange and yellow peppers at a better price than most other stores.
- Don’t have garlic? Use about 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- Your favorite shredded cheese can be used instead of mozzarella cheese. Cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese or even pepper jack cheese would all be a great option.
- Season the ground beef with taco seasoning or chili seasoning to add a different flavor.
- Add a teaspoon or two of worcestershire sauce for added depth of flavor.
Storage and reheating
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or covered with aluminum foil in a 350° oven until warm.
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Beef & Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers (any color)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning 14.5 oz
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash and dry peppers then cut in half lengthwise and remove ribs and seeds.
- Place cut-side down on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, bake 15 minutes.6 bell peppers (any color), 1 tbsp olive oil
- While peppers cook brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When beef is brown drain excess fat if not using lean ground beef, add garlic, salt and pepper and let cook a minute or two. Add diced tomatoes and rice and cook until hot.1 lb lean ground beef, 1 clove garlic (finely chopped), 1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 cup cooked rice
- Turn cooked peppers over and divide the rice mixture between them. Top with cheese.1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Bake 10 minutes, or until hot and cheese has melted.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Updated September 2024 to a different cooking method to make this recipe quicker and easier.
Thank you for sharing one of my favourite pepper recipes. Reminded me of it so I will cook it soon 🙂 Good luch and cooking inspiration! 😉
Thanks and enjoy!