This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Classic stuffed peppers loaded with savory ground beef, rice, tomato sauce, and melty cheese—comforting, crowd-pleasing, and easy enough for a weeknight.
Almost every cuisine has its own version of stuffed peppers, or bell peppers filled with some combination of meat, tomato sauce, vegetables, rice, and cheese. In the U.S., the dish is undeniably retro (one of the most popular recipes online comes from Betty Crocker!). My stuffed peppers recipe gives the classic a little update with tender, juicy ground beef seasoned with Southwestern spices that pair beautifully with the sweetness of the bell peppers. Add a simple green salad and side of cornbread, and you’ve got a comforting, satisfying dinner.
One of the things I love most about stuffed peppers is how endlessly adaptable they are. Feel free to switch up the meat, spices, grain, or cheese depending on what you have on hand or what you’re in the mood for. It’s the kind of recipe that’s easy to make your own.
“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 peppers, look for peppers that are bright, shiny and firm. They should not have wrinkled skin, soft spots, or moldy stems. I prefer red, orange, or yellow peppers; green peppers are unripe and have an unpleasant, somewhat bitter taste. (If left to fully ripen, green peppers will eventually turn another color, and the flavor will become increasingly sweet.) Bell peppers keep for up to a week in the refrigerator crisper drawer.
How To Make Stuffed Peppers
Tenderize the beef: In a medium bowl, combine the beef with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the baking soda. Mix it with your hands until it’s evenly combined, then let it sit while you prep the rest of the recipe.
Prep and roast the peppers: Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. Arrange them cut side up in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Roast until tender-crisp and lightly browned. Don’t worry if some liquid collects in the peppers; that’s totally normal.
Make the filling: While the peppers roast, sauté the onion in olive oil until softened, then add the garlic. Stir in the beef and spices, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the tomato sauce and simmer until the beef is cooked through. Finally, stir in the rice and cheese until everything is well combined and the cheese is melted.
Stuff and bake the peppers: Spoon the beef mixture evenly into the roasted pepper halves and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Pro Tips
Don’t skip the baking soda: It may seem like an unusual ingredient, but there’s a little science behind it. Baking soda raises the pH of the beef, helping the proteins retain moisture as they cook. The result is a more tender, juicy filling. If you’re substituting ground turkey, chicken, or pork for the beef, I recommend leaving out the baking soda.
Pre-roast the peppers: The peppers need a head start in the oven so they cook all the way through. A lot of recipes call for boiling them first, but I prefer roasting—more flavor, less cleanup!
Use cooked rice: Be sure to cook the rice before adding it to the filling. Uncooked rice won’t have enough time or moisture to cook properly once the peppers are stuffed.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezing
These stuffed peppers are great for making ahead! You can partially cook the peppers and fill them with the beef mixture up to 2 days in advance, then store them in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 425°F (220°C) for about 15 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the peppers with cheese, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted.
Video Tutorial
Stuffed Peppers Recipe (Beef & Rice)
Ingredients
- 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
- 1¼ teaspoons salt divided
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, cut in half from the stem to the bottom and cored
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup cooked rice, quinoa, or any grain
- 1½ cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Tenderize the beef: In a medium bowl, using your hands, mash 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 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking dish with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Place the peppers, cut side up, in the baking dish; drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Roast the peppers for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned and tender-crisp. A bit of liquid will accumulate in the bottom of the peppers; that’s okay.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more; do not brown.
- Add the ground beef mixture, chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned and almost cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the meat is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the cooked rice and ¾ cup (90 g) of the cheese, and 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 (90 g) cheese.
- Place the stuffed peppers back in the oven and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and bubbling, and serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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 calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all 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 allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
See more recipes:
You May Also Like
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I do agree with others about the unpleasant texture of the beef, salt & baking soda combo. HOWEVER, I did some research one line and found that for GROUND BEEF the method changes. So now I use the method explained in America’s Test kitchen & other science based methods of tenderizing GROUND meats.:
Mix 1/2 teaspoon baking soda with 1T water ( for each 1 lb ground beef). Then EVENLY mix that into 1 lb ground meat. Let the meat sit for 15 minutes while the peppers are roasting. Proceed with the other parts of the recipe as written. Tbe 1 t to 1-1/4t salt gets stirred into the beef along with the other seasoning. Resuls: No weird texture. Instead you have moiste , tenderized ground meat.
Great version of stuffed peppers. But I deducted 1star( should have deducted 2 stars) for HOW the baking soda was used. I think Jenns method MIGHT be for meats or skin of meats rather than ground meat.
Bottom Line :Keep the recipe BUT read up on how to tenderize GROUND beef.
Made this last night. So easy and tender and delicious. Made great leftovers too. Will definitely become a regular in my rotation!
I haven’t made it yet (doing to for 3 friends who are in need of some TLC), but I must comment on your no-nonsense video! I don’t like my time wasted by “cuteness” or watching while the host chops every little bit of onion, etc. Your video was so well done – clear, informative and to the point! Thank you!
Just delicious. Can’t wait until I make it again.
This is a great recipe! I had a 14 oz can of tomato sauce, and didn’t want to waste it…just added a little more of the spices and a little red pepper flakes. I’ll be making this again, Thank you!
Hi Jenn – Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Instructions were easy to follow. I’ve made stuffed peppers using your recipe for my family and they all loved it. This is one of my go to recipes for family, friends and potluck gatherings.
Tenderizing the ground beef with baking soda was a big mistake. This gave the beef a very slimy, stomach churning texture that I wish i had never experienced. We’re not big on wasting food in this house, but these leftovers went straight into the trash
Agreed. Flavor was good but meat texture was unappealing
I used turkey with this instead of beef because my family has just always preferred turkey and it was a HUGE hit! My daughter HATES stuffed bell peppers normally and she said “Mom really outdid herself. I never thought I’d enjoy eating a bell pepper”, so I would say it was great. Thanks!
I’ve been making this for awhile and this is absolutely delicious 😋 I use ground turkey and my boyfriend doesn’t consider it “meat”. He had no idea and he requests it often. I think the magic is in the baking soda. Never saw this process before, but it totally tenderizes the meat so well! I use this prep for other recipes that require ground meat. It’s so smart! Also used to boil my peppers before stuffing and roasting us better, tastier, and less chances of me burning myself.
Honestly, I WOULD give this recipe out, but I like feeding people and just invite people over when I make this.
Thanks so much for a fan favorite!
Roasting the peppers BEFORE adding the filling is something that I learnt from you.
Doing the peppers roasting keeps the rice from getting too soft and mushy. Thank you from that single detail that makes an incredible difference on the taste and look of the dish.
Now I do aubergines and zucchini the same way.
Made these last night!!! So so good. Thank you!
I wanted something with more zip. I loved roasting the peppers as I think boiling them loses nutrients. I followed the recipe and it was awesome and a keeper. I did drain my beef and used Mexican cheese with the Colby. first peppers of the season and I was happy they turned out so delicious! and I used the suggestion of making cornbread. made my husband’s night.