Stuffed Peppers
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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—bell peppers filled with some combination of meat, tomato sauce, vegetables, rice, and cheese. In the U.S., the dish is undeniably retro (the most popular recipe online is still the one from Betty Crocker!). Here, I’ve given the classic recipe a little update by quickly tenderizing the beef before cooking and seasoning it with Southwestern spices, which pair perfectly with the sweetness of the bell peppers. That said, the recipe is endlessly flexible—you can switch up the meat, spices, grain, or 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 first, but I prefer roasting—more flavor, less cleanup! Just slice the peppers in half from top to bottom, scoop out the seeds and membranes, and 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 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.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: 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 for 20 minutes while you prep the rest of the recipe. The baking soda works its magic during this time—it raises the pH, which helps the beef stay tender and juicy as it cooks. (I use this tenderizing technique in many ground beef recipes, including beef enchiladas, beef chili, and shepherd’s pie.)
Step 2: Prepare the peppers. Slice the peppers in half from top to bottom, then 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 minutes, until 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. 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.
To the skillet, 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, about 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 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 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve warm and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Stuffed Peppers
Hearty, comforting, and always a hit—these stuffed peppers are easy to make, great for leftovers, and freezer-friendly too.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 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 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 9x13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil for easy clean-up, if you like. 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 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 cheese and place back in the oven. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and bubbling, and 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 refrigerated, or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost overnight in the refrigerator if frozen, cover the dish with foil, and 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 minutes, or 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 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.
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if I’m going to use ground chicken, would that still get tenderized?
No, you can skip that step with ground chicken. Please LMK how they turn out!
Made this tonight with my beautiful garden bell peppers and a couple poblanos for fun. Delicious! The flavors really came together well. They were a bit greasier than I like things, so next time I’ll cook the ground chuck first and drain it while I cook the onions and garlic, then add it back in and proceed with the tomato sauce, etc.
Hello….what is the purpose of the baking soda….
Hi, he baking soda raises the pH of the meat, helping to lock in moisture and making the beef tender. Hope you enjoy if you make the peppers!
Can you use mozzarella and Parmesan (already have) with these spices or should I tweak to make with more Italian seasonings ? Thanks!
The cheese you’ve got is fine to use and yes, I would tweak the spices to make them more Italian. Hope you enjoy!
Oven temp??!!
Hi Mary, the oven temp is 425°F/220°C.
These stuffed peppers are a little tedious to make, at first, but after making them three times, I’m getting the hang of it. I would have never thought of roasting the peppers first. What I especially like about your recipes is, you walk us thru step by step. There is no way to fail. Thanks Again for a great recipe!
Excellent! I’ve tried a few different recipes for stuffed peppers over the years but I wasn’t pleased with any of them. But this recipe is great. The spice level is perfect and the blend of spices, and cheese with the peppers is very tasty! Thanks for sharing this recipe:)
I made this for the first time last night for my two teenagers. My son plowed through 2 1/2 of them (which is all I gave him) without pausing for breath. My daughter ate 1 1/2 and said “I’m still hungry but I want to save the other half because it’s so good I want it for lunch tomorrow”. Needless to say they were a big, big hit, and I may just be making them again tonight!
Very tasty. I followed the recipe exactly, and we loved the result. Much tastier than other stuffed pepper recipes I’ve tried.
I’ve made stuffed peppers a billion times but I was interested in trying your recipe because you incorporated several methods that that interested me. First, you didn’t blanch peppers but roasted them instead. I’d hoped that this might add additional flavor…but I don’t think it affected taste at all. The peppers are background to filling and either method produces the same results. I do think blanching saves more of the texture of the pepper. Also, you used cooked rice rather than adding additional liquid (canned tomatoes, etc.) and cooking the rice in the sauce That’s a good way to use up leftover rice but I’d rather cook rice in the meat sauce. I didn’t use your spices as I’m not fond of cumin. I added, instead, roasted green chili, olives (so I could use them up) and corn. I used Mexican tomato sauce (El Pato) in lieu of regular sauce and chili powder to add flavor and a spicy kick to an otherwise bland dish.
I know it isn’t fair to judge a recipe if you change it past recognition, which I sorta’ did, but I was more interested in trying your methods instead of the flavor of the finished dish. My additions might make it too spicy for kids, too.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Wow! These came out amazing! Substituted coriander for cumin and used less of it. Otherwise, kept the rest of the recipe exactly as posted! Everyone loved it! Can’t wait to make it again! Thank you!