Classic stuffed peppers without the fuss! This dump-and-bake stuffed bell pepper casserole is a hearty, family-friendly meal that comes together with minimal effort. Just stir everything in one dish, let the oven do the work, and dinner is ready!
This meal is cozy, budget-friendly, and flexible. You can swap out the meat, change up the veggies, or use whatever cheese you’ve got in the fridge. It’s the kind of dish that makes everyone happy around the table.
Table of Contents
Before You Get Started
Here are a few things to keep in mind before you dive in:
- Pick your protein: Ground beef is classic, but turkey, chicken, or Italian sausage all work well.
- Choose your rice wisely: This recipe is specifically designed for long-grain white rice. Don’t sub with another variety of rice (such as brown rice, wild rice, or instant rice) or you’ll need to adjust the amount of liquid and the cooking time.
- Bell peppers add color and flavor: Red and yellow are sweet, while green peppers give a slightly sharper bite.
- Flavor boosters: A little soy sauce and sugar balance the acidity in the tomatoes and give the dish a deeper flavor.
** Tip: Drain the meat really well after browning so the casserole doesn’t turn greasy.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole
Think of this as your shortcut version of grandma’s stuffed peppers. Here’s how I like to make it:
Step 1: Brown the Meat
Cook the ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink, then drain the excess grease. Browning it first locks in flavor and keeps the casserole from getting oily.
** Tip: If you’d like to keep this meal truly dump-and-bake, see my notes below to skip the browning step and cook the meat straight in the casserole dish with the rice and veggies.
Step 2: Mix Liquids, Rice, and Veggies
In your baking dish, whisk together the broth, tomato sauce, garlic, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in the uncooked rice, onion, bell peppers, and drained tomatoes. Everything bakes together right in the dish, no need for extra pots.
Step 3: Bake Covered
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. At this point the rice should be mostly tender but still a little firm. Check early if you know your oven tends to run hot.
** Tip: Don’t be tempted to keep baking until the rice is completely soft at this stage. It will finish cooking when you stir in the meat and cheese.
Step 4: Add Cheese and Finish Baking
Stir the browned beef into the rice and veggie mixture, then sprinkle the cheese evenly over top.
Return to the oven uncovered for about 5 to 10 minutes, just until the cheese melts and the rice is perfectly tender.
Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving so everything sets up nicely. Garnish with fresh herbs if you’d like.
Serving Ideas
Pair this stuffed pepper casserole recipe with a simple green salad dressed in a tangy Dijon vinaigrette, a loaf of crusty Dutch oven bread, a skillet of cornbread, or a basket of 2-ingredient pumpkin muffins with cake mix.
Variations and Customizations
- Starting with Raw Ground Beef: for a truly dump-and-bake dinner, you can skip the step of browning the meat in the skillet and instead add it straight to the dish with the uncooked rice. To do so, make sure that you’re using extra-lean ground beef (so that it doesn’t make the casserole too greasy). Break up the meat into small pieces with your fingers as you spread it evenly around the pan. The meat will be cooked through by the time the rice and veggies are tender.
- Shortcut: start with cooked sausage crumbles to avoid the browning step. Good options include this Italian version from Walmart or these Jimmy Dean fully cooked pork sausage crumbles.
- Meatless: skip the beef and use black beans or lentils.
- Different cheese: sharp cheddar, mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, cheddar Jack, or smoked gouda all lend a slightly different flavor.
- More twists: try this stuffed pepper soup recipe and these ground turkey stuffed peppers, too.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Prep Ahead: you can brown the ground beef in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can also assemble the casserole a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The rice will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly.
- How to Store: leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers, since the rice and veggies have a mushy texture when thawed.
- How to Reheat: cover and reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in a microwave for about 1 minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why did my rice turn out mushy? Usually this happens if the casserole bakes too long or has too much liquid. Check the rice early and adjust if needed.
- Can I use brown rice? I don’t recommend using any variety other than long grain white rice. Other varieties (like brown rice) require different cooking times and liquid ratios.
- Do I need to cover the casserole? Yes, keeping it covered traps steam and ensures the rice cooks evenly.
- Can I make this vegetarian? Absolutely. Swap the beef for beans or lentils and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.
I made this delicious recipe tonight and what a keeper I will make it again. My hubby ate not one but three plates.
– Debbie
He has never done that before. I wouldn’t change a thing in this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (or sub with Italian sausage, ground turkey, or ground chicken)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium sweet bell peppers (any color), seeded and diced
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese or Colby-Jack cheese
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, or basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain off the excess grease. Set aside.
- In the prepared dish, whisk together the broth, tomato sauce, garlic, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in the uncooked rice, onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the rice is almost done, but still a little bit firm. Be careful that you don’t overcook the rice or it will become mushy. Use a fork to fluff the rice. Gently stir in the ground beef. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Return to the oven, uncovered, just until the cheese melts and the rice is perfectly tender, about 5-10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Starting with Raw Ground Beef: for a truly dump-and-bake dinner, you can skip the step of browning the meat in the skillet and instead add it straight to the dish with the uncooked rice. To do so, make sure that you’re using extra-lean ground beef (so that it doesn’t make the casserole too greasy). Break up the meat into small pieces with your fingers as you spread it evenly around the pan. The meat will be cooked through by the time the rice and veggies are tender.
- Shortcut: start with cooked sausage crumbles to avoid the browning step. Good options include this Italian version from Walmart or these Jimmy Dean fully cooked pork sausage crumbles.
Nutrition
So good! It helped me use up some leftovers in the fridge. I only had Italian sausage and chicken broth, and they worked beautifully…
– Kristin
More Easy Ground Beef Casseroles
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Shipwreck Casserole
1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Johnny Marzetti
1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Originally published in June, 2018, this post was updated in September, 2025.
Can you use brown rice for this recipe instead?
Hey, Karli! Here’s what I wrote earlier in the post to answer that question (because readers often ask):
Readers often wonder if they can substitute with other types of rice in these dump-and-bake casseroles. My answer is maybe. I have only tested this particular recipe using the long grain white rice, so if you try something else, do so at your own risk.???? Let me know how it goes, though! For instance, brown rice requires a much longer cooking time than white rice, so you would need to leave the casserole in the oven for much longer. By contrast, “instant rice” or pre-cooked rice would require much less time in the oven — and you would also need to decrease the amount of liquid in the dish because the parboiled or pre-cooked rice will not absorb as much liquid as the uncooked white rice. Again, I’m not saying that these other rices will not work — you just may need to experiment a little bit!
Hope that helps, and let me know if you have any additional questions! 🙂
Hey i was going to make stuffed peppers with sausage until i stumbled across the dump casserole and i was wondering can i add ricotta cheese to my casserole?? What do you think??
Hi, Rebecca! I think the ricotta would taste fine in the dish, and it shouldn’t change much about the texture if you add dollops throughout or on top, rather than just stirring it into the mix. Enjoy!
We tried your recipe using uncooked brown rice. You are correct in that it would take a lot longer time. Our rice was not completely done. We also added more diced green pepper. The seasonings are perfect. I will make this again using cooked brown rice and lower the amount of bouillon to 1 cup. Thank you for a great recipe.
Sounds good! Thanks, Toni! 🙂
She answered that in the blog ,!yes but May take a little longer
Okay, good luck, Angelina! 🙂 Just don’t tell them it’s supposed to be “stuffed peppers.” 🙂 Tell them it’s a casserole, and maybe they’ll not try to compare it to the “real deal.” Hah!
Loved this recipe. Made it for two persons and it was amazing. Hubby really liked it. Keep these ‘dump and Bake recipes’ coming ????. Thanks to you, I learned how to bake / cook.
Yay! So glad that it was a hit, Dorianne! The stamp of approval from a husband is always a huge win in my book!
Made a batch and froze one, brown rice works – just needed a little longer in the oven! Devoured by 3 children who demanded to know why I hadn’t made more…
Yay! That’s high praise when the kids love a healthy veggie-packed dinner, Siobhan! Thanks for letting me know about the brown rice, too! 🙂
When you froze one, did you cook it first? Also, do you let the frozen one defrost before you put it in the oven or can you put the whole frozen casserole in the oven?
Did you bake it before freezing it? I want to make it for a friend to take out of the freezer and cook whenever she needs it.
I used venison burger and it turned out great
Was wondering if I could do this on a crockpot
Hi, Sonnie! I’m glad that you enjoyed it! I have never tried it in the slow cooker, but I bet it would work well. You’d just have to play around with the timing, since I haven’t tested it to be able to give you an exact cooking time.
I made this delicious recipe tonight and what a keeper I will
Make it again. My hubby ate not one but three plates
He has never done that before. I wouldn’t change a thing in this recipe.
Thank you
That’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know, Debbie! I’m so glad that your husband approved! 🙂
Hubs loved this, but it was way too soupy. i actually cooked it with the last 15 minutes uncovered and then an additional 15 minutes uncovered before I put on the cheese. It was still soupy. I rechecked the recipe and I did everything right. I am not a pepper fan, but it was good. As I said, my husband devoured it and had the leftover for lunch today.
Thanks, Mari! That’s strange that it was soupy. Did you use instant rice or parboiled rice instead of the regular long grain white rice? The rice should absorb the liquid as it cooks so that it’s not soupy in the end, but if you’re using a different type of rice they will not soak up liquid in the same way. That’s the only thing that I could think may have changed your result. I’m glad that your husband still enjoyed it, though!
Same for me. I used a glass dish. Not sure if that matters. I may just add more rice next time.
I tried this for dinner tonight. I doubled the recipe and used raw brown rice and leftover cooked chicken. After 45 minutes it looked just the same as it did when I put it in the oven. I set it for another 45 minutes and it was still like soup. I’m letting it go another 45 minutes because it was very close to boiling so maybe after boiling another 45 minutes it will be somewhat set up. Definitely not going to work for tonight’s dinner. Maybe tomorrow night?
I am wondering if it just doesn’t double well (I have a family of 6). Mine has been in the oven over an hour and looks same as when it went in! 4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of rice seemed excessive, Plus liquid cooking out of onions and peppers. I should have trusted my gut. It still smells amazing so tonight we are having plan B (leftovers and whatever we can find in fridge) and hope to enjoy the casserole tomorrow!
Made this tonight ours was very soupy as well I double checked and we used the long grain rice uncooked. Tasted good but had to eat it in a bowl.
Mine actually did get less soupy as it cooled and sat up
This looks great! Can I prepare it tonight and bake tomorrow night?
Yes, I think that would work, Brittany! 🙂
We followed the recipe exactly with the correct kind of rice and it was way too soupy. We had to eat it like soup. We could probably half the liquid; it was that odd. Flavor was good, though.
That’s definitely odd — I’ve never had that happen. Not sure what was different for you since I wasn’t in your kitchen, but I’m glad that the flavor was okay.
So I made the mistake of reading comments. So I decided to add an extra 1/2 cup of rice to it. And I added a can of black beans to it. The flavor and preparation was awesome! I would’ve made it exactly like this recipe. We had no soupy experience. Only a think mixture from adding more rice. Next time we won’t do that! Thanks for the easy recipe!
Thanks, Jessica!!
Can you make this without meat. Just more pepper?
Hi, Marilynn! Yes, you could probably use more pepper, or toss in a can or two of drained, rinsed beans. 🙂
It sounds like it would be soupy since a cup of rice requires 2 cups of liquid. This recipe has only 1/2 cup of rice but still calls for 2 cups broth?
Hey, Kim! No, I haven’t had a problem with it being soupy at all — but there is a thick “sauce” in the dish. It’s not totally dry rice as if you cooked the rice on the stovetop. I add the broth and the tomato sauce so that you have a sauce in the recipe, just like when you prepare stuffed bell peppers with a sauce. The sauce thickens (thanks to the starch that the rice releases), so it’s not thin and soupy. I recommend allowing the dish to rest on the counter after baking for about 10 minutes before serving. This will allow the casserole to thicken and set up even more. Enjoy! 🙂
I am doubling the recipe and using brown rice. How long should I bake in the oven?
Hi, Maciah! The brown rice requires MUCH longer to cook, so I would plan on baking the dish for at least 90 minutes.
Thanks! Also, for meal logging purposes, do you know approximately how much (cups, ounces, etc) a serving is? Thanks for your help! I’m excited to try this!
Hi, Maciah! I’m sorry, I don’t. I usually just divide the casserole into 4 equal pieces, which gives you 4 separate servings. I’m not sure how much each serving weighs, though.
Fast and friendly service! Thank you!
Thanks, Cynthia! Glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
How long should it be cooked if the recipe is doubled? And how about quadrupled?
Hi, Mindy! I haven’t specifically tested the timing when doubling or quadrupling the recipe. That said, I would try adding about 10 minutes — so in step #4, bake for 45 minutes instead of 35 minutes before removing the foil. Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Delicious! After reading some of the comments, I made this with a little more rice and a little less broth. I then cooked it 10 minutes uncovered before I put on the cheese. It wasn’t soupy. We enjoyed it.
Thanks, Julia! ❤️
This is my new quick and easy favorite! I didn’t use lean meat (83% lean ground turkey) but I baked uncover for 25 more minutes. Amazing result!
Wonderful! Thanks so much for your note, Thao!
This is great, I’ve made it a few times. Question, if I double the recipe, how much cook time should I add? Thanks!
Hi, Rhi! You shouldn’t need to add too much more time — maybe 10-15 minutes? Just keep your eye on it when it gets close. 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi, Nancy! You can freeze it, but the rice might have a bit of a mushier texture when it’s thawed. 🙂
This recipe was delicious! I doubled it and used two 8×9 casserole dishes and baked one and put the other in the freezer.
I was afraid this would be soupy based on comments I read and how SOUPY it looked when i put it together, BUT it isn’t soupy! It is creamy just like its supposed to be. I used a glass dish so I did have to ad about 15 extra minutes of bake time. I also chose to add some extra cheese to individual plates while dishing it up
Thanks! Even the baby ate some ! 🙂
Wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note, Bethany. I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!