Classic stuffed peppers with rice, ground beef, two different types of cheese, and Italian herbs are baked in tomato sauce until tender and flavorful!
Table of Contents
You can’t beat good old-fashioned stuffed peppers with rice for a simple, hearty, and family-friendly dinner.
The best stuffed peppers I have ever had. Perfect in every way. Very appetizing dish.
– Kimmy
Video: How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
- I’ve tried many versions of stuffed peppers over the years, but I always come back to the classic stuffed bell peppers that I grew up with. We add ground beef for filling protein, but you can swap it out for ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground Italian sausage instead, or even make them vegetarian by using black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, or white beans.
- I’ve shown sweet red bell peppers here, but you can also use yellow bell peppers, orange bell peppers, or green bell peppers. It’s just a matter of personal preference. The red, yellow, and orange peppers are generally sweeter than the green peppers (and I think they look really pretty in the dish). Green bell peppers tend to have a zesty taste, which pairs well with the savory meat, cheese, rice, and tomato sauce.
- I recommend par-boiling or pre-baking the peppers before adding the ground beef and rice stuffing. If you prefer a more crisp-tender pepper, you can skip this step since the peppers will definitely soften in the oven. That said, it’s very easy to give the bell peppers a little head start in the microwave. Just place them in a dish with water, cover loosely with a sheet of parchment paper, and cook on high for about 3 minutes.
- In this recipe, you’ll pre-cook the rice and the meat before stuffing the peppers. Some recipes call for a hybrid: pre-cooked rice, which is combined with raw meat for the stuffing. When using raw meat, the rice can soak up some of the drippings from the meat. This adds great flavor, but it can also yield a slightly less healthy, greasier dish. Either way works, but here we’re pre-cooking the ground beef to make sure that it’s totally cooked through and lean.
Directions
While these classic stuffed peppers may look fancy or complicated, they’re actually quite easy to prepare! You’ll find step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Microwave the peppers until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. You don’t want them too soft, because they will continue baking in the oven.
- Cook the ground beef and rice filling.
- Season the peppers with salt and pepper, then stuff the filling into the peppers.
- Drizzle with olive oil. This adds flavor and also keeps the mixture moist.
- Cover and bake in a 350°F oven for 35 minutes.
- Remove the cover, top with cheese, and return to the oven for about 10 more minutes.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or basil. Serve warm!
Serving Suggestions
Since this recipe includes veggies, rice, and meat, it’s an entire stand-alone dinner! If you’d like to round out the meal with additional sides, the stuffed peppers are great alongside Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, 3-ingredient biscuits, Southern-style green beans, a green salad with red wine vinegar salad dressing, or garlic bread.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: This is a great prep-ahead meal. You can assemble the bell peppers, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Allow the dish to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking according to recipe instructions. Since the peppers and filling might still be cool, you may need to increase the baking time by about 10 minutes.
- How to Freeze: You can freeze the stuffed peppers before or after baking. Wrapped tightly, they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Leftovers will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Reheat: Cover loosely with foil and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through. If baking from frozen, you’ll need to increase the total baking time by at least 30 minutes.
Delicious!! My Italian husband grew up on his mother’s stuffed peppers, and he thought these were better than hers! He said he looks forward to me making these again.
– Ginny
Did you make this recipe?
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Watch How to Make It
Stuffed Peppers with Rice
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
0 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Classic stuffed bell peppers with rice, ground beef, two different types of cheese, and Italian herbs are baked in tomato sauce until tender and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 4 sweet bell peppers, any color
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese, divided
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, discarding seeds and membranes. Place peppers, cut side up, in a microwave-safe 13×9-inch baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the dish. Lightly cover with parchment paper. Microwave until peppers begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.*
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion; cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off fat. Stir in cooked rice, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Add ½ cup of cheddar and ½ cup of Monterey Jack or mozzarella. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Season the inside of each pepper with salt and pepper. Stuff peppers with beef mixture and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with foil.
- Bake until tender and heated through, about 35 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of cheddar and remaining ½ cup of Monterey Jack or mozzarella.
- Bake, uncovered, until cheese melts, about 10 more minutes. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil.
Notes
*Alternatively, you can pre-bake the peppers in the oven instead of in the microwave. To do so, fill a baking dish large enough to fit peppers with about ½ -inch of water. Place peppers cut-side down in water, cover with foil, and bake for about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/2 of a stuffed pepperCalories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 19gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 484mgPotassium: 508mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2349IUVitamin C: 81mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 2mg
Recipe Variations for Stuffed Peppers with Rice
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or ground sausage.
- Any variety of rice will work. I like to use cooked long grain white rice, but cooked wild rice or cooked brown rice will both be delicious, too. For a shortcut, try microwaveable packets of rice like Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. You can even try this recipe with cauliflower rice for more veggies.
- Instead of rice, use cooked quinoa or cooked couscous.
- Give the peppers a southwestern spin by adding some cumin, chili powder, and black beans to the filling mixture (rather than the Italian herbs). Use Pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack cheese with the cheddar cheese (instead of mozzarella), and garnish with fresh cilantro.
- For a vegetarian dish, omit the ground beef and add a can of drained, rinsed black beans, white beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas to the rice mixture.
- For the Slow Cooker: To make these stuffed peppers in a Crock Pot, skip the step of pre-cooking the peppers in the microwave. Stuff the peppers with the rice and ground turkey filling, cover, and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. Top with the cheese and continue cooking until the cheese melts (about 10-15 more minutes).
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes to Try
Stuffed Pepper Soup
50 minutes mins
Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
1 hour hr
Easy Stuffed Pepper Casserole
50 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in August, 2020. It was updated in September, 2024.
I have followed you since your children were small(and very cute). I still look forward to your recipes and comment. Thank you for being here. Love the stuffed peppers.
Hi, Terri! That’s amazing! Sometimes I can’t believe how long I’ve been doing this. 🙂 Thank you for such loyal support and for your kind words!
Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe! I cooked them in the crockpot! They turned out great! I love trying your recipes! Thanks again!
You’re very welcome, Kimberly! We’re so glad it turned out well for you!
These were absolutely wonderful! I’ve made stuffed peppers a couple times in my life, they were not anything to get excited about. Yours I will definitely make again and again. I’ve made them twice this month. Share with coworkers and they loved them! Thank you so much!!!!!
This made our day, Teresa! Thank you for trying our recipe and taking the time to leave a review.
This was the best stuffed pepper recipe. Simple to make. Definitely will make again and sharing the recipe to my friends and family.
Thank you, Sophia! We’re so glad you enjoy it.
Easy and delicious to make! I use lots of your recipes Blair! I appreciate you very much!
Thanks again!!!!
Thank you, Kimmie! We’re so glad you’re enjoying the recipes and appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback.
delicious recipe! I had some peppers and rice that needed to be used, this came together easily and I had dinner on the table quickly. Thank you for helping me out on a busy day.
Delynn
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Delynn!
Thank you for this easy to follow recipe! I haven’t had stuffed peppers (or even though about them) since my grandmother passed 20 years ago. I came across your beautiful picture and thought I’d give it a try! They were perfect! Thank you so much!
We’re so glad you found our recipe, Lana! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.
Hi! My name is Amy Jeter and I saw your grilled salmon recipe in Country Sample Farmhouse magazine summer 2025. I could not help but notice the beautiful blue plate that the salmon was on. I absolutely love blue dishes! My husband and I are currently building a farmhouse style home. Would you be willing to share the name of the blue dishes with me? Thank you sooo much!
Hi, Amy! Thank you for your note, and congrats on your new home! That plate is from the Johnson Brothers “Coaching Scenes” line. You can find them on Replacements.com here. Good luck!
Finally found my favorite Stuffed Bell pepper recipe Thank You
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Laurie!
I did the stuff pepper which we enjoy but tried your recipe and everyone loved it so much they want me to make it every week as one of our meals.. Thank you for your recipe
We’re so happy to hear this, Vickie! We’re so glad it was a hit.
Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.
Turned out excellent! Thanks for the wonderful directions, was going to take a picture, but by the time I got back over, there were only a couple left out of 9!
We’re so happy to hear this, Peggy! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.
The receipt was very easy and delicious! Will definitely be on my favorites list. Thank you.
Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review, Mary! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Delicious!
Just the right amount of spice.
Precooking peppers took an hour.
Thank you for the feedback, Ruby! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Great recipe we have made it several times. Your recipes are regulars in our kitchen. Thankyou
Blair’s stuffed peppers w rice recipe was a SMASH HIT w my family!!! Highly recommend! Thank you for sharing, Blair….. I hope I win your recipe book!
Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review, Frank. We’re so glad your family enjoyed it!