Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole

5 from 17 votes

Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole

A dump-and-bake stuffed pepper casserole that layers ground beef, rice, peppers, and melty cheese in a comforting, easy-to-prep meal.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword bell pepper casserole, green pepper casserole dish, green pepper casserole recipe, stuffed bell pepper casserole, stuffed bell pepper casserole recipe, stuffed pepper casserole

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 421kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

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.

Video

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