Stuffed peppers are great because they are versatile, filling, and comforting! I love this recipe in particular because I typically have most of the ingredients on hand. If you aren’t a fan of ground beef, you can easily switch to the ground turkey or even veggie-based stuffed peppers.
Highlights
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4
Make Ahead? – Yes
Freezer Friendly? – No
Substitutions? – Yes! Feel free to swap out the type of cheese or rice, or even click here for a different version of stuffed peppers.
Ingredients List
- 4 bell peppers, washed (and color, I tend to use green or red)
~1lb ground beef (slightly more is ok, you can always eat the extra mixture!)
- 1 box rice pilaf (e.g., Near East original)
- 1 jar of red sauce (marinara, or tomato basil work great)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
This recipe contributes 4 items to your weekly list plus 4 pantry staples.
Recipe: Stuffed Peppers (beef and rice)
- Bring water to boil to prepare the rice pilaf as per the instructions. While rice is cooking, cut open the peppers from the top stem and remove the interior seeds. Set up an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan with a foil-lined bottom and peppers upright (tops removed). Set oven to 350°.
- In large heated pan, cook the ground beef until lightly brown and cooked through, breaking up with a wooden spoon as you go. Drain. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Add sauce and let simmer for ~5 minutes, then remove from heat. Note, you may not need the full jar depending how much beef you have (start with half, and add more as needed to reach desired consistency).
- Add cooked rice to the pan and stir to combine. Add a pinch of the cheese to the bottom of each pepper. Spoon beef/rice mixture into each pepper and top with a generous portion of the cheese. Bake at 350° for ~15-20 minutes until warmed through and cheese is melted. Enjoy!
Family Tips
- Kids might get a kick helping to fill up the peppers so feel free to let little hands get in on the action (even just adding the cheese!
- If you want this extra spicy you can add jalepenos tossed into the mix or add some chile powder to amp it up.
- If you want to save some time in execution, you can pre-make the beef and rice mixture ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days beforehand. Then, when you are ready to stuff the peppers just bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes instead to ensure they are warm all the way through!