This Stuffed Pepper Casserole recipe brings classic flavors without the hassle with ground beef, bell peppers, rice, and gooey cheese. One-pot comfort food!
Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe
Are you ready for a no-fuss recipe that you can easily whip together for a simple, yet delicious, weeknight meal? Here it is! Stuffed Pepper Casserole!
Stuffed pepper casserole is the perfect one-pan dish that focuses on all the flavors of Classic Stuffed Peppers, but with quite a bit less work.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy to Make. It's mostly chopping, with everything cooked in single pan, then baked in the same pan.
- Easy to Customize. You can vary up the ground meats with this recipe, but also the cheeses and spices, and even the peppers. Make it your way!
- Mild or Wild! You can make a mild version for your family, or make a wonderfully spicy version for yourself and your spicy food loving friends!
This stuffed bell pepper casserole, loaded up with extra peppers and onions and so much goodness, will absolutely satisfy your biggest crave.
Let's talk about how to make stuffed pepper casserole, shall we?
Stuffed Pepper Casserole Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Olive Oil.
- Ground Meat. I'm using ground beef, though you can also use ground turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, tofu, or other similar.
- Vegetables. Onion, bell peppers (use any color – green bell peppers, yellow, red, orange), jalapeno pepper (optional, for spicy), garlic.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Canned is great. Or you can use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce.
- Worcestershire Sauce.
- Seasonings. Paprika, dried oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste. You can easily vary this up to your personal favorites, like Italian seasonings or Cajun seasonings.
- Cooked Rice. White rice, brown rice, or wild rice.
- Melty Cheese. Use cheddar cheese, mozzarella, or a blend – I LOVE pepperjack for myself.
- For Garnish. Fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes.
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole - the Recipe Method
Prep Oven. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
Cook the Vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pan or Dutch oven to medium heat and add the onions, jalapeno (if using), and bell peppers. Cook for 10 minutes to soften, stirring often.
Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Ground Meat. Add the lean ground beef and cook 5-6 minutes, breaking apart as you go, until cooked through.
Prep for Baking. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and cooked rice. Stir together and remove from heat.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese until incorporated.
Transfer to a casserole dish or baking dish (or keep in the Dutch oven or other oven safe pan).
Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake the Casserole. Bake the casserole for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.
Cool slightly, garnish, and serve.
Boom! Done! Your stuffed pepper casserole is ready to serve. Easy enough to make, isn't it? This is a great weeknight meal for the whole family. I hope they love it!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Using cooked rice is a big time saver. However, if you'd prefer to make this dish with uncooked rice, add it at the same time you add the tomatoes, but add 2 cups water, beef broth, or stock, then bake 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and cooked to your preference.
- Let your imagination run wild with variations like Italian Stuffed Peppers, Mexican Stuffed Peppers, or Greek Stuffed Peppers. So many possibilities.
Storage & Leftovers
Stuffed pepper casserole will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can heat it up in a pan in the oven or stove top to enjoy again.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my stuffed pepper casserole recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 75 easy recipes with big, bold flavor.
- The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
More Casserole Recipes
Try Some of My Other Stuffed Pepper Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef 450g - you can also use ground turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, tofu, or other similar
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 bell peppers use any color – green, yellow, red, orange
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped (optional, for spicy)
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes (or use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cooked rice white, brown, or wild rice
- 1 cup shredded cheese cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend – I LOVE pepperjack for myself
- For Garnish. Fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Heat the oil in a large pan or Dutch oven to medium heat and add the onions, jalapeno (if using), and bell peppers. Cook for 10 minutes to soften, stirring often.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the ground beef and cook 5-6 minutes, breaking apart as you go, until cooked through.
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and cooked rice. Stir together and remove from heat.
- Stir in half of the shredded cheese until incorporated.
- Transfer to a casserole dish or baking dish (or keep in the Dutch oven or other oven safe pan).
- Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake the casserole for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.
- Cool slightly, garnish, and serve.
Nutrition Information
Stephanie says
Can I make this for a freezer meal? If so, how should I cook after? Do I need to thaw? Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, you can do that, Stephanie. It is best to freeze the dish without the cheese. When you want to cook it, thaw the dish overnight in the refrigerator, then follow the recipe for baking it - stir in half the cheese in the casserole dish, top with the rest of the cheese, and bake. Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy!
Megan says
Made this for dinner tonight. Very easy and so delicious!!
Mike H. says
Thank you for the review, Megan!
Megan says
Made this tonight! I followed the recipe exact, and it was delicious. Definitely will make again. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome!!! Thanks, Megan!!
Rachel Ferguson says
This was FANTASTIC! My husband said it’s definitely a “make again” dinner which is high praise from him. Even my 1 year old gobbled it up. I did add a can of black beans, and since our oven isn’t working I didn’t put it in the oven. I have a dairy allergy and my husband is on a diet so we added cheese and rice separately to our plates. I am adding this to our dinner rotations, and I think I’ll use the leftovers for some burritos for lunch tomorrow! Thanks!
Mike H. says
Oh, that's incredible, Rachel! So happy you were able to accomodate for the diets. Enjoy!
Lauren O says
Tried this because I always end up cutting up my stuffed bell peppers and mixing everything together anyways. It was a hit for the family. I could see leaving the rice out for an even lower carb option. I used cooked white rice and it tasted great. I also used ground elk for my protein. I mixed a cup of cheese in, left the cheese topping layer off, cooked it for a 10 minutes, and then added a heaping pile of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of my portion (easier for calorie tracking) and it was great. I thought it might be liquid-y, but it cooked out to not make a soupy mess. Definitely will make again!
Mike H. says
I am glad to hear that, Lauren. Thanks for sharing and enjoy!
Leah says
this was so amazing. I added can of chopped green Chile's and rotel roasted tomatoes with chopped green chili's. will be making some nachos tonight. thanks for a great dish.
Mike Hultquist says
Perfect update, Leah! Glad you enjoyed it! Enjoy the nachos, too!
Trish says
30-40 minutes to cook rice?? Unless it’s wild rice, my basmati rice take 15 minutes with 10 minutes of rest. So I believe it’s BEST to use left over rice are cook the rice a side to get the right texture. Your recipe is a most try! Thanks for sharing with us!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, I think it comes out better and more evenly with cooked rice. Thanks, Trish.