This is the quintessential stuffed bell peppers recipe I grew up on, with bell peppers stuffed with seasoned ground beef, rice, and melty cheese, so good!
Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Do you love stuffed peppers? Stuffed bell peppers are the perfect easy-to-make dinner that can be made inexpensively, and are always a crowd pleaser. They're such a nutritional powerhouse, ready for your endless creativity, and they're always on the menu in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen.
The thick, succulent flesh and hollow insides of the peppers make them the ideal vessels for stuffing and baking with all manner of foods, from ground meats, cheeses, grains, spices, even leftovers.
I grew up on stuffed green peppers, something my mother made regularly. Her stuffed peppers with rice and ground beef is the inspiration for this recipe, which I've adapted to include a flavorful balance of herbs, spices, rice, meat, cheese, and fire roasted tomatoes that I'm sure you'll love.
It's dinner time, my friends! I'm ready to get cooking!
Let's talk about how to make stuffed peppers, shall we?
Stuffed Peppers Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Bell Peppers. Use any color bells – green, yellow, red, orange. You can also use other larger peppers, like Italian sweet peppers or poblano peppers.
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Ground Meat. I am using ground beef today, but you can use ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, ground Italian sausage, or a combination. Ground turkey or chicken are great low-calorie options.
- Vegetables. Onion, jalapeno (optional, for spicy), garlic.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Use canned. You can use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce as well, but I recommend the flavor boost of fire roasted tomatoes.
- Shredded Cheese. I love spicy pepperjack cheese, but shredded cheddar or shredded mozzarella are great for stuffed peppers. I used mozzarella today. Try a combination of cheeses for a variation.
- Seasonings. Paprika, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Try this with a blend of your favorite Italian seasonings.
- Cooked Rice. Use white rice, brown rice, or wild rice. I used white rice here.
- For Garnish. Fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes.
How to Make Stuffed Peppers - the Recipe Method
Oven and Pot. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and bring a large pot of water (enough to cover the bell peppers) to a boil.
Prep the Bell Peppers. Wash the bell peppers, slice off the tops of the peppers, and scoop out the insides (seeds and membranes). You want the inside to be nice and hollow to accommodate your stuffing mixture.
If needed, slice a small part off the bottom of the peppers so they will stand upright.
TIP: Don't throw away those pepper tops! I like to toss the stems, but chop up the tops to cook with the onion later. Nothing goes to waste, and it's a great flavor builder.
Soften the Peppers. Blanch the bell peppers for 5 minutes to slightly soften. Alternatively, you can roast the peppers for 20 minutes to soften.
Set the softened peppers into a lightly oiled baking dish.
Cook the Vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat and add the onions, chopped pepper tops, and jalapeno (if using). Cook for 5 minutes to soften.
Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Cook the Meat. Add the ground beef and cook 5-6 minutes, breaking apart as you go, until cooked through.
Tomatoes, Rice, and Spices. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, seasonings, and cooked rice mixture. Stir together and remove from heat.
Cheese. Stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese until incorporated. You can add in a bit more if you'd like it more cheesy.
Stuff the Peppers. Stuff each pepper with the meat filling mixture, then top each with the remaining shredded cheese.
Roast the Peppers. Roast the stuffed peppers for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender to your preference, and the cheese is nice and bubbly. So good topped with cheese! This is a pretty forgiving recipe, so you can usually bake them longer if you want the peppers extra softened up.
Cool slightly, garnish, and serve.
Boom! Done! Your stuffed peppers are ready to serve. Don't they look gorgeous? I love the vibrant colors of the bells. I'm ready to dig in!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Feel free to use other ground meats for your stuffed peppers, including chicken, pork, turkey, sausage, or others. Use tofu for a vegetarian version.
- You can easily adjust the spices to your preference by using your favorite blends, like Cajun seasonings or a nice Italian seasoning. Worcestershire sauce is a popular addition.
- This recipe is great for any types of pepper, though it is ideal with thicker walled peppers that can hold up to the baking process. I often make this with large Italian peppers that I grow in my garden, like Carmen Italian or Marconi peppers. Try it with jalapenos for awesome poppers!
Storage
Leftover stuffed peppers will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can warm them in the oven to enjoy them again.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months. See my post on How to Freeze Stuffed Peppers.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my stuffed bell peppers 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!)
Tools Used For This Recipe
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends!
HexClad 12 Inch Hybrid Stainless Steel Wok Pan with Stay-Cool Handle - I've been loving this wok, makes stir frying and clean up so easy.
Try Some of My Other Popular 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.
Classic Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-6 bell peppers use any color – green, yellow, red, orange
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef 450g - you can also use ground turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, tofu, or other similar
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped (optional, for spicy)
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes (canned - or use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce)
- 1 cup shredded cheese cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend – I LOVE pepperjack for myself
- 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
- For Garnish. Fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and bring a pot of water (enough to cover the bell peppers) to a boil.
- Wash the bell peppers, cut off the tops, and scoop out the insides. If needed, slice a small part off the bottom of the peppers so they will stand upright. (NOTE: Chop the extra bell pepper tops to cook later with the onion - discard the stem.)
- Blanch the bell peppers for 5 minutes to slightly soften. (Alternative, you can roast the peppers for 20 minutes to soften).
- Set the softened peppers into a lightly oiled baking dish.
- Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat and add the onions, chopped pepper tops, and jalapeno (if using). Cook for 5 minutes to soften.
- 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, seasonings, and cooked rice. Stir together and remove from heat.
- Stir in half of the shredded cheese until incorporated.
- Stuff each pepper with the meat filling mixture, then top each with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Roast the stuffed peppers for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender to your preference, and the cheese is nice and bubbly.
- Cool slightly, garnish, and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/28/24 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 8/14/23.
Jessica Haskell says
Delicious! I made 5, could have made 6.
Added Sazon and red pepper flakes (no jalapeno)
Saving this recipie
Mike H. says
Exciting! Thank you, Jessica!
Amanda says
Made these stuffed peppers last night with sweet Italian sausage and they were great. I didn't add a jalapeño but only because I didn't have one on hand. It was just two of us so I saved the additional stuffing and froze it for a future dinner. Yum!
Thank you.
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Amanda! Glad you've enjoyed it!
Denise Beckstrand says
I was looking for a "new" stuffed peppers recipes. Decided to give this a try and it was delicious! Thanks. Also I have a lot of stuffing left can I freeze this?
Mike Hultquist says
Great! Yep, you can freeze the stuffing leftovers, Denise. That's what we do.
Darlene Turner says
What a delicious dish! I used only three peppers and so I only used 1/2 pound hamburger, 10 ounces of the fire, roasted tomatoes with green chilies, one jalapeño, chopped with the onions, and 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon amazza suocera blend. I’m only commenting so that I know how to make it the exact same way next time.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Darlene!
Sara says
This recipe is AMAZING!!! I used canned petite diced tomatoes and ground turkey and seasoned with taco seasoning a little bit of chili powder, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes!
Mike H. says
I am happy to hear it, Sara. Enjoy!
Carrie Hibbs says
LOVED this recipe!! I thought, "I don't think this is going to be enough for 4 of us." I made 8 bell peppers. It was SOOOOOO filling!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Thanks, Carrie! Glad you liked them!
Sandra Prokulevich says
How can I save the recipes?
Mike H. says
Hi Sandra, there are a few ways. Firstly, you could bookmark the recipe page in your browser (hitting the "star"). Secondly, you could hit the "heart" icon in the lower right corner to save recipes directly on the website. And lastly, you could just print them out! =)
Natalee says
Can the peppers be prepared ahead of time and put in fridge? Going on a family vacation and would like to do a little prework!
Mike H. says
Natalee, normally, leftover stuffed peppers will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can also freeze them for 2-3 months. So yes, you could do that.
Katie says
This turned out pretty well. I roasted the peppers as suggested that I could figuring that it would better keep the integrity of the pepper, I would add though that if doing this option the pepper should be coated with olive oil or another neutral oil prior to roasting. I used garden fresh diced tomatoes and added a tablespoon of tomato paste to toast with the ground meat for extra tomato flavor and diced two jalapenos into the mix. Overall, this was a good recipe, I enjoyed it and would make it again.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Katie. I appreciate it.
Laura Morales says
I made this recipe last night, and my husband loved them! I added a jalapeno, used ground chicken, and used pepper jack cheese, and they were delicious. I also made your shrimp etouffe last week, and it was also excellent. I may have accidentally made it a little too hot for my tastebuds, but my husband loved it also.
Thank you for not only the pictures of the recipes as you're making the item(s), but the videos are also really helpful.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Glad you're enjoying the recipes, Laura! I appreciate you sharing this! Thanks!
Dianne G says
I tried them tonight for dinner, amazing!!
defiantly will make them again!
Mike H. says
I am really happy to hear that, Dianne. Thank you!
Lily Alexander says
This recipe was delicious!! Used ground turkey and texmati white, brown, wild and red rice. My children and husband loved it too!! Definitely a keeper!
Mike H. says
Love hearing it, Lily. Thank you for the review!
Hal Walker says
Any changes to this recipe if using on a grill? I have a gas grill. Thanks Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Hal, you can soften the peppers up a bit on the grill instead of parboiling. Also, you can set them on the grill over indirect heat and let them cook through once stuffed. Enjoy!!