Stuffed Peppers are bell peppers filled with rice and ground beef mixture, topped with seasoned tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. You get your vegetables, protein, and carbs all in one delicious dish! You might also want to try my Chicken Mushroom Stuffed Peppers and Southwest Anaheim Stuffed Peppers, too!

Stuffed Peppers standing in What Casserole Pan
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Stuffed Peppers

Bell peppers are perfect for filling with meats, sauces, and cheeses for a satisfying and well-rounded meal, all in one. They were named for their bell-like shape and are a mild pepper (even though they are part of the same family as hot chili peppers). A fun fact is that bell peppers are the only peppers in that family of peppers that do not contain capsaicin (the heat-causing component in peppers). For the same delicious flavors in a one-pot meal, try my Stuffed Pepper Soup, too!

Overhead Image of Stuffed Peppers in White Casserole Pan

What is Blanching?

Blanching is a method to cook vegetables so they end up being crisp and bright in color. It also helps them cook more evenly. All it takes to blanch peppers is a pot of salted boiling water and a bowl of ice water nearby.

I recommend blanching the peppers for this recipe, but if you don’t have time and are not going to freeze the peppers, you can also make this recipe without blanching.

Overhead of Filling that Goes Into Stuffed Peppers

How to Store Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. When ready to reheat, put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350°F.

Can I Freeze Stuffed Peppers?

Yes! Stuffed Peppers are a great meal that you can make ahead of time and freeze. Once the stuffed peppers have been cooked, let them cool completely before freezing them. If they are still warm, they will probably end up soggy when they thaw.

The easiest way to freeze the peppers is in a freezer-safe casserole dish with a lid on it. If you don’t have a casserole dish, you can double wrap (in plastic wrap) each stuffed pepper individually and put them in freezer-safe bags. Be sure to label and date the bags. The peppers can be frozen for up to a year, but best eaten within 6 months.

Adding filling, sauce, and cheese to Stuffed Peppers

How to Reheat Frozen Stuffed Peppers

When you are ready to heat up the peppers, you can let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or simply take them from the freezer directly to the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the frozen (or thawed) stuffed peppers in the oven. Bake them until they are warm. The bake time will depend if they have been thawed or not.

Close up of Cut Into Stuffed Pepper

Can I Make Stuffed Peppers in an Air Fryer?

Absolutely! It has actually become my new favorite way to enjoy this dish.

  • Stuff peppers with the beef mixture. Place into the Air Fryer.
  • Cook the peppers at 360°F (or 375°F if you don’t have 360°F) until tender for 10 minutes. Top with shredded mozarealla cheese and then cook for 2-3 minutes

More Ground Beef Recipes

5 from 2 votes

Stuffed Peppers

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
This classic Stuffed Peppers recipe is filled with a ground beef and rice mixture, topped with a seasoned tomato sauce and cheese!

Ingredients

Peppers

  • 6 bell peppers, any color
  • ice water, for blanching

Stuffing Mixture

  • ½ cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¾ cup (1 small) onion, chopped
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce, divided
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.

Blanching Peppers (Optional, See Notes)

  • Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds only.
  • Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
  • When the water gets to a boil, put in the peppers and let them cook for 3 minutes. They should be bright green (or yellow, or red, whatever color peppers you are using) after a few minutes.
  • As the peppers are cooking, fill a large bowl with ice water.
  • With a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the peppers into the ice water immediately. This ‘shocking’ will stop the peppers from cooking any longer.
  • After the peppers have cooled completely, drain them from the ice water and pat them down with a paper towel.
  • Remove the membranes from the peppers and discard. Then, place the peppers in a baking dish while you prepare the ground beef stuffing mixture.

Stuffing Mixture

  • Place the rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 10 minutes (rice will be slightly firm).
  • In a skillet over medium heat, add oil. When oil is hot, add onions, cook 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Add beef and cook until browned. Add garlic, cook 1 more minute or until fragrant.
  • To the skillet, add the cooked rice, ½ can of the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
  • Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasoning in a bowl and pour over the stuffed peppers.
  • Top with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake 1 hour, basting with sauce every 15 minutes until the peppers are tender.

Notes

If you don’t have time and are not going to freeze the peppers, you can skip this step. If skipping blanching the peppers, be sure to cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the membranes and seeds before stuffing.

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Reader Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Best stuffed peppers I have ever eaten — moist and flavorful! The Mozzarella cheese was a great choice. I followed the directions as written except a couple of small exceptions: I added the whole can of tomato sauce (15 oz) in with the hamburger mixture. I didn’t boil the peppers for the full 3 minutes (maybe half that time) as I just wanted them slightly softened. Definitely will make again and would be confident to serve to guests!

  2. Can you make these “deconstructed”? Perhaps cook sliced or diced peppers first, then add the onion and garlic, etc? Then have just a yummy rice dish?

  3. I absolutely love your recipes and I’m making these stuffed peppers tonight. Thanks for all you do.

  4. I use minute rice. Do not cook rice meat mixture, stuff peppers, cover with a blended seasoned tomato sauce and cook for about 70 min. They come out moist, tender, and full of flavor. Cooking meat before hand takes some of the flavor away and makes it dryer, in my opinion.

      1. I never precook anything when making stuffed peppers. Mixing everything together, sauce on to with the cheese, cook on top of stove, covered, and its perfect.

    1. I too, use minute rice and never precook the stuffing. I cook mine like you Timothy, and never, ever have I, or my grandmother put cheese on top! Tomato sauce is all you need and it is so delish! Sometimes I put a wee jalapeño pepper amongst the sauce for a bit of a zing.

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5 from 2 votes