Although stuffed peppers appear elegant, they are a simple method to serve peppers. Tender bell peppers have been filled with a flavorful mixture of rice, tomato, sausage, and ground beef. Add cheese on top, then bake until bubbling.
Serve these with some crusty bread and a fresh salad (for sopping up any sauce).
Ingredients
Everyone enjoys stuffed bell peppers, and they are simple to make.
- MEAT Although we stuff them with a combination of meat and sausage, you can use anyone (or even ground turkey if you prefer)
- RICE I occasionally use cauliflower rice in place of long-grain white rice.
- SAUCE Use your preferred pasta sauce or marinara sauce. Include some onions and fresh herbs (if you have them). Stir in some chili flakes if you want things a little spicy.
Easy Stuffed Peppers (Pinterest)Stuffed Peppers with Peppers
Although I used green peppers in this dish, you may use red, yellow, or orange bell peppers as well. Because the peppers have various flavors, they may rely on your own preferences.
We enjoy the flavor of green peppers with the filling mixture since they have a little more zing.
Red, yellow, or orange peppers are excellent choices if you want sweeter peppers.
Making Stuffed Peppers
It’s so simple to make stuffed bell peppers, I usually tell my friends when they ask how to do it. Although they may seem complicated, if you follow these simple instructions, you will always have perfectly stuffed peppers!
- Cook beef with onion and garlic (per the recipe below). Cook until rice is soft after adding tomato sauce, rice, and seasonings.
- Prepare your peppers by simmering them for 5 minutes to soften them, or if you like, bake them in the oven for 15 minutes, while the filling cooks.
- Fill peppers with a mixture of rice, meat, and pasta sauce. Add cheese on top and bake until bubbling!
In order to create smaller amounts, you can alternatively cut peppers top to bottom, as I typically do (like in these Mexican Stuffed Peppers).
Do the peppers need to be cooked first before being stuffed? The peppers don’t need to be precooked; however, they do remain quite crisp if you don’t. I believe they benefit from a slight pre-cooking.
How long stuffed peppers need to cook?
Cooking time for stuffed peppers should be roughly 45 minutes at 350°F. To prevent them from drying out during the first 30-35 minutes, be careful to cover them with foil. Remove the cover, sprinkle cheese on top, and bake for the final 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
Good Sides
With bread and a crisp salad, this entrée tastes great. These are a few of my favorites:
- Caesar Salad
- Easy Italian Salad
- Fresh Tomato Salad
- Garlic toast
- Homemade French Bread
- Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
Ahead of time and leftovers
Stuffed peppers are a fantastic dinner to prepare ahead of time and can be frozen!
Prepare and bake the stuffed peppers as instructed below to freeze them. Both individually and collectively in a baking dish, they can be frozen. Simply defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bake at 350°F for thorough heating.
Easy Stuffed Peppers (Pinterest)Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound Italian sausage
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can small diced tomatoes 14 ½ ounces
- ½ cup white rice uncooked
- 1 ¼ cup of water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 ½ cups marinara sauce divided
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the peppers’ tops (keep the tops), then scoop out the seeds and membranes, and throw them away. Pepper tops should be chopped and added to the filling.
- Five minutes after bringing a large pot of water to a boil, add the peppers. Remove and properly drain.
- Cook the meat, sausage, onion, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no pink is visible. Remove any fat.
- Add the rice, 1 1/4 cups water, diced pepper tops, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and diced tomatoes with juice.
- Simmer, then turn down the heat and cover. Cook rice for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is soft. If extra water is required, add it. Add 1/2 cup marinara sauce and stir.
- In a 9×13 pan, spread 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce out on the bottom. the rice mixture into each pepper. Overtop the peppers with the remaining marinara sauce.
- For 35 minutes, bake with a foil cover. Taking off the foil, baste the peppers with any remaining sauce. Add the cheddar on top, then bake for a further 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are soft.
Notes
Skip the boiling step and bake the peppers as indicated if you prefer firmer tender-crisp peppers.