Stuffed Peppers

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Stuffed peppers are always a family favorite weeknight dinner. This classic version is packed with the best filling — juicy ground beef, fluffy rice, and plenty of veggies seasoned with Italian flavors. 

A baking dish filled with beef stuffed peppers.
Photo: Gayle McLeod

Why These Stuffed Peppers Are a Dinner Favorite

Any recipe that involves “stuffing” something is always a winner in my book. It’s the best way to enjoy a handful of ingredients in one delicious bite — like my stuffed mushrooms, apple sausage stuffed butternut squash, and BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes. And when it comes to these stuffed peppers, they’re the perfect balance of protein, vegetables, and carbs for an all-in-one dinner recipe. You could even make my stuffed pepper soup for a fun variation! Here are some other reasons why you’ll love this recipe:

  • It’s easily customizable. You can tweak the filling to suit your dietary needs or personal preferences. Swap in different ground meats or vegetables, experiment with your favorite seasoning blends, or omit the cheese for a dairy-free option. I’ll share more ideas later in this post.
  • It’s perfect for meal prep. Not only can they be stored in the fridge for the week, but you can always freeze a few servings to enjoy in the future. It’s always nice to know you have a filling, healthy meal at your fingertips that just needs a quick reheat.
  • It’s made faster with my time-saving hack. Just pre-bake the peppers while you’re making the filling. This will save you an extra 15 minutes!
Ingredients for classic stuffed peppers.

Stuffed Peppers Ingredients

  • Ground Beef: I’m using lean ground beef for this recipe, but feel free to use any type of ground beef. You could also use ground chicken or ground turkey for a lighter option.
  • Rice: You can use any kind of rice, including white, brown, or wild rice.
  • Vegetables: I’m using a blend of onion, baby spinach, and fire-roasted diced tomatoes for a deliciously smoky depth of flavor. 
  • Aromatics & Seasoning: Fresh garlic and Italian seasoning give the filling so much flavor! If you don’t have Italian seasoning, swap in dried thyme, basil, oregano, and parsley.
  • Cheese: Monterey Jack cheese pairs nicely with this recipe. But you can also use shredded Pepper Jack, Swiss, or Mozzarella.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

How To Make Stuffed Peppers

Bake the bell peppers. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane. Rub the insides and outsides with olive oil and arrange them face down in a baking dish. Then, bake them for 15 minutes to soften them up. 

Pro Tip: While some recipes slice the top off, there are a few reasons why I halve them through the stem. First, you won’t waste any of the bell pepper if you slice it lengthwise. Second, they don’t topple over when you try to slice into them after they’ve been baked. And third, they’re easier to store in flat storage containers for meal prepping.

Prepping bell peppers in a baking dish.

Sauté the ground beef. While the bell peppers are baking, sauté the onions, garlic, and ground beef. Make sure to drain off any excess liquid right after, especially if you have ground beef that has a higher fat content.

Cooking ground beef and onion in a pan.

Sauté the remaining ingredients. Add the rice, tomatoes, spinach, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Sauté for one to two minutes, until the spinach has wilted.

Ground beef filling cooked in a pan.

It’s time for stuffing. Remove the peppers from the oven and flip them over. Fill them with spoonfuls of the beef mixture, then top each one with a sprinkle of cheese. 

The final baking step. Place them back in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the peppers have softened enough. Then, just garnish with a little chopped parsley right before serving. 

Prepping stuffed peppers.

Stuffing Alternatives 

  • Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers: Ground beef, chickpeas, onion, rice, tomato sauce, feta, garlic powder and paprika.
  • Pesto Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers: Shredded chicken tossed with basil pesto, rice, diced cherry tomatoes, and spinach.
  • Vegan Mushroom and Walnut Stuffed Peppers: Diced mushrooms, walnuts, garlic, onion, rice, and taco seasoning.
  • Vegetarian Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers: Black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, rice, taco seasoning, pepper jack cheese, and chopped cilantro.
  • Breakfast stuffed bell peppers: Eggs, bacon, goat cheese, and a sprinkle of green onions. You can find this recipe in my Healthy Meal Prep cookbook!
Cooked stuffed bell peppers.

Storage Tips

  • Store for the week: After making the recipe, store the stuffed peppers in airtight containers in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
  • Freeze for later: You can freeze the peppers for up to 3 months. If you’re stacking them, be sure to place parchment paper between each layer to prevent them from sticking.
  • For reheating: To reheat from frozen, bake the peppers directly in the oven at 350°F for about 10 to 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave them for 3 to 4 minutes. For quicker reheating, I recommend thawing them overnight in the fridge, which will reduce the reheating time by a couple of minutes.
Stuffed peppers sliced in half.

More Ground Beef Recipes

If you make this stuffed peppers recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.

Stuffed peppers in a baking dish.

Best Stuffed Peppers

4.97 from 120 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Stuffed peppers are always a family favorite recipe. They're filling, healthy, easily customizable, and are perfect for meal prep (if you're lucky enough to have any leftovers). Watch how I make them in the video below!

Video

Equipment

Ingredients 
 

  • 6 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
  • 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ yellow onion, diced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 (15-ounce can) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 ½ cups cooked rice
  • ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
  • chopped parsley, for garnishing

Instructions 

  • Pre-roast the peppers. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and membrane. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil and rub both the inside and outside to coat them. Arrange them upside down in two baking pans or one sheet pan and pre-bake for 15 minutes.
    Prepped bell peppers in a dish.
  • Cook the onion and garlic. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and garlic for about 2 minutes, until lightly softened.
    Cooked onions in a pan.
  • Brown the beef. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef is browned, breaking it up with a spatula as needed.
    Ground beef and onions in a pan.
  • Add the flavoring. Drain off any excess liquid from the beef and stir in the diced tomatoes, rice, spinach, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir for a 1 to 2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
    Cooked stuffed pepper filling in a pan.
  • Fill the peppers. Remove the bell peppers from the oven and use tongs to flip them over. Fill the peppers with the beef mixture and top with a sprinkle of cheese. Place them back in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the peppers are soft.
    Stuffed peppers before baking.
  • Serve. Before serving, top with fresh chopped parsley.
    Ground beef stuffed peppers.

Lisa’s Tips

  • Each serving is two halves of stuffed pepper.
  • You can bake these in two casserole pans or one larger half-sheet pan. 
  • I prefer to use lean ground beef, so I don’t have to drain off any excess grease. But if you have a higher fat content ground beef, you’ll likely need to drain some fat. 
  • You can get 1 ½ cups of cooked rice by cooking ½ cup of dry rice (approximately). And if you don’t have time to make rice, you can also buy microwaveable rice as a quick and easy shortcut.
  • Freeze for later: You can freeze the peppers for up to 3 months. If you’re stacking them, be sure to place parchment paper between each layer to prevent them from sticking.
  • For reheating: To reheat from frozen, bake the peppers directly in the oven at 350°F for about 10 to 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave them for 3 to 4 minutes. For quicker reheating, I recommend thawing them overnight in the fridge, which will reduce the reheating time by a couple of minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 590mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4736IU | Vitamin C: 156mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Stuffed Bell Peppers, stuffed bell peppers recipe, stuffed peppers, stuffed peppers recipe
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted July 2020, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.97 from 120 votes (1 rating without comment)

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276 Comments

  1. Love it when a recipe with simple ingredients turns out so good. We enjoyed these! There are only two of us, so freezing some for a later date when I don’t feel like cooking. :)5 stars

    1. Hi Jennifer – I’m so glad you two are loving these stuffed peppers! It’s always nice to have a batch in the freezer.

  2. I’ve made these stuffed peppers several times and they are so delicious and flavorful! Thank you Lisa for this recipe! It’s a keeper!!!5 stars

  3. What temperature and amount of time would I use if I want to make these stuffed peppers in the air fryer?

  4. Absolutely loved this recipe! The stuffed peppers turned out so flavorful, and I really appreciate the meal prep tips you included. They made the whole process so much easier. Can’t wait to try more of your healthy recipes!

  5. I have made these stuffed peppers over and over again. I quite often substitute ground turkey or chicken for the ground beef. So healthy, delicious and easy.5 stars

  6. Absolutely delicious. Seasonings and protein very flexible. I use the 90 second precooked rice and it makes it so easy. Adjust the seasonings according to how the rice is seasoned. Love this recipe!5 stars

  7. This was terrific! I omitted the spinach because my family is suspicious of new recipes (but will add it next time). I added a good bit of fresh parsley from my garden and also added a little mozzarella and parmesan to the mix.5 stars

  8. I love this recipe but always wonder what I should serve with it since it already has rice and veggies in it.

  9. I’ve made this recipe a couple times now, and its great! My husband likes to take some to share at work the next day. Everyone loves it. Thanks for sharing it.5 stars

  10. Love these peppers! I love to make the Tex Mex version. We still do ground beef but add the corn, beans, and chopped mushrooms with the taco seasoning. So good! The classic ones are delicious as well. I always think we’ll have some for a few meals but we always devour them fast!5 stars

  11. This is a go to recipe for me. I absolutely love it, and every time I serve it everyone wants the recipe. They are the best stuffed peppers I’ve ever eaten!5 stars

  12. This recipe has become one of my favorite quick meals to prepare. I make it at least 2 x per month. I made it for a friend on her birthday and she loved it. Just yummy 😋 especially with e next day.5 stars

  13. I absolutely love these stuffed peppers! I make the whole batch, eat a few then freeze the rest. The peppers break down a little (get watery) after freezing but flavor is still awesome.5 stars

  14. Hi Lisa,
    I’ve heard a lot about Fire Roasted Tomatoes but I can’t find them anywhere!
    I looked on Amazon and the make, e.g Polpa, is what I have in my cupboards, are these Fire Roasted… ? It doesn’t say so on the tin!

    Looks a lovely recipe and now I’m hungry!!5 stars

    1. Hi Heather – you can click the link in the recipe card and it will take you directly to the ingredient on Amazon. :) Enjoy!

  15. Wow!!! I made this using your Mediterranean variation and it’s wonderful!!! I substituted mushrooms for the rice in your variation and couldn’t stop eating them! They were so good!!! Thank you Lisa for another great recipe!!!5 stars

  16. I love this recipe! As a child my Grandmother always had frozen stuffed peppers in the freezer she had made. So stuffed peppers always remind me of her. This recipe is a healthy updated version of my Grandmother’s and very delicious! I used both rice and quinoa as a mix and some tomato sauce but kept everything else the same. Another winner!5 stars

  17. Having cook peppers for years, love the halves and oiling with olive oil. I like using the colored peppers, but green was all I had . We just don’t eat the pepper, but savor the taste in the filling.
    A great recipe, easy to store and freeze.5 stars

  18. Great recipe! I appreciated your rice substitution suggestions. That was so helpful for me! I used sautéed mushrooms, yum! I’ll definitely make this again!5 stars

  19. I love the simplicity of this recipe and the fact that I always have leftovers for another meal. I’m not a big rice fan so I replaced the rice with quinoa and it still came out delicious!5 stars

  20. These are on regular meal rotation at our house for a few years now. So delicious every time.. all in one meal. We never get tired of it!☺️5 stars

  21. Lisa,
    This is by far the most often used recipe in my house. My husband loves them, so do I. I make it at least once a month and I make I make enough for leftovers. They are so tasty and honestly, not very difficult to make. Thank you!
    Virginia5 stars

  22. Another winner for us! I used ground turkey instead of beef but it was absolutely delicious. I love cutting the peppers in the other direction. All the years of finding the perfect stand up peppers!
    Even the grumpy man loved it and had seconds “since it’s so healthy”. He didn’t even complain about the spinach. I don’t think I’ll have enough to freeze but I will definitely have one left for a lunch. Thank you!

  23. Delicious and wonderfully easy recipe. I had a pound of smoked brisket that I used instead of hamburger. Loved the tip about cooking the empty pepper while preparing the stuffing. I used more than a 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.. Very good!5 stars

  24. Hi Lisa just a quick question, I made yr recipe twice it was a hit for sure, the last time I froze the capsicums halved uncooked  separate from the mixture in glad wrap in a container , when I defrosted in the fridge over nite the capsicum were quite soggy lots of liquid came from them, I still used them but not quite as nice,  can you tell me is this normal also I’d be worried freezing the complete meal after thus happening 
    Thanks in advance 

  25. Hi Lisa congratulations on your new book by the way , just wondering do you use organic bell peppers in your recipe actually do you normally use organic for most things , I’m pretty much into organic & you do seem very health mined just interested to know 

  26. I love this recipe so much! Easy to make and tasty! Thank you so much for all of your recipes they are wonderful. Your recipes are easy to follow and the videos help as well. 

  27. Think recipe should read 3 bell peppers halved as that is what is pictured as well as shown in your video demo???
    Excellent! Easy and best way to get veggies in. Variety of fillings is just another bonus.
    Agree with another commentator, your rice video was super informative as I’ve tried many different recipes for “perfect” rice.
    Thanks kindly!5 stars

  28. This recipe was easy and tasty.  Our son and daughter ate here that night as well, thumbs up from everyone.  Hubby actually suggested that we make it again this week.  (There are green peppers from our garden to use.  We have had frost a couple of nights already…think our growing season is over.). He thought the filling would even be good on its own.  Next time we are going to try the taco filling.5 stars

  29. If I freeze this recipe, do I need to precook the bell peppers first or can they be placed in freezer first without being pre-cooked? Thank you! 5 stars

  30. First time with stuffed peppers and they turned out so BEAUTIFUL! :D This is a great, quick recipe that has a lot of versatility. I used cauliflower rice instead of white and it still tasted yum. This is like the first time ever my dish almost turned out like the pictures used in the recipe LOL.

    PS: Do you have the breakdown nutritional value of the whole recipe? I’m trying to do the math for using cauliflower rice but it seems way too low.5 stars

    1. Aw, I’m happy to hear this turned out beautifully Julie! As for the nutritional information, you can found how much it is per serving at the bottom of the recipe card. Then just multiply it by how many servings I have listed at the top of the recipe card. Hope that helps!