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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
More Ground Beef Recipes
- Classic Meatloaf: A classic ground beef dinner the whole family will love.
- Best Ever Chili: Nothing beats a big pot of beefy chili.
- Shepherd’s Pie: The best kind of comforting dinner.
- Meatballs: The best homemade meatballs with marinara sauce.
- Taco Soup: Your favorite beef taco flavors in a cozy bowl of soup!
- And for an appetizer spin on stuffed peppers, try these bacon and goat cheese stuffed mini peppers!
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.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Casserole Pan A good casserole pan is always needed!
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.
- 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.
- Brown the beef. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef is browned, breaking it up with a spatula as needed.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve. Before serving, top with fresh chopped parsley.
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
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally posted July 2020, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
I cannot tell you how many times I have made this recipe. These stuffed peppers are absolutely delicious! Thanks Lisa!!!
Amazing! Glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe so much Migdalia!
I don’t know what I did before these peppers. They have become a staple in my lunch meal prep routine. They keep so well, are so flavourful and healthy to boot!
These are definitely such a great meal prep option! Glad you love this one :)
Those stuffed peppers were excellent and are perfect for meal planning! Definitely recommend!
I love this recipe, super tasty
So glad you loved this one Monica!
My husband hates stuffed peppers. I’m vegan for years, so insted of meat I used oyster mushrooms. This summer I was making this recipe every week because he asked for it. He dosen’t cook, but he made them alone few times :). So it is a big hit in our house.
Wonderful! Glad to hear this came out beautifully with oyster mushrooms!
I have made this recipe 3 times so far and this will be my go-to stuffed pepper recipe from now on! It is easy, and so satisfying and delicious. The recipe is plentiful so you can enjoy for dinner and leftovers too. Yum yum!
Hi Rachel – I’m so happy you love these stuffed peppers! They really do make for a great dinner and very delicious leftovers. :)
I just made this today and it was delicious! I didn’t have all the ingredients so I just mixed in some mild salsa with the rice and beef instead of the veggies. I also used pepper jack cheese instead of mozzarella. It turned out great!
Wonderful! Glad you were able to make this recipe with what you had on hand :)
I have made them twice in the last two weeks; they are very popular. I made them with ground turkey and quinoa. I love cutting the peppers this way.
Amazing! Glad you loved these stuffed peppers Maura :)
Hi Lisa, I love this recipe. Is it possible the recipe should read 3 bell peppers cut in half??
Hi Donna – This recipe cooks a total of 6 bell peppers cut in half :) I just pictured one pan in the photo.
Hi Lisa. Made these stuffed peppers and while baking in the oven could smell the vinegar. Love stuffed peppers. Were they bitter because I used organic raw apple cider vinegar? Or to much lemon juice?
Thanks.
Hi Lillie – there’s no vinegar in this recipe, so not sure what you did.
Tried this recipe last night and it came out PERFECT, I’m just now learning to cook completely alone at 27 which is embarrassing but usually, a family member will take over to “help” so I never get the confidence to get the hang of things on my own. This recipe allowed me to do just that, it was so straightforward and easy to follow. I’m so grateful that I didn’t have to waste ingredients or money on another fail. Sometimes I follow random blog recipes and they come out terrible but now I know I can continue to trust the recipes on your blog. Thank youuuuu!
Hey, better late than never! I’m glad you enjoyed this stuffed peppers recipe and can’t wait to see what you make next :)
Hi Lisa, First off thank you for everything you do. I am fairly new to the community and have been catching up on all your videos and recipes etc. Totally love everything you post. :) My question is, in the video you show 3 bell peppers halved to make six halves. I remembered seeing the 3 bell peppers and was planning this for this weeks meal prep lunches but only purchased 3 bell peppers. Then I saw on the web site and also in your commentary on the video that I should have purchased 6. Can you please confirm if it actually is 6? If so I will halve my ground turkey etc. Thanks again and please keep all your posts and videos coming because they are very much appreciated. Cheers, Vicki
Please disregard my question about the quantity of peppers. :) I just saw your answer to this question on another comment. Thanks again!
I rarely leave a review on recipes and I’m usually not a fan of stuffed peppers. But, I had a ton of peppers that were going to go bad so I thought I’d give these a try. They’re the bomb. They are seriously SO good. I’m bookmarking this recipe so I can make again. I used 80/20 beef and yellow peppers- not sure if that makes a difference or not. I am so surprised that this tastes so good with such basic & healthy ingredients! SERIOUSLY make these!
Wow, happy to hear you loved these stuffed peppers so much Chloe! :)
Smelled and tasted like a pizza…LOVED. I used, ground beef, chopped green beans, kale, lots of chilli flakes, Italian seasoning, I doubled the garlic (because I LOVE the smell and taste of garlic)…another winner. Thanks :)
I didnt want any carbs so skipped the rice.
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed this recipe Sam :)
Hallo liebe Lisa, ich habe meine Ernährung auf no carb umgestellt. Deine Rezepte sind so toll. Zu den gefüllten Paprika habe ich Reis vom Blumenkohl gemacht und extra serviert. In der letzten Woche habe ich mit deinen Rezepten und 8/16 Diät drei Kilo abgenommen. Bitte noch mehr no carb Rezepte :) Danka Lisa
Made these tonight. So clean and delicious. I did add a little red pepper flakes. Also, drop some cheese in between the peppers and let them bake directly on the pan. Then place that caramelized crunchy cheese on top of your stuffed peppers! Makes clean up more difficult, but well worth it.
Yay! Glad this recipe was a success Manny :)
Delicious but was not full after eating 2 halves one red and 1 green.They were delicious. Thanks Lisa
You can always make a second batch as well :)
had the stuffed peppers last night delicious, red peppers was more delicious than green but I enjoyed them so much. Thank you Lisa for this delicious recipe.
Wonderful! And yes, red peppers are generally more sweeter and flavorful compared to yellow or green ones.
Dear Lisa,
Did this recipe change because I made it a couple times and I went to print it out this time and the ingredients look different from what I remembered. Thank you.
Hi Connie – nope, there haven’t been any changes to this recipe. It’s still the same ingredients that I show in the video. :)
Made these this weekend and they are delicious!!! Ended up using some diced yellow summer squash instead of the spinach because it is what I had on hand. Since they take longer to cook than spinach does, I sautéed the squash with the onion.
Yum! Diced up squash should taste amazing with this recipe. Happy to hear you enjoyed these stuffed peppers!
Oh bc Lisa, you’ve done it again. DIVINE. my husband and I Devoured them. All of your recipes I have tried and there have been many never fail. I’ve send your website link to so many people. Thank you, thank you, thank you
Happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this recipe so much Mary and thanks for spreading the word! :) I greatly appreciate it.
These are the easiest, most delicious stuffed peppers I’ve ever made! I use regular diced tomatoes with a tablespoon of molasses added in to reduced the acidity from using cheap tomatoes. I will definitely make it again, especially since they are freezer-friendly. Thanks so much Lisa.
Hi Katie- So glad you found this recipe easy and delicious!
I made a keto version tonight with mushrooms, a bit of leftover zucchini and some cashew nuts and left out the rice. So yummy! Lucky for me I have lots of leftovers. Next time I will go for the mediterranean one. That looks so delicious too ;-)
That sounds amazing with zucchini, mushrooms, and cashew nuts! I’ll have to try that for myself sometime :)
Very tasty. I made half the recipe and used ground turkey. Had a slight kick because of the cheese.
Hi Angie – Glad you were able to successfully halve the recipe! Sounds great with turkey.
Absolutely DELISH! I made these subbing the sautéed mushrooms for the rice (Keto version) and dinner was a WINNER!! Had leftovers and Hubby said he wants these on the regular!
So glad you and the hubby enjoyed these stuffed peppers with the keto version :)
These are delicious! I used swiss chard and wild boar and only had 5 peppers so also made a zucchini boat. Big hit in my family!
Nice! Sounds like a delicious meal with those filling ingredients :)
I have had bad luck with undercooked rice and peppers with other stuffed pepper recipes, but the steps in this recipe ensure everything comes out perfect and I actually think it took less time! My only complaint is that it does make a lot for only one or two people to have to eat leftovers of it for days after. I might try to half the recipe next time. Otherwise delish on its own, and a great add on to other meals as well!
Hi Bailey- You can also freeze your leftover peppers for a much later date :)
Just made it for the first time. My only change was I used frozen spinach instead of fresh, because I already had it on hand. I loved this dish! The only thing I’ll probably change next time is add a bit if red pepper flakes. I like a bit of heat.
Hi Mark- Wonderful! Glad you loved these stuffed peppers.
Dear Lisa,
I’ve made quite a few of your recipes over the past few months and need to thank you for making such great fool proof recipes.
Since we have some bell peppers in the fridge I wanted to make this recipe tomorrow. However, I’m not sure whether I need six bell peppers or just three. The recipe says six but the video shows three.
Sorry, just saw your answer on somebody else’s comment – six bell peppers 😀
Hi Deadra- So happy to hear you’ve been enjoying all my recipes so far! As for the stuffed peppers, I actually made a total of 6 peppers for the recipe, but I only showed 3 :)
Would frozen spinach work in this recipe?
Hi Lydia – yes, no problem!
Thanks, Lisa! My son who dislikes pepper had 2 servings — success! :)
Happy to hear this recipe changed your son’s mind about peppers :)
So delicious especially the next day my husband ate 3 in a row of which Im glad I made 8 in total. I just found you site 2 days ago and I just love the ingredients we are a family of 5 and we are making health clean choices and your site it what we were looking for so Thank you so much can’t wait to makemore of you recipes
I made mine with turkey and baby kale. I also made the stuffing and waited 2 days before putting the recipe together. I cannot tell you how delicious this tasted! Lisa, every recipe I have tried has been so good. Thank you for all your efforts in providing us with healthy recipes!
I’m thrilled to hear this recipe was such a success Mickey!
Absolutely amazing!! Loving it!! Even picky eaters ate it 😁 Great job Lisa, another wonderful and healthy recipe! Keep them coming! 🙂
Hi Snezana- Happy to hear you enjoyed this stuffed peppers recipe.
Yes, they are the best! I just had these for dinner and once again your recipe gets 5 stars. I’m already looking forward to the leftovers as well as making them with other options. I’m tempted to have another but I’ll wait until tomorrow. Thanks again for all of your terrific recipes.
Hi Alan- I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! :)
Do you think this would be with ground lamb?
Yes, absolutely!
Perfect? No. PERFECT!!!!! I made these last night (yes, I do most of our cooking), and my wife, Laurie, went back for a third one. Unheard-of. Then this, after I told her about the veggie variants, which quality as “Laurie food” in our household: “So when can we try the mushroom and walnut ones?…” Anything that adds (favorably) to my culinary repertoire is very welcome. Thank you, Lisa.
Hi Steve- Wow, amazing! So thrilled to know both of you enjoyed this recipe so much :)
These stuffed peppers look absolutely delicious! I love how easy they are to make too!
Yes! They’re so easy to make :)
I don’t think about stuffed peppers often enough as a dinner option. Pinning this recipe. Gotta change my mindset!
Hi Jill- They definitely make for a delicious dinner idea that you can meal prep ahead of time too :)
Hi Lisa,
Huge hit with my family! 🙂
Substituted the ground beef for ground turkey and swapped the italian seasoning with taco seasoning. I also made extra rice for a side dish. Perfect & easy dish…. my kind of cooking 😘
I don’t know why I can’t seem to ever get the recipe rating to show as 5 stars so I hope when it’s posted it highlights that last star ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 😉
Hi Gail – I’m happy you loved the recipe! And perfect substitutions. I don’t think you can never go wrong with taco seasoning as well! I just fixed the star rating for you, there’s actually a glitch on the website right now but I should have it fixed later today. Thanks so much for your continued support! :) x
Sorry! forgot to mention in my feedback that the Taco seasoning used in these stuffed peppers was your recipe. We love it and have made a large batch since it is now our go to for several recipes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 😉👍
Oh wonderful, I’m happy you love that seasoning! It’s definitely one of my go-to’s as well.
Loved them and quick to make and easy. Thanks for the inspo!
Hi Pamela- So glad you enjoyed these stuffed peppers :)
Simply the best stuffed pepper recipe I’ve tried, sooooo quick and easy to make on a week night. I substituted the ground beef for half ground beef and half Italian sausage. Loved the result. Thank you Lisa!
Wonderful! I love the addition of Italian sausage too :)
Delish! Really satisfying meal. Worked out perfectly.
Hi Jess- Glad to hear these were a success!
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for your website & recipes, they are amazing! I’ve been following you for a few weeks and I have my 1st question. :-) Do you buy the ground beef or do you grind it by yourself? I’m from the Czech Republic and I’ve always ground the meat by myself (on grandma’s grinder) to ensure the good quality of the meat. Now, when I moved to the US, I’m not sure what’s the best option. If you buy it, how do you choose the best ground meat? If you grind it, what type of meat do you use? & Can I use Vitamix for grinding the meat?
I’m still confused with all labels on products in the US, but the meat is probably the most confusing. :-)
Thanks!
Hi Katerina – I do buy ground beef from the store, pre-ground and usually grass-fed as I don’t have a meat grinder. :)
Made them tonight and they turned out perfect! Absolutely delicious and very easy to make! Thank you Lisa 😊
Hi Kathi- Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this recipe :)
Stuffed peppers are always a hit at our house and this recipe is delicious! Love how it has spinach in it!
Hi Emily- You can never go wrong with adding a bit more green! You can also do kale as well.
Hi Lisa, I’m going to try recipe tonight.. But after watching video, I’m confused on wry of bell peppers. Is it 6 bell peppers cut in half (twelve halves) or 3 bell peppers cut in half (6 halves) like in your video? Thanks for sharing your recipes with us. Betty
Hi Betty- The recipe calls for 6 bell peppers! But the in the video, I just showed 3 in one pan :)
I LOVE stuffed bell peppers and this recipe is spot on! So much flavor and love all of the Italian flavors. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Angela- It’s definitely a delicious and classic recipe to keep on hand :)
OMG! Your recipe is so detailed written that I feel confident enough to give it a try! I just want to get the same result as yours :)
So glad you enjoyed all these tips within the post! You’re gonna nail it :)
So colourful and summery. They just look so tasty.
They really are the best summer recipe! :)
Which storage container did you use in the video? I don’t see it linked. Thank you, Lisa!
Hi Mary – that’s actually an old storage container. I use Glasslock containers now, but they were all full of items already in my freezer. Haha!
I’ve always cut my peppers lengthwise, but I haven’t tried leaving the stem intact because it’s inedible. I always found it to be a weak point and it was harder to study them. I like the pre-baking idea because the peppers seem to take forever to cook. I will add this to my ‘make soon’ list!
Cutting them lengthwise is so much easier! And yes, the pre-baking portion is a must :)
I am so making these stuffed pepper. I love how you cut them in half which makes them so much easier to eat that way.
Cutting them lengthwise really does the trick!
Ooh I love stuffed peppers, will try this for sure!