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Stuffed Peppers

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  • Prep Time 15 min
  • Total 55 min
  • Servings 4
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Stuffed peppers look so impressive yet are deceptively easy to make. Our classic stuffed bell peppers recipe is a winner according to hundreds of our fans. This recipe first appeared in the 1950 Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook and has been proudly served at dinner tables across American ever since.

Colorful, sweet bell peppers are stuffed with a savory combination of seasoned ground beef, tomato sauce, and rice and topped with melty mozzarella cheese. This picture-perfect presentation will look like you spent all day in the kitchen.

It’s a great dinner idea to serve on cold winter nights, when you’re looking for something warm and flavorful. Even your picky eaters will love these stuffed peppers because they taste like cheeseburgers baked in a veggie shell.

Updated Sep 17, 2024
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Cutting and Filling the Peppers

The filling for our easy stuffed peppers is based on using average-size peppers. If they are too small or irregularly shaped, all the filling may not fit. If the peppers are too large, they may not be fully filled. To get all the filling to fit, follow these tips:

Lay the pepper on its side and thinly slice off the top. Then cut away the seeds and membranes.

Use only the amount of filling ingredients called for. Using more of the ingredients called for or adding other ingredients may result in leftover filling.

How to Serve Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers with rice are the cutest one-dish dinner around! With ground beef, rice, and a veggie shell, it doesn’t take much more to turn them into a complete meal. Depending on the size of the appetites around your table, pairing with a crisp green salad may be all you need. Or for heartier appetites, serve them alongside your favorite seasonal veggies and warm, crusty bread or rolls with butter.

Looking for some inspiration? Mandarin Mixed Greens Salad offers great flavors and a hint of sweetness that pairs well with the stuffed peppers. For veggies, the flavors of autumn come alive when Roasted Fall Vegetables get served alongside the peppers.

Is bread your go-to comforting side? Try Traditional Cornbread or Quick Sour Cream Dinner Rolls for a satisfying side everyone can sink their teeth into.

How to Store and Reheat Stuffed Peppers

If you find yourself with a leftover uneaten pepper or two, get them into the fridge within 2 hours of coming out of the oven, so that there isn’t a chance for bacteria to grow that can cause food-borne illness. Place peppers in an oven-safe dish. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate up to 2 days. To reheat, bake peppers covered at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the center of a pepper reaches 165°F. Alternatively, uncover (discard foil) and place pepper on a microwavable plate. Cover loosely and microwave on high 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the center of a pepper reaches 165°F.

Freezing baked peppers is not recommended as the cooked peppers will get watery and become mushy when reheated. See FAQ section below for how to prepare frozen stuffed peppers.

Variations of Stuffed Peppers

With a few ingredient changes, you can make a different recipe every time. Here’s how to make stuffed peppers customizable to your tastes:

Swap the Meat: Instead of ground beef, try ground chicken or turkey, ground pork, or bulk hot Italian pork sausage.

Vary the Sauce: Rather than tomato sauce, try a different sauce for a unique flavor, such as pasta sauce with herbs, barbecue sauce, or even buffalo wing sauce, for a kick in flavor!

Get Grainy: Use whatever cooked rice or grain you have on hand. Try cooked arborio or brown rice (not instant), cooked quinoa, bulgur, or farro. Do not use instant varieties, as they may not stand up in the oven.

Layer the Flavor: Add your favorite herbs or spices in with the tomato sauce. Try adding a teaspoon of Italian seasoning for an Italian flavor, a teaspoon of chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon cumin for a taco flavor or a teaspoon of dried oregano leaves, for a Mediterranean taste.

We think a stuffed pepper dinner is hard to beat, so we’ve riffed on this classic in a variety of delicious ways. When you need dinner ready when you walk in the door, try Slow-Cooker Stuffed Peppers. Do you want all the flavors of stuffed peppers in a cozy casserole? Stuffed Pepper Casserole is just the ticket! Or branch out with a creative flavor twist by making Teriyaki Beef Stuffed Peppers (great for when it’s only the two of you) or Mediterranean-Stuffed-Peppers for a refreshing updated take on stuffed peppers.

Ingredients

  • 4 large bell peppers (any color)
  • 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 can (15 oz) Muir Glen™ Organic Tomato Sauce
  • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 oz)

Steps

  •  
    1
    Heat oven to 350°F.
  •  
    2
    Cut thin slice from stem end of each bell pepper to remove top of pepper. Remove seeds and membranes; rinse peppers. If necessary, cut thin slice from bottom of each pepper so they stand up straight. In 4-quart Dutch oven, add enough water to cover peppers. Heat to boiling; add peppers. Cook about 2 minutes; drain.
  •  
    3
    In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in rice, salt, garlic and 1 cup of the tomato sauce; cook until hot.
  •  
    4
    Stuff peppers with beef mixture. Stand peppers upright in ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers.
  •  
    5
    Cover tightly with foil. Bake 10 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer or until peppers are tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Shredded cheese is added after removing the peppers from the oven. For extra cheese melt, feel free to pop the cheese-topped peppers back into the oven for a few minutes.
  • tip 2
    Chose a rainbow of large sweet bell peppers to stuff and while prepping, stand them upright in your baking dish—it’s easier to stuff them this way.
  • tip 3
    Sprinkle a little chopped fresh oregano or parsley over each pepper before serving.
  • tip 4

    The filling for our easy stuffed peppers is based on using average-size peppers. If they are too small or irregularly shaped, all the filling may not fit. If the peppers are too large, they may not be fully filled. To get all the filling to fit, follow these tips:

    Lay the pepper on its side and thinly slice off the top. Then cut away the seeds and membranes.

    Use only the amount of filling ingredients called for. Using more of the ingredients called for or adding other ingredients may result in leftover filling.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Prevent My Peppers from Getting Soggy?

Only cook the peppers for 2 minutes in boiling water as directed in step 2. They are not intended to be tender at this point, but given a jump-start on cooking, so when baked, they will be perfectly tender. Over cooking the peppers in step 2 can cause them to water out and get soggy when baked.

Do not bake the stuffed peppers with ground beef and freeze them to reheat later. The peppers will get watery when thawed and will become soggy and mushy when reheated. However, you can prep the peppers to bake later. See the FAQ below for directions on how to prep and freeze the stuffed peppers for baking.

Do I Need to Boil the Peppers Before Stuffing?

It is important to only partially cook the peppers before stuffing them, so once they bake, they will be tender but not soggy or mushy. If you want to speed up the process of partially cooking the peppers, you can use a microwave instead of boiling them.

To microwave, cut peppers as directed in step 2 but omit heating water in a Dutch oven. Place peppers in 8-inch microwavable baking dish, add 1/4 cup water and cover. Microwave on high 3 minutes, drain peppers and continue as directed in step 3.

How to Keep Stuffed Peppers from Falling Over?

Once you’ve prepped your peppers, stand them up to see if they will stand. If they don’t cut a very thin slice off the bottoms so that they will stand straight. Remember to only partially cook the peppers as directed before stuffing. If the peppers are fully cooked before filling, they will be soft and can tip over. In the case they still won’t stay standing. You can support them in the baking dish with balls of foil placed in between the peppers.

Can I Make and Freeze Stuffed Peppers?

You can prep the stuffed peppers and freeze them to make getting dinner on the table a breeze with these directions.

Cut peppers in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes. Prepare the filling as directed in step 3. Place pepper halves in 13x9 rectangular glass baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 cup filling into each pepper half, mounding as necessary. Cover baking dish tightly with foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake thawed peppers 35 to 40 minutes at 375°F or until peppers are crisp-tender and filling is thoroughly heated. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese.

Nutrition

390 Calories, 17g Total Fat, 29g Protein, 29g Total Carbohydrate, 8g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
390
Calories from Fat
160
Total Fat
17g
27%
Saturated Fat
7g
36%
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
80mg
27%
Sodium
1470mg
61%
Potassium
540mg
16%
Total Carbohydrate
29g
10%
Dietary Fiber
4g
19%
Sugars
8g
Protein
29g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
30%
30%
Vitamin C
120%
120%
Calcium
20%
20%
Iron
20%
20%
Exchanges:
1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 3 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • This heirloom recipe for stuffed peppers with rice is terrific just as it is, but it also lends itself to creativity and customization. Does your family love the spices of Tex-Mex cooking? Try adding a small amount of cumin and chili powder to mixture. Ground chicken or turkey also works great here. If you’d like to learn more about how to make stuffed peppers, check out Betty’s guide to cooking with bell peppers to learn how to pick the best peppers, how to store them and how to cut them. If you’ve already grown to love Betty’s original stuffed bell peppers, try another of Betty's best dinner recipes.
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