Stuffed Bell Peppers With Ground Beef And Rice

Stuffed Pepper Casserole is an easy family dinner packed with flavors. In this recipe, I filled colorful bell peppers with cooked rice and seasoned ground beef, then topped everything with cheese for a delicious, simple meal.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This dish is a complete meal! It has vegetables, meat, and rice all in one. You don’t need to serve it with any sides for a delicious dinner. Plus, it’s super easy to put together and packed with flavor!

Bell Pepper

I use a mix of colors: orange, green, red, and yellow. When buying them, I recommend choosing peppers of similar size to ensure even cooking.

The first thing I do to prepare the bell peppers is wash them thoroughly and, carefully cut off the tops and remove all the seeds inside, keeping the peppers whole.

I pre-bake all the peppers in the oven with a little water on the bottom of the dish, covered with foil, just until they begin to soften (but not fully tender).

If a pepper doesn’t stand upright, carefully trim a small slice off the bottom to help it sit flat, but make sure not to cut too deep or create a hole.

Ground Beef

Use 90/10 lean ground beef (90% lean, 10% fat). If you'd like to make this dish vegetarian, you can simply skip the ground beef.

To prepare the ground beef for the stuffed bell pepper filling, Start by browning the beef. This step helps develop a rich flavor. I also add finely chopped onion and garlic to boost the flavor even more.

For seasoning, I like to keep it simple! I use Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. That’s it!

Rice

If you have leftover cooked rice, you can use it! Day-old rice is perfect for this dish because it absorbs the flavors better, but freshly cooked rice will also work fine.

Once the ground beef is cooked, I simply add the cooked rice and tomato sauce, then mix everything together until well combined.

Cheese

I absolutely love cheese, so I mix shredded mozzarella into the filling to add rich flavor. Then, I top each pepper with a generous handful of mozzarella before baking for a delicious, melty finish.

If you don't like mozzarella, you may use cheddar cheese instead.

Baking The Stuffed Bell Peppers

I recommend using a baking dish that fits the peppers snugly so they stay upright and don’t tip over while baking. A 20x30 cm dish works perfectly for holding 6 large bell peppers.

You can also grease the baking dish with a little oil to prevent the bottoms of the peppers from sticking while they bake.

Cover the peppers with foil and bake them for about 25 minutes to ensure they become tender without burning the cheese on top.

Then uncover the pan and bake for another 10 minutes so the cheese melts. For a finishing touch, I sprinkle some chopped parsley on top just before serving.

Pair It With

• Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos
• Panko Breaded Chicken Breast
• Pan Fried Green Beans
• Chicken And Bell Pepper Stir Fry

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