These Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers with rice and ground beef are filled with the cheesy delight of mozzarella cheese mixed with well-seasoned ground beef and fluffy white rice inside those cute little hollow and crunchy bell peppers.
This dish is savory and rich with so much flavor that each bell pepper will already give you the complete rice and beef combo. With Italian seasoning in the mix, the flavor can also have some touch of earthy and peppery taste to it.
You may serve these healthy stuffed peppers for a heavy lunch or a quick dinner at home. It's too delicious not to try at home and see for yourself how flavorful each bite would be!
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Why Does This Recipe Work?
- Aside from all the cheesy stuff this dish has to offer, you will also get to taste a very savory dish out of this recipe. Each bite will be filled with so much flavor and a great texture of beef and fluffy rice.
- This is an easy stuffed peppers recipe. You just have to follow the instructions step by step, and there will be no room for failure after that.
- As a quick recipe, it is an ideal dish to make at home for weeknight dinners. After a long day at work or school, we just need delicious yet hassle-free food to enjoy, and this dish is the answer to that!
- The bell peppers holding the filling in will give a slight crunch each time you bite into this baked dish!
- If you are looking for a family-friendly dish to serve at home, look no more because this is already an excellent family-friendly recipe you can make for the whole family!
- Ground beef and fluffy rice take on the bold tomato sauce's aroma and flavor, becoming infused with savory undertones that pair well with the onion and garlic. To complement the bright taste, the bell peppers add a satisfying crunch.
- This easy recipe is a complete meal; it has vegetables, meat and rice, and you don't have to serve it with any side for a delicious dinner.
Ingredients
Bell Peppers. They will be used in this recipe to hold all the filling together inside the oven without making a mess. Bell peppers are perfect for this since they are plump and have a thicker and crunchy texture that can withstand the heat inside the oven. Plus, its mildly sweet and grassy tastes complement the savory filling too.
Olive Oil. To prepare the filling, use olive oil to cook all the other ingredients. Olive oil also encourages the browning of the ground beef, which will give it more of a more pleasant look and taste.
Ground Beef. Ground beef will impart a flaky texture to the filling of this recipe. Adding ground beef to this dish will give your recipe a fuller and meatier taste. The juicy factor of ground beef also contributes to the dish being savory.
Onion. Onion is not only a good flavor enhancer for this dish. The onion will also help tenderize the ground beef in this recipe, making it more juicy.
Garlic. Garlic, just like an onion, will give an additional boost of flavor to this dish. Everything about this recipe will become significantly better when garlic is added to the mix.
Cooked White Rice. Cooked rice gives an umami-balanced flavor to the filling. Aside from being savory and cheesy, the filling will become more satiating with the additional rice in the mix.
Salt and Black Pepper. Salt and pepper go hand in hand in making a savory dish like this particular recipe. The salt will enhance the flavors, meanwhile, the pepper will add a new warm flavor to the dish.
Tomato Sauce. It is the ingredient we need if we want this recipe to taste savory. Tomato sauce thickens the mouthfeel of the filling, and it brightens its flavors. This ingredient is important, so don't forget to add some!
Italian Seasoning. Since Italian seasoning is filled with a mixture of different dried herbs, it will give your Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers an earthy, piney flavor that's subtly sweet and peppery perfect for your taste.
Mozzarella Cheese. Mozzarella cheese has a soft and milky texture, and when added to the filling of this recipe, you will definitely get to enjoy a cheesy and a hint of tang in flavor.
Parsley. Add parsley to garnish. You can also garnish with chopped green onion.
How To Make Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice and Ground Beef?
One: Preheat the oven to 176 degrees C / 350 degrees F and grease a large baking dish or baking sheet with oil or cooking spray.
Prepare the bell pepper
Two: Cut the pepper tops and remove all the ribs and seeds inside, then put them cut side up in the baking dish.
Three: Cover the dish with aluminum foil sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
Prepare the filling
Four: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat; add the ground beef, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Five: Cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Six: Now, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
Seven: Stir in the rice and tomato sauce, and ½ cup cheese.
Stuff the pepper and bake
Eight: Fill each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, then put them in the baking dish.
Nine: Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tops of the peppers. Cover with a foil sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, then Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned and peppers are tender.
Ten: Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Top Tips!
- The typical colors of bell peppers are green, orange, yellow, and red. Use bell peppers in all these colors for colorful Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice. They will be aesthetically pleasing for sure! Plus, each color has a different taste giving you more flavor to choose from.
- Be generous in adding cheese if you want Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers filled with cheesy and sticky goodness.
- Choose the bigger sizes of bell peppers so you can add more filling to them.
- Season the ground beef well so that its natural juicy flavor will be coaxed out.
- You may use leftover cooked white rice or brown rice.
- Use lean ground beef.
Recipe Variations
- If you have no Italian seasoning in your pantry, you can make a little substitute for it. Just mix dried basil, dried thyme, and dried oregano.
- You may use different types of cheese such as cheddar cheese, gouda or Monterey jack cheese if mozzarella is not available.
- You may use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- To add some heat to your dish, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or chili powder.
Serving Suggestions
You may serve these Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice and Beef as a side dish to Bon Bon Chicken, Spicy Chinese Seafood Soup or Fried Chicken Fingers.
You may also enjoy them as a standalone meal or serve it along with Cabbage Salsa or Cajun Fish Fry.
Storage
Make ahead of time: This recipe is perfect for meal prep, just stuff the peppers and keep them in the fridge for 1-2 days covered. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 25-30 minutes before serving.
To store: Leftovers of this dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You may reheat them in the microwave until piping hot.
To freeze: To freeze these stuffed peppers, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 2-3 months. You can freeze them cooked or uncooked.
Reheating Instructions: To reheat, thaw them in the fridge overnight and then cover with foil sheet and reheat in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
Do not overcook the bell peppers. Brown the beef thoroughly as well so that it will no longer release more juice once stuffed in the bell peppers and cooked in the oven.
Any type of white rice will do, but for a more mouthfeel, it is better to use long-grained rice.
Yes, you can. In this case, you don't need to pre-cook the bell peppers before stuffing them. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until the bell peppers are soft. Top with the cheese and cook again for about 10 or so until the cheese melts.
Pre-cooking the bell peppers gives a better texture to your dish; however, you don't have to pre-cook them if you like them crunchy.
Yes, to make this dish vegetarian, just skip the minced beef and use instead drained kidney beans or chickpeas.
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Recipe
Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers With Rice
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers , a combination of colors
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 600 g ground beef
- ½ cup onion , finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 460 g tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 2 tablespoon parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 176 degrees C / 350 degrees F and grease a large baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
- Cut the pepper tops and remove all the ribs and seeds inside, then put them cut side up in the baking dish.6 bell peppers
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Prepare the filling
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat; add the ground beef, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.2 tablespoon olive oil, 600 g ground beef, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Now, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.½ cup onion, 6 cloves garlic
- Stir in the rice and tomato sauce, and ½ cup cheese.2 cups cooked white rice, 460 g tomato sauce, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
- Fill each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, then put them in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the peppers. Cover with a foil sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, then Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned and peppers are tender.1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
- Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.2 tablespoon parsley
Notes
- The typical colors of bell peppers are green, orange, yellow, and red. Use bell peppers in all these colors. They will be aesthetically pleasing for sure! Plus, each color has a different taste giving you more flavor to choose from.
- Be generous in adding cheese.
- Choose the bigger sizes of bell peppers so you can add more filling to them.
- Season the ground beef well so that its natural juicy flavor will be coaxed out.
- You may use leftover cooked white rice or brown rice.
- Use lean ground beef.
Variations
- If you have no Italian seasoning in your pantry, you can make a little substitute for it. Just mix dried basil, dried thyme, and dried oregano.
- You may use different types of cheese such as cheddar cheese, gouda or Monterey jack cheese if mozzarella is not available.
- You may use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
Sandra
So good and easy to make. I’ve cooked it in the slow cooker for 3 hors on high, then 2 hours on low, and it works just fine.
Brenda
Delicious recipe! My picky kids loved it.
Lorin
I added 3 tablespoons of chicken stock to the baking dish.