Classic Stuffed Peppers
What is it about the smell of classic stuffed peppers that gets you right in the feels? It’s the best of simple ingredients–fresh beef, onions, tomatoes, and seasonings that come together in their own little portable, edible bowls.
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- Use any rice you like. I prefer brown but I only had white on hand so I went with it. It does need to be cooked before you put it in the peppers.
- Ground turkey would also work well in place of the beef if you want a healthier stuffed pepper recipe. They are already fairly healthy, but you can lighten them further by changing the meat you use.
- Remember that if your peppers won’t stand up in the dish, just cut a little bit off the bottom. Try not to cut into the pepper though. You don’t want to lose your filling. I used three very large peppers in this recipe. If your peppers are smaller you can probably fill 5-6 easily.
- Swap the tomato sauce for pasta sauce and some fancy parmesan cheese for an Italian flare.
- If you’re in to Mexican flavors, use salsa and pepper jack cheese mixed in. So many options! I have a great post on how to use leftover taco meat any extra filling would work great in.
- To make ahead: Cook the filling, stuff the peppers and place them in a baking dish. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge till ready to bake, up to 2 days ahead.
- To freeze: Don’t freeze the peppers stuffed or they will go soggy on you when they thaw. The filling freezes great though!
- To reheat: You may need to cover them loosely with some foil for the first half of their bake time to keep them from drying out, then uncover them for the last half or until they are hot all the way through.
What to serve with stuffed peppers
This stuffed pepper recipe is basically a meal in one but try these sides to round out your meal:
Classic Stuffed Peppers
Classic stuffed peppers go the traditional route and deliver the familiar flavors you crave.
Ingredients
- 4 very large green bell peppers or about 5 small ones
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup cooked brown or white rice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes, just until the peppers are slightly soft. Drain, rinse with cool water and set aside on paper towels to drain.
- In a skillet, heat the ground beef and onion and cook until no pink remains. Drain.
- Add the salt, pepper, rice, garlic powder and half of the tomato sauce.
- Stir well and spoon into the peppers.
- Top with the other half of the tomato sauce.
- Bake in an ungreased dish at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Calories: 376kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 16gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 257mgPotassium: 745mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 670IUVitamin C: 106.4mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 3.3mg
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I used ground beef as basis for the stuffing. I always put extra rice in freezer and so I used that for my rice. I satuated my onions, diced bell peppers and garlic before adding to the ground beef. Also made it with red, yellow and orange peppers because they were less expensive than the green ones. it gave a slightly different taste. Also, I used marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce. for a bit of kick, add “slap yo momma” seasoning to the mix, and it took it up one more notch. overall, guess I made them my way. Also covered them with foil for the first 15 minutes so they would remain moist.
I made this recipe and added chopped wild mushrooms to the mixture. I used ground turkey which I seasoned with basil, tarragon and marjoram. I chopped a red onion and fresh garlic and added it to the ground turkey as it browned. I precooked the brown rice and parboiled the green peppers (never did this before when I’ve made stuffed peppers). When putting in the oven, I topped the stuffed peppers with tomato sauce that I mixed with diced tomatoes and a dash of all spice. About 7 minutes before done, I topped with grated parm. This recipe was awesome! I actually loved the idea of parboiling the peppers. My family loved them. Thank you!!!
I have been making these for years and your recipe is almost the same except I use minute rice and extra water for rice and for the cheese I use store version of Velveeta and a couple splashes of worcestershire sauce. I mostly put them in a crock on low for 5 or 6 hours ! But today they are in the oven