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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But here’s my secret:
While these classic stuffed peppers are really tasty, I’ve been ruined on them.
We ate them alot as a kid but with their basic ingredients, no fuss and no frills, they really are the best slate for you to experiment with.
I know you will enjoy them.
How to make these classic stuffed peppers
- Make these stuffed peppers with 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.
Why do you boil stuffed peppers?
Bell peppers are quite firm and may take longer to cook properly if they don’t get a bit of a jump start.
Cut off the tops and remove the seeds and any large ribs but try not to break the pepper. Place the pepper into boiling water for a minute or so then turn upside down to drain before filling.
The goal isn’t to cook them to the point of being totally soft–just softer than what they were so that they will finish cooking in the oven with the filling.
You could also pre-bake the empty peppers for 5 to 7 minutes before adding the stuffed pepper recipe filling, then finish baking for the full time in the recipe.
Save time and skip cooking rice with this trick
Unless you keep cooked rice on hand, waiting 20 minutes or more for a batch to cook can feel like one extra step in your day you just don’t have time for. Instead, cut right to the chase with Thrive Life freeze dried brown or white rice. Simply refresh the cooked rice by pouring over a bit of warm water and in just a few minutes it’s ready to go in your next recipe.
To make these stuffed peppers 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.
A note on freezing: 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.
Can I pack the meat in raw?
I’ve had a few readers who have done this over the years and I just can’t support it. Where is all that grease from the beef going to go? And the cook time is going to be much longer while the dense filling cooks through. This isn’t a method I would recommend.
How to make stuffed peppers in one pan
You could also deconstruct this and brown the beef, drain and add the remaining ingredients. Dice the peppers and add them to the skillet then bake it up in in the oven. Easy stuff! And it would make ahead like a dream. Even better for busy nights.
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
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.
I had everything except tomato sauce,but I had spaghetti sauce so I used that instead and didn’t bother with the garlic because it is already in the sauce. Yummy!
We tried this and it was delicious! It came out perfect. Thank you!
The Texas hash story made me laugh; my mom made that too and called it Spanish rice.? I have no idea why??♀️.
As a side note, I read the other comments and seriously, I was laughing really hard. You have the patience of a saint, really. Is it that hard for people to carefully read a recipe? Anyway, thanks again!
Haha Susan! I’m glad you liked it. Apparently it’s very hard to follow recipes and I wish my patience was saintly! –Rachel
@Susan Oakes,
Called Spanish rice here in sw Virginia too. Good stuff
Can you freeze these before cooking?
You can freeze the filling after it’s cooked but if you freeze the peppers they will go really soft and watery when they thaw. It’s not a great final result. –Rachel
If I wanted to add some cheese to the recipe, how much and when would I add it.
I don’t add cheese Christine but I think people do it in the last 10 minutes or so of cooking and as for the amount, measure that with your heart. LOL. –Rachel
I always mixed the meat mixture and stuffed the peppers without cooking the meat first.
It’s an option some people do. I just can’t figure out where all the grease goes?
@Rachel Ballard, Take this from someone who always cooked it all together in the oven – the grease is gross. I’m 74, learned to cook these from my mom and all this time hated the grease. I just found your cook first recipe and am trying it tonight. So happy to be rid of the grease. Thank you!
Ellen-Lynn is on my side! LOL. Thanks for confirming my fears. 😉 –Rachel
These are the best stuffed peppers I ever made! The peppers came out perfect: not mushy and not too hard and crunchy, either! The amount of sauce is perfect as well. I used the cheap 65¢ store brand of tomato sauce, so I spruced it up with a dash of lemon juice and worcestershire. I also subbed out a couple of fresh garlic cloves for the powder, throwing them in my pan for the last minute or so of cooking the meat and onion. Minute rice worked fine as well!
Wonderful job Lauren!
OMG made these amazingly delicious stuffed peppers! I didn’t simmer my peppers beforehand as I was afraid they would be too mushy. They came out with a slight crisp to the peppers. Added cheese to the top. Used the chunky garden sauce. Made a Caesar salad to go with it. Very filling and definitely going to make again! Thank you for sharing!!! Looking forward to trying your other recipes!
I like this recipe it’s easy to make, and doesn’t call for lots of ingredients! I have to leave out the garlic though because my husband can’t eat garlic, beans, or anything spicy. I also have to use the smallest amount of salt!! So I have a difficult time finding recipes that I can make for us. He doesn’t understand that there isn’t a substitute for garlic !!!
@Glennette, you can sub the garlic for one of the Mrs Dash varieties, they are usually salt free!!
Hehe. Written recipes are only starting points for what I cook! I’ve never been known to follow a recipe to the ‘T’ for what that’s worth. Sometimes it tastes like something someone ate before and other times, it’s truly original, but entirely packed with nutrition. When my friends ask for a recipe, I give them a sketch and let them fill in the colors and details, so that’s that. I have to always be mindful my spouse prefers no rice, potatoes, bread nor pasta, and the meat has to be almost fat-free. With those thoughts in mind, I do have to dress up the flavor with lots of onions, a little garlic –not my favorite(!), and low-salt soy sauce, lemon, maybe Worcestershire sauce if I have some on hand, and I routinely substitute squashes and hummus for the bulky carbs. That being said, this recipe would be something my mother would bring to life, and it would be tasty indeed. Her cabbage rolls were to die for! (Slight exaggeration, but they do bring back fond memories.)
@Cee, I have used cooked lentils as replacement for rice.
Thank you I loves these recipes