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 don’t understand why each serving would have 52 grams of carbs to it. Maybe that is a misprint?
Hey Carol, the nutrition information is certainly an estimate, however when we keep in mind that 1 cup of white rice has 45 grams of carbs alone and that tomato sauce has carbs too it could add up decently fast. It’s going to depend a LOT on how big your peppers are and how much filling you put in each one (plus how much you actually eat) so there are a lot of if’s. Nutrition information is calculated by a computer. It’s always a bit of a guess. –Rachel
I forgot to blanch the peppers until my wife came home from work and asked if I did that. I said the recipe didn’t require that. I then read the recipe again, discovered my mistake and cooked them an extra 7 minutes. They were wonderful.
That works! Great job!
My family loved this,
Next time I will make a double recipe. That way I can serve leftovers❣️ I mixed it all together and stuffed peppers topped with Monterey Jack cheese as Thad what I had on hand!
Wonderful Sherri! I’m glad you all enjoyed them. –Rachel
I used large Le rouge red peppers, blanched them for 3 minutes. I used turkey meat and brown rice. I started with chopped carrots, onion, and canned petite tomatoes. I got that going, added the turkey meat and browned and simmered all together. In the mean time I had the brown rice cooking. After about 0 minutes of the rice cooking I dumped the rice with its water into the meat/veggie pot. Simmered 20 more minutes with the top on. I added provolone cheese to the mixture. Then spooned mixture into the peppers, topped with tomato sauce and a little more provolone and mozzarella on top and baked for 30 minutes at 350. Covered first 15 minutes. Came out so yummy!
That’s a great adaptation. I’m so glad you enjoyed them. –Rachel
Love the classic meals but I found that simmering green peppers in water isn’t such a great idea as the pepper shrinks and loses its great flavor making it somewhat mushy and watery tasting. Instead, I cooked it a half hour+ longer in the oven on my 2nd batch.
Oh interesting Tammy. Usually the simmer is quick and the peppers don’t get too soft. I’m glad you found a way to adjust the recipe that works for you. –Rachel
@Tammy,
I made this tonight and jazzed it up with oregano, paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes (just for flavor, not heat) along with grated parmesan and it was good. I used wild rice. The issue with the peppers may have been that you do not put them in at the start of simmering the water. Once the water is simmering, put the peppers in for 3 minutes and remove. I let mine sit on a baking sheet for a few minutes before stuffing. You could also run them under cold water to stop the blanching process more quickly.
I also had a problem with the blanching. That green pepper taste and smell was gone, smelled like hay. Otherwise good recipe. Next time I will try baking them longer
Delicious! I’m so pleased with this easy, tasty recipe. I love having great food I can cook in a jiffy. Thank you.
This is indeed a wonderful, traditional recipe. Because I like a bit more spice, I did use Spaghetti Sauce, more garlic, and added extra oregano and Basil. Everyone loved it.
This was good, just added a little red pepper. Made it with ground turkey.
YES!!! Easy and simple. Hearty meal with not that many calories.
Glad you enjoyed it Claire! –Rachel
The only changes I made is I used cheese to fill the holes in the bottom of the peppers and Mccormick Himalayasn salt, black pepper and garlic mix. 1/2 tsp because it was 1 pound of meat,
Sounds great Dawn. –Rachel