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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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one green pepper stuffed with meat on a small white plate with a baking dish full of green stuffed peppers in the background on a wooden cutting board

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.
a skillet with rice, tomato sauce and cooked pepper fillings

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.

a stuffed pepper sliced open to show the filling

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:

one green pepper stuffed with meat on a small white plate with a baking dish full of green stuffed peppers in the background on a wooden cutting board

Classic Stuffed Peppers

Classic stuffed peppers go the traditional route and deliver the familiar flavors you crave.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Author Rachel Ballard

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
Tried this recipe?Tag us on Instagram @feastandfarm and hashtag it #feastandfarm
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword how to make stuffed peppers, stuffed pepper recipe

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275 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was delicious! I didn’t have tomato sauce so I used spaghetti sauce. I added shredded Parmesan cheese and a little onion powder, Italian seasoning and sugar.
    I steamed my rice. I had a bag of finely chopped fresh Brussels Sprouts, Napa Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, carrots and Kale. I added this along with the rice. Cauliflower rice would work, too. I topped mine with the sauce, cheese and some Italian bread crumbs. A lot of these add ons came from suggestions from another stuffed pepper recipe. Thank you for this.

    1. That’s great Kathy! I think this is one recipe that can handle lots of variations just fine so I’m glad you were able to make it your own. It sounds like you did a great job with it. –Rachel

  2. Have a stuffed pepper recipe that is cream cheese base but wanted to add rice. Going to alter the two recipes to conjoin them. Peppers from the garden looking forward to these – had never simmered the peppers before but makes sense.Thanks!

    1. That sounds really interesting Lea. I’ve never had a stuffed pepper with cream cheese in it. I hope you enjoy experimenting and make something delicious! –Rachel

    1. Hey Angela, you can freeze the cooked filling but not the peppers. Anytime you freeze a vegetable and thaw them, the water from inside the cells of the vegetable gets released and you’ll have floppy soggy peppers on your hands. –Rachel

  3. 5 stars
    Sooooo good!!! I used ground turkey, some chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, diced fresh garlic and onion, a tiny bit of liquid smoke and some worcestershire sauce. Great flavors. Thanks for making it all so simple and delish! Will be my new stuffed pepper recipe always! I just love them!

    1. I’m so glad to hear that Terry! Thank you for letting me know. 🙂 I’m getting ready to post a greek stuffed pepper recipe too. I really like them as well so stay tuned! –Rachel

  4. What is texas hash? Hash I grew up with was cubed fried potatoes and 1 can of cornbeef. Nothing healthy there. Way greasy. I gave that dish up. I am making the stuffed peppers tonight. Hubby loves them and I don’t. I will give this one a taste test. I am going to steam the peppers rather than a water bath. Thanks for this site, I have cooked from scratch most of my life.

    1. Hahahahaha Marty! Texas hash is basically a deconstructed version of a stuffed pepper. You dice up all the vegetables, cook some hamburger, add tomatoes and I don’t know what all else and serve it up. I never could get my head around it, but the stuffed peppers are better in my opinion. 🙂 Hopefully my version passed the test well enough! –Rachel

  5. 5 stars
    Just made a double batch using 1.2 lbs of ground sirloin; 1 whole onion; guesstimated just under 2 cups of rice topping 4 large green peppers off with some leftover spaghetti sauce for 20 minutes then topping off with a pinch of mozzarella cheese for 5 minutes and turned out super! Had just over two cups mix left for a Texas hash pre-workout meal as I always try go lightly on carbs at night meals. My wife and teenagers love my style of measuring on this meal. Yes… my teens ate something NOT fried. I learned this style of meal nearly thirty years ago in Boy Scouts and when no junk food and pop tarts were allowed on camp outs life was much better and the picky eaters even cleaned their plates. The great thing about this meal is you can premake your mix and bag it for your camping trip. Very easy and quick cleanup.

    1. So glad to hear that they worked out well for you! And yay for teens who will eat what you make. It sure gets old trying to please everyone with different things. –Rachel

    1. Hi I am 13 and love to cook so much so this was the best way to go for stuffed peppers!:)!!!!

    2. Hey Kay! You’re never to young to start cooking and I’m so glad you liked the stuffed peppers. Stay in the kitchen and you’ll be blogging one day too! –Rachel

  6. I love this recipe! I used arrabiata sauce for a little spice and added mozzarella on top! My family loves it! I have a hard time thinking of a side dish for them. Do you have any suggestions?

    1. You know Jaki, when it comes to side dishes, I tend to balance meals with a starch (potatoes, rice) and a green vegetable (salad, roasted asparagus, green beans) but in the case of these peppers, everything is IN them–so what’s left to add on the side? It can get tricky. If anything I like some mac and cheese with mine or some herb roasted potatoes so I tend to lean to the starches. I’m glad you enjoy these! Come see me again soon. 😉 –Rachel

    2. 5 stars
      Try a fresh fruit and cheese medley. Buy one each of 2 or 3 different pears or apples. Give everyone a few wedges of each and a couple slices of a sharp cheddar. It also gives the plate eye appeal.

    3. 5 stars
      My husband loves mashed potatoes with stuffed peppers. A little of the “gravy” that collects on the bottom of the pan is yummy on yhe potatoes. I put a little of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan for this reason.

    1. Yes it sure will. If you have any onion powder you can add, that’s fine but if you don’t just leave it out and it will still be great. –Rachel

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About the Author

Rachel Ballard, RN, BSN brings more than 20 years of professional nursing expertise to Feast and Farm. With a love for nutrient dense foods that support wellness, she works to distill complex health information and current trends into recipes that fuel the best version of yourself. Read more about Rachel here.