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Six red, yellow, and green stuffed peppers topped with melted cheddar and parsley in a white baking dish.
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Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers are bell peppers filled with seasoned ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and cheddar, baked covered until tender and finished uncovered so the cheese on top melts and bubbles. Serves 6 and they freeze well.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef stuffed peppers, stuffed peppers
Servings: 6
Calories: 629kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

  • 6 large bell peppers
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1½ pounds ground beef
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 can tomato sauce 15 ounces, divided
  • 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces, drained
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the tops off the 6 bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Stand them upright in a baking dish, trimming a thin slice off the bottoms if needed so they sit flat without tipping.
    Colorful bell peppers with their tops removed, seeds discarded, and hollow centers cleaned and ready for filling.
  • Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the 1½ pounds ground beef and diced onion and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned. Drain the excess fat, then stir in the 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon paprika for 1 minute.
    Ground beef and diced onion cooking together, followed by seasonings added once the beef has browned.
  • Stir in the 2 cups cooked rice, half the can of tomato sauce, the drained diced tomatoes, and the 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and fold in 1 cup of the cheddar.
    Cooked ground beef combined with rice, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and shredded cheddar in a large skillet.
  • Spread the remaining tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish around the peppers. Spoon the filling into each pepper, mounding it slightly.
    Hollow bell peppers arranged upright in tomato sauce, then spooned full of the prepared beef and rice filling.
  • Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Covering traps steam so the peppers soften and cook through.
    Bell peppers filled generously with the seasoned ground beef, rice, tomato, and cheddar mixture before baking.
  • Remove the foil, top each pepper with the remaining 1 cup cheddar, and bake uncovered for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
    Stuffed peppers topped with shredded cheddar before baking, shown beside the finished peppers with melted, bubbly cheese.
  • Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons parsley and serve.

Notes

  1. Level the bottoms. Trim a thin slice off any pepper that won’t stand up on its own. Don’t cut through.
  2. Drain the diced tomatoes well. Excess liquid makes the filling slump instead of holding its shape.
  3. Bake covered first. Foil on for 35 minutes traps the steam that cooks the peppers tender. Uncovered the whole time leaves them firm.
  4. Divide the tomato sauce. Half goes in the filling, half goes in the bottom of the dish around the peppers so they don’t scorch.
  5. Divide the cheddar. One cup folded into the filling, one cup on top for the last 8 to 10 minutes.
  6. Grate your own cheese. Pre shredded cheddar is coated with an anti caking agent that keeps it from melting smoothly.
  7. Make ahead. Assemble and refrigerate up to a day ahead, then add about 5 minutes to the covered bake time.
  8. Storage. Airtight in the fridge up to 4 days. Freeze baked and cooled, wrapped individually, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat covered.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 1300mg | Potassium: 1252mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 6369IU | Vitamin C: 229mg | Calcium: 361mg | Iron: 5mg
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