About This Recipe

These easy stuffed bell peppers are the classic weeknight dinner that never gets old. Each colorful pepper becomes an edible bowl packed with seasoned ground beef, fluffy rice, and tangy tomatoes, all topped with bubbling melted cheese. It's a complete, balanced meal — protein, carbs, and vegetables — all in one beautiful presentation. Ready in 45 minutes from start to finish, these stuffed peppers with rice are perfect for feeding the whole family without spending hours in the kitchen.

Why You'll Love It

  • All-in-one meal — protein, veggies, and carbs in a single pepper
  • Colorful, impressive presentation that looks far more effort than it is
  • 32g protein per serving — filling and satisfying
  • Endlessly adaptable: swap beef for turkey, chicken, or make it vegetarian

Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers

Baked stuffed bell peppers with cheese topping in a baking dish
15 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
45 min
Total
4
Servings
⭐ 4.9
Rating
420
Calories

Ingredients

  • 4 large bell peppers
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • Salt, pepper, olive oil
  • Fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. 1Prep peppers Halve tops, deseed, place in dish.
  2. 2Sauté Onion, then garlic in olive oil.
  3. 3Brown beef Cook until no longer pink, drain fat.
  4. 4Mix filling Add tomatoes, rice, spices.
  5. 5Fill & top Pack peppers, top with cheese.
  6. 6Bake 25 min covered, 5 min uncovered.

Ingredients

4 bell peppers 1 lb ground beef 1 cup cooked rice 1 can diced tomatoes 1 onion 3 cloves garlic 1 tsp cumin Smoked paprika Italian seasoning 1 cup shredded cheese Olive oil Fresh parsley

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. 1

    Prepare the peppers

    Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice about ½ inch off the top of each bell pepper and remove the seeds and white membranes inside — a small knife or spoon makes this easy. Stand the peppers upright in a baking dish. If they're wobbly, trim a very thin slice off the bottom so they sit flat. Choose peppers of roughly equal size so they all cook at the same rate.

  2. 2

    Sauté aromatics

    Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn. The kitchen will smell incredible.

  3. 3

    Brown the beef

    Add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking it up into crumbles with a wooden spoon, for 6–8 minutes until fully browned and cooked through with no pink remaining. Carefully drain any excess fat from the pan — too much fat will make the filling greasy.

  4. 4

    Make the filling

    Add the drained diced tomatoes, cooked rice, cumin, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to the beef. Stir everything together and cook for 2 minutes until the mixture is well combined and any excess liquid has cooked off. Taste and adjust seasoning — this is your only chance to season before filling the peppers.

  5. 5

    Fill the peppers

    Use a large spoon to pack the beef and rice filling into each pepper, pressing it gently down to fit as much as possible. Overfill them slightly — it's fine if the filling mounds up above the rim. Top each pepper generously with shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese. Don't be shy with the cheese.

  6. 6

    Bake and serve

    Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes — this steams the peppers until they're tender. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is fully melted, golden, and bubbly at the edges. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately, directly from the baking dish.

Pro Tips

🏆 Tips for the Best Stuffed Peppers
  • Mix colors — use red, yellow, and orange peppers. Red peppers are the sweetest; green peppers are more bitter and less sweet.
  • Use pre-cooked rice to save time. Leftover rice from the night before is perfect here.
  • Add a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish — it keeps the peppers moist and creates a delicious sauce.
  • For meal prep, stuff and refrigerate the uncooked peppers up to 24 hours ahead. Bake directly from the fridge, adding 5 extra minutes.

Variations

🔄 Make It Your Own
  • Vegetarian: Replace beef with black beans, corn, and diced mushrooms. Add 1 tsp cumin and chili powder.
  • Turkey: Swap ground beef for lean ground turkey for fewer calories and fat.
  • Mexican style: Add ½ cup corn, black beans, and 2 tbsp taco seasoning. Top with salsa and sour cream.
  • Low-carb: Replace the rice with cauliflower rice. Same great flavor, much fewer carbs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Prepare the filling and stuff the peppers, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. You can also bake them fully, let cool, and refrigerate for up to 4 days — they reheat beautifully in the microwave (2–3 minutes) or oven (350°F for 15 minutes, covered with foil).
You don't have to, but you can if you prefer very soft peppers. To pre-cook: microwave the hollow peppers for 2–3 minutes, or blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes and pat dry. Then stuff and bake for only 15–20 minutes. If you like a bit of texture in your pepper, skip this step.
Absolutely — they freeze very well. Bake fully, let cool completely, then wrap each pepper individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes, covered, until heated through.

Nutrition Per Serving

420
Calories
32g
Protein
28g
Carbs
20g
Fat
4g
Fiber
8g
Sugar
520mg
Sodium
720mg
Potassium