These Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice, Cheese, and Ground Beef are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. They are filled with perfectly seasoned ground beef, rice, and melty, gooey cheese.
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This is one of my family's favorite meals. They love the seasoned ground beef mixture smothered in melted cheese in a pepper 'boat.' These stuffed peppers are never watery and turn out perfect every time. This is a regular on our dinner rotation.
If you love stuffed peppers as much as I do, check out Air Fryer Taco Stuffed Peppers and Smoked Stuffed Bell Peppers On Pellet Grill.
Ingredients you'll need
Absolutely nothing fancy is required for this recipe. All you need is:
- Bell peppers - use any color you like.
- Ground beef. I have made this recipe with lean ground beef and ground venison. You could also substitute ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Rice. I used Perfect Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, but you could use brown rice, white rice, or quinoa.
- Cheese. I used shredded mozzarella cheese, but you could also use cheddar cheese.
- Marinara sauce. Use your favorite kind, homemade or store-bought. For the best flavor, use Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce. You can also use Low Carb Creamy Tomato Soup instead of marinara sauce.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities and a full list of ingredients.
How To Make Stuffed Bell Peppers With Beef And Rice
This recipe is very easy to make. Follow the instructions or watch the video below on how to make these delicious peppers.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 380 degrees F. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and membrane, and rinse with water. Place 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place the peppers on top of the sauce, cut side up, and bake in the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Step 2: While the peppers are baking in the oven, brown ground beef, diced onion, and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the meat until no pink remains. Drain any grease. Mix in cooked rice, marinara sauce, and Italian seasoning and heat until warmed through. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Remove the peppers from the oven. Spoon the cooked ground beef mixture into the peppers, flattening the mixture with the back of a spoon.
Step 4: Top each pepper with shredded cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the peppers are heated and the cheese is brown and bubbly. The peppers are done when tender and can be pierced with a fork. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Variations
- Veggies: Add extra vegetables such as spinach, carrots, or zucchini, chopped fine or shredded (a clever way to sneak in more veggies) to the ground beef mixture.
- Low carb: Use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice.
- Vegetarian: Leave out the ground beef, use extra rice, and add a can of black beans.
- Vegan: Follow as above for vegetarians, but leave out the cheese. A reader commented below that she made this recipe with Beyond Meat for the stuffing and nutritional yeast for the cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Some of my favorite dishes to serve with these stuffed bell peppers are a crispy green salad, Creamy Coleslaw, Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, and Extra Crispy Oven-Roasted Potatoes.
I also like to serve them with Grandma's Old Fashioned Air Buns, four-bean salad, or Raw Carrot Salad.
Expert Tips
- Use leftover rice and cooked ground beef to shorten prep time.
- You can prep these peppers ahead of time and store them in the fridge covered up until 48 hours before baking.
- After the peppers are cooked, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them in the freezer in a Ziploc bag. Grab 1 or 2 from the freezer for quick meal prep.
Recipe FAQs
Cut peppers in half so they heat up quickly in the oven. Some recipes call for peppers to be cut with the top off so that you can fill it more. However, it takes much longer to heat the filling in a whole pepper, and I usually don't have time for that.
I prefer to freeze stuffed peppers after they are fully cooked. To freeze, place them in a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, place them in the fridge the night before to thaw. Then, place them on a baking pan, cut side up, and bake in a 350-degree F oven for 15-30 minutes or until heated.
These peppers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Here's what readers have to say about these stuffed peppers:
Reader Review
"This takes bell peppers to a whole new level! Great recipe for using extra peppers!"
- Lara
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Recipe
Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice & Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers any color
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1½ cups cooked rice
- 3 cups marinara sauce divided, homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380℉.
- Cut bell peppers in half and remove the seeds and membrane.
- Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place the peppers on top of the sauce, cut side up. Bake the peppers in the oven for 15 minutes.
- While the peppers are in the oven, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Brown the meat until no pink remains. Drain grease. Stir in rice, marinara sauce, and Italian seasoning. Heat until heated through. Remove from heat.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and spoon the cooked ground beef mixture into the peppers. Pack it down with the back of a spoon. Top with shredded cheese.
- Place the stuffed peppers back in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the peppers are heated through and the cheese is brown and bubbly. The peppers are done when tender and can be pierced with a fork. Enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes:
- Use leftover rice and cooked ground beef to shorten prep time.
- You can prep these peppers ahead of time and store them in the fridge covered up until 48 hours before baking.
- After the peppers are cooked, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them in the freezer in a Ziploc bag. Grab 1 or 2 from the freezer for quick meal prep.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
About Jeri Walker
Jeri Walker is the founder and CEO of Winding Creek Ranch. She is a self-taught home cook who specializes in easy family-friendly recipes. Jeri is also a food writer who regularly writes articles for MSN. Read about Jeri's journey and connect with her on your favorite social media channels!
Jean
I use beyond meat for the stuffing and nutritional yeast for the cheese and it worked too.
Amy Roskelley
I like to add rice to this too! It's so filling!
Tracey
You’ve made stuffed peppers so much easier! Yum!
Emily Flint
I love bell perppers so I can't wait to make this, it looks so good!
Will
We ate these while growing up, they are so good. Yours look a lot better though. HA. Can't wait to try them! Thanks so much!
Audrey
This is a classic! Love how easy these are.
Lara
This takes bell peppers to a whole new level! Great recipe for using extra peppers!