Smoked Stuffed Peppers are full of delicious smoke flavor, thanks to the pellet grill. Made with seasoned ground beef, hearty rice, and a layer of melty cheese, this is an easy dinner recipe your family will love.
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I certainly have my fair share of favorite pellet grill recipes, and this smoked stuffed pepper recipe is one of them.
I was going to make my delicious Oven-Baked Stuffed Peppers, and then I thought, I wonder if I can smoke them? You know what? Yes, you can! They turned out fabulous!
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Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy-to-make dinner recipe.
- Fantastic smoky flavor.
- Hearty and filling.
- Ready in 45 minutes.
- Great for meal prep.
Ingredients
To make these smoked bell peppers, you will need the following ingredients:
- Bell peppers: Use any sweet peppers you like. Use green peppers, red, yellow, orange, or a combination.
- Ground beef. I used 1 pound of ground beef, but you could also use ground turkey, ground chicken, ground venison, or Italian sausage.
- Cooked rice. I used Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, but you could use brown rice, Basmati rice, or quinoa.
- Onion. I used red onion, but yellow onions would be great too.
- Garlic. I used garlic cloves, but you could also use garlic powder.
- Cabbage - Use shredded carrots or shredded zucchini instead.
- Cheese. Shredded cheddar cheese melted on top is amazing. Feel free to use your favorite cheese.
- Marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought. I used my Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes. You can also use tomato sauce.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Smoked Stuffed Peppers On Pellet Grill
- Heat a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat and add ground meat, diced onion, and garlic. Brown the meat until no pink remains, stirring frequently. Use the spatula to break the meat into smaller pieces. Drain any fat.
- Add cooked rice and shredded cabbage and mix until well combined.
- Add marinara sauce and Italian seasoning. Heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Cut sweet peppers in half, remove the seeds and ribs, and discard. Place the peppers on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Stuff peppers with the cooked ground beef mixture until the peppers are full.
- Top the peppers with shredded cheese.
How Long To Smoke Stuffed Peppers
Place the baking sheet with stuffed bell peppers directly on the grill grate in a preheated smoker at 325 degrees F and smoke for about 30 minutes, or until the peppers are heated through and the cheese is brown and bubbly on top. The peppers are done when they are tender and can be pierced with a fork. Enjoy!
Variations
- Extra veggies: Add extra vegetables, such as spinach, carrots, or zucchini, chopped fine or shredded, to the ground beef mixture (a clever way to sneak in more veggies).
- Spicy - Use jalapeno peppers instead of bell peppers for delicious smoked stuffed jalapeno peppers.
- Chicken - Make smoked chicken stuffed peppers with ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- Vegetarian: Leave out the ground beef and use extra rice, plus add a can of black beans.
- Vegan: Follow as above for vegetarians, and leave out the cheese or use vegan cheese.
- Low carb - Use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice, or just make smoked stuffed peppers without rice.
Storage Tips + Reheating
Fridge: Store leftover smoked stuffed peppers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. If you have lots, wrap each individual stuffed pepper in plastic wrap and place it in a Ziploc bag. Then, pop it in the freezer for easy meal prep for school or work lunches.
Reheating: If frozen, place them in the fridge the night before. Then, bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through.
Top Tips
- Make extra rice the night before to make prep even quicker.
- Use leftover cooked ground beef or taco meat.
- Prepare these peppers ahead of time and store them in the fridge covered for up to 24 hours before smoking.
FAQ's
You do not need to precook the peppers for these smoked peppers as they would be too soft after being cooked on the smoker. They are nice and tender after 30 minutes on the pellet grill.
Yes, cook the meat before stuffing the peppers. Cook the beef in a skillet over medium heat until no pink remains; add the rest of the ingredients, stuff the peppers, and pop them on the smoker.
I like to cut my peppers in half, as they have a smaller surface area and heat up quicker on the smoker. However, some recipes call for peppers to be cut with the top off so that you can put more filling in, which works great too, but it takes a lot longer to heat the filling in a whole pepper than half a pepper.
I prefer to freeze stuffed peppers after they are fully cooked.
More Easy Smoker Recipes
Did you make these Pellet Grill Stuffed Peppers? Please RATE THE RECIPE 🌟 below! Thank you! 😊
Printable Recipe
Smoked Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers, any color
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 cup rice cooked
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 4 cups cabbage shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cut bell peppers in half, take out the seeds and trim the membrane and discard.
- Heat a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat, onion, and garlic. Brown the meat until no pink remains, stirring frequently. Drain any fat.
- Add cooked rice and cabbage to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Simmer until the cabbage cooks down and blends with the meat.
- Add marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and mix. Heat for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Preheat your pellet grill to 325 degrees F.
- Fill the bell pepper halves with the ground beef mixture. Top each pepper with shredded cheese. Place the stuffed peppers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or foil pan.
- Place the baking sheet directly on the grill grate of the preheated smoker. Close the lid and smoke peppers for 30 minutes, or until the peppers are heated through and the cheese is bubbly on top. The peppers are done when they are tender and can be pierced with a fork.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
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Notes
- Make extra rice the night before to make prep even quicker.
- Use leftover cooked ground beef or taco meat.
- Prepare these peppers ahead of time and store them in the fridge covered for up to 24 hours before smoking them.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Eli says
Such a great idea and recipe! Will definitely be adding these to the weekly rotation!
Genevieve says
These look so delicious and a great way to use up those bell peppers!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This looks insanely, incredibly good. Sooo yummy!
Julie says
I am loving this stuffed pepper idea! Wonder if I can make it minus the cheese?
Jeri says
Of course! It would still taste great!
Andrea White says
such a great and delicious recipe!
Michelle says
SO good!!
Leslie says
Stuffed peppers are an all-time favorite of mine but smoking them just brings this recipe to another level!
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
I love smoked peppers, the taste is unique, but I never thought to smoke them stuffed. Definitely, something exciting to try!
Natalie says
This is a great dinner idea. I love added cabbage in this recipe. Sounds super healthy and quite filling. I'm definitely making this for dinner tomorrow. Thanks!
Lindsay Howerton-Hastings says
Oh wow, I love this idea! Tastes just like fajita peppers but for a whole meal. This one's a winner!