This is the quintessential stuffed bell peppers recipe I grew up on, with bell peppers stuffed with seasoned ground beef, rice, and melty cheese, always a hit! They bring back so many memories.
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT35M
Rating
4.97 stars (175 reviews)
Keywords
bell peppers, ground beef
Ingredients
4-6 bell peppers (use any color – green, yellow, red, orange)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground beef (450g - you can also use ground turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, tofu, or other similar)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 jalapeno pepper (chopped (optional, for spicy))
5 cloves garlic (chopped)
14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes ((canned - or use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce))
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend – I LOVE pepperjack for myself)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked rice (white, brown, or wild rice)
For Garnish. Fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Steps
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and bring a pot of water (enough to cover the bell peppers) to a boil.
Wash the bell peppers, cut off the tops, and scoop out the insides. If needed, slice a small part off the bottom of the peppers so they will stand upright. (NOTE: Chop the extra bell pepper tops to cook later with the onion - discard the stem.)
Blanch the bell peppers for 5 minutes to slightly soften. (Alternative, you can roast the peppers for 20 minutes to soften).
Set the softened peppers into a lightly oiled baking dish.
Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat and add the onions, chopped pepper tops, and jalapeno (if using). Cook for 5 minutes to soften.
Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the ground beef and cook 5-6 minutes, breaking apart as you go, until cooked through.
Add the fire roasted tomatoes, seasonings, and cooked rice. Stir together and remove from heat.
Stir in half of the shredded cheese until incorporated.
Stuff each pepper with the meat filling mixture, then top each with the remaining shredded cheese.
Roast the stuffed peppers for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender to your preference, and the cheese is nice and bubbly.
Cool slightly, garnish, and serve.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 534 kcal
Carbohydrates: 29 g
Protein: 30 g
Fat: 33 g
Saturated Fat: 13 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 103 mg
Sodium: 419 mg
Sugar: 9 g
Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
Reviews
Aubrey on 2026-06-27 (5 stars): Made these last night and they were SOOOOOO good! Thank you for sharing!!
Sharon H on 2026-06-27 (5 stars): I love a good stuffed pepper, something you don't hear much about these days! I grew up with and into most of my adult life thinking only green peppers for stuffing. I'm 81, so colored peppers weren't common most of that time but very common in MY kitchen now! And I enjoy using all kinds and I'm happy to see that you do also. My non-recipe version is very good but I'm always interested in others and yours sounds great, which your commenters seem to agree. I love rice but I don't do grains,...so I liked the comments about the subs and I'll have to try that. As I read through your recipe, it occurred to me that this stuffing mixture could make a good soup base. Add broth, maybe even small pasta, other veggies if desired. Also...I'm going to experiment a little and see if this will work for canning...make a shelf stable product to be used whenever you need it. Thanks for the inspiration, Mike.
Ryan on 2026-06-26 (5 stars): This recipe is wonderful. I've found a lot of bland variations over the years but this recipe has a lot of flavor. I chose Italian sausage as my meat of choice and pepper jack cheese. Will definitely make again!
Rose on 2026-06-23 (5 stars): Really great recipe for stuffed peppers. I used frozen cauliflower rice that I cooked acvording to the directions on the package. I would recommend this recipe and will definitely make it again!
Jolene on 2026-06-21 (5 stars): All I did was exchange the white rice with a bag of a riced broccoli and cauliflower mix to lower the carbs put them in the smoker and it was absolutely AMAZING!!!!
Debbie on 2026-06-17 (5 stars): Fab recipe for stuffed peppers!!! Made these today and they were delicious:))) I par baked my peppers in the oven at 400 degrees for 12 minutes and they came out perfect. My oven runs about 16 degrees hot and I was careful to check. I put them cut side down on parchment paper on my stainless pan. I left them like this until I flipped them and was ready to stuff. I just used 1/2 smoked paprika and 1/2 regular. The smoked paprika was nice with the smoked gouda/sharp cheddar. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Donna Moore on 2026-06-14 (5 stars): I fixed stuffed peppers for the first time in years. The recipe was easy to follow and I felt like I had taken a jump backwards for these amazing stuffed peppers!! Thank you for the recipe, I have printed it and will be sharing this with others.
My huband had a big smile all during dinner.
Dixie E on 2026-06-11 (5 stars): These were delicious. The best stuffed pepper recipe I’ve ever made. Love using the colored peppers.