Stuffed bell peppers are a family favorite. Filled with a mixture of lean ground beef, tomatoes, rice, and topped with shredded pepper jack cheese and fresh parsley leaves. Baked to perfection. Healthy, and customizable comfort food at its finest.
These peppers make for great leftovers and have a delicious meal prep for the week. They store well in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Tips for Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Search for bell peppers about the same size. This helps with even cooking time for each pepper.
- Cutting the bell peppers in half is a unique way to enjoy more peppers. Helps reduce food waste and makes it easy to store leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Use various colors of bell peppers. It adds an element of fun and vibrant colors to the dish. All colors cook for the same amount of time.
Why do you prebake the bell peppers?
Prebaking the bell peppers helps with the consistency they become nice and tender. The tender texture of the bell peppers is delicious. If you want crispier peppers, omit the prebaking step.
Stuffed Bell Pepper Flavor Variations
- Meat: Beef can be substituted for ground turkey or sausage.
- Rice: Quinoa or orzo pasta can be substituted for rice.
- Vegetables: Other vegetables can be added to the filling including olives, corn, or zucchini squash.
- Cheese: Try a variety of flavors of cheese. Other cheeses can include sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack.
These bell peppers are fantastic and classic at the dinner table. Everyone will be asking for seconds. Add these to your dinner rotation. They are easy and simple to make!
Other Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipes
If you’re a fan of these bell peppers, check out my Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup. This soup has all the stuffed bell pepper flavors in a soup format. It’s delicious.
Questions? Leave me a comment below. If you made this recipe, tag me #thedesignfoodie on Instagram so
I can see it! Happy cooking!
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 4-6 bell peppers, halved and seeds removed any color
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
For the Filling:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice any kind
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, grated or shredded
For the Garnish:
- Fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a casserole dish. Wash and prepare produce.
- Cook rice according to packaged instructions in a rice cooker or a small stockpot. Set aside.
- Cut bell peppers in half vertically. Remove the stem, seeds, and membranes. Drizzle some olive oil on bell peppers. Coat the outside and inside with oil. Arrange peppers cut-side face down in the casserole dish. Pre-bake peppers at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
For the Filling:
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Saute garlic and onions over medium-high heat, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Drain out liquid from beef. Add diced tomatoes, Worchestershire sauce, cooked rice, spinach, Italian seasoning, and dried thyme. Season with kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste. Stir until the spinach starts to wilt, about 2 minutes.
- Remove bell pepper from the oven. Using tongs, flip peppers inside facing up.
- Fill bell peppers with beef filling. Sprinkle pepper jack cheese over the top. Place casserole dish back into the oven. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
For the Garnish:
- Remove peppers from the oven. Garnish peppers with fresh parsley leaves.
- Serve immediately.
