This Stuffed Peppers recipe, filled with a hearty beef and rice mixture and topped with cheese, makes a delicious weeknight dinner! It’s an easy, satisfying meal that is also great to prep ahead!

Photo of red, green and yellow peppers halved and filled with a beef and rice mixture and topped with cheddar cheese in a white baking dish.

Delicious, satisfying weeknight suppers like these Stuffed Peppers are family favorites. Like my lasagna or spaghetti sauce, these stuffed bell peppers make an easy ground beef recipe that is simple and tasty! They are simple to make but also perfect to prep ahead.

Spinach, tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, Italian seasoning, ground beef, rice, Stone House Seasoning, as well as red, green and yellow peppers ready to make stuffed peppers.

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

Bell Peppers – Use your favorite color of bell pepper or a blend as I have. I love the sweetness and mild flavor of red peppers. You can also substitute with poblano peppers if you prefer.

Ground Beef – If you wish, you can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, ground venison, or ground lamb for the ground beef, if you prefer.

Onion – an optional ingredient. If you use it, I recommend a very finely diced small onion.

Seasonings – I love using my Stone House Seasoning and Italian Seasoning in this recipe.

Spinach – Use fresh baby spinach or a package of frozen spinach that has been thawed and drained well.

Diced Tomatoes – Use canned diced tomatoes and their juices, fire-roasted for additional flavor, or crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce if you do not have diced tomatoes.

Rice – Use cooked white rice or another of your favorite types, such as brown rice or long-grain white rice. You can also substitute it with wild rice (which isn’t technically rice but is a native grain).

Cheese – My family loves cheddar cheese on these stuffed peppers, but you can also use Colby or Pepper Jack cheese.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

This makes a classic favorite dinner recipe that’s easy enough for a busy weeknight. Here’s how to make them.

Red, yellow and green bell peppers cut lengthwise with the seeds and membrane removed in a baking dish.

Prep. Preheat oven to 375º F. Add 1/4 cup water to a 9×13 baking dish. Slice peppers in half lengthwise and remove the tops, seeds, and white membrane. Arrange peppers in the baking dish.

Two photos side by side showing step browning ground beef and adding seasonings.

Brown and season the meat. Brown the ground beef in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Drain away any excess drippings. Return the pan to the stove and add the seasonings. Stir to combine.

Photo of fresh spinach added to ground beef in a dutch oven and then cooked rice, tomatoes, and cheese added to the meat mixture.

Add spinach, tomatoes, rice, and cheese. Then, cook the spinach until wilted. Stir in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and their juices, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Remove from the heat.

Colorful bell pepper halves are stuffed with meat, rice, spinach, tomato and cheese, ready to bake in a white baking dish.

Fill peppers. Spoon the meat mixture filling into the pepper halves.

Shredded cheddar cheese tops bell peppers stuffed with meat mixture before baking.

Top with cheese and bake. Add the remaining shredded cheese to the top of the stuffed peppers. Bake for 30 minutes. When the peppers are done, remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

White baking dish of colorful stuffed peppers topped with melty cheddar cheese.

Leftover Makeovers

  • If you have any leftovers, try chopping them and adding them to tomato soup to make a satisfying Stuffed Pepper Soup.
  • Extra or leftover filling is perfect for my stuffed zucchini recipe. Use this leftover beefy rice filling instead!
  • Leftover stuffed peppers can make delicious stuffed mushrooms! Stuff the chopped leftovers into portabello mushroom caps, top with cheese, and bake at 375 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melty.

Storage Tips

To make ahead. Omit adding the water to the baking dish. Prepare stuffed peppers without baking. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and bake as directed. Additional baking time may be needed since the stuffed peppers are cold, about 10 more minutes. Check the internal temperature of the baked stuffed peppers. They should register at 160º F.

To store. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warm throughout.

To freeze. Stuffed peppers freeze beautifully. You can freeze them unbaked or baked.

To freeze unbaked peppers, prepare the stuffed peppers according to the recipe without adding the final topping of cheese. Wrap the stuffed peppers in a freezer-safe container with plastic wrap and then with foil. Make sure they are well sealed. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months. When ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, top with cheese, and bake as directed. To bake frozen stuffed peppers, top with cheese, cover with foil, and bake until the internal temperature reaches 160º F, about 50 minutes.

To freeze baked peppers, allow the cooked peppers to cool. Wrap in a freezer-safe container with plastic wrap followed by foil or in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Make sure they are well sealed. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Red, yellow and green peppers stuffed with beef and topped in melted cheese in a white baking dish.

Recipe Tips

More about the color of the peppers – You can use red, yellow, or green bell peppers for this recipe. I personally like a mixture of all the colors. The red and yellow have a bit of sweetness that the green ones do not. However, green bell peppers may be more plentiful and could be less expensive at times than red or yellow peppers. You can use whichever bell pepper color or a mixture of colors, as I have demonstrated, that you wish.

Prep the meal ahead – Make the stuffed peppers as directed without baking. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Finally, follow the baking directions when ready to cook.

How to Bake Frozen Stuffed Peppers – Top the frozen peppers with cheese, cover with foil, and bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, about 50 minutes.

Don’t forget the water – My recipe adds a bit of water to the baking dish before adding the halved peppers and stuffing them. Baking them with this small amount of water makes the peppers somewhat tender yet able to hold the beef and rice filling.

What to Serve with Stuffed Peppers

Serve it as a complete meal – it contains vegetables, rice, meat, and cheese. And since my recipe includes spinach in the filling mixture, that adds even more nutrients and flavor to this meal!

Even though this is satisfying on its own, I sometimes serve this with a house salad, and my family enjoys a hot skillet of my southern cornbread alongside these peppers. Yum!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you cook the bell peppers ahead of baking the recipe?

No, I do not pre-cook the bell peppers since I include a bit of water in the baking dish before adding in the peppers to fill, so the peppers get a bit tender as they bake yet are still able to hold the delicious beefy filling.

Can you freeze these stuffed peppers?

Yes, this dish freezes beautifully! In fact, it is perfect for freezing both before baking and after it’s baked and cooled, and it can also be cooked from frozen.

If you tried this Stuffed Peppers Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Stuffed Peppers Recipe

5 from 7 votes
This Stuffed Peppers recipe, filled with a hearty beef and rice mixture and topped with cheese, makes a delicious weeknight dinner! Easy, satisfying meal that is also great to prep ahead or freeze!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 pepper halves

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 4 large bell pepper, red, yellow, or green peppers
  • 1 pound ground beef, or ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground venison
  • 1 teaspoon Stone House Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
  • parsley, optional

Instructions 

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Pour 1/4 cup water in 9×13 baking dish. Slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the stem, seeds, and white membrane. Arrange the pepper halves in the baking dish.
    Bell peppers cut lengthwise with the seeds and membrane removed in a baking dish.
  • Brown and season meat. Add ground beef to Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until all of the meat is browned. Drain away any excess drippings. Stir in the Stone House Seasoning and Italian Seasoning.
    Two photos side by side showing step by step instructions of making stuffed peppers by browning meat and adding seasonings.
  • Add spinach and rice, tomatoes, and cheese. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and cheese. Remove from the heat.
    Photo of fresh spinach added to ground beef in a dutch oven and then cooked rice, tomatoes, and cheese added to the meat mixture.
  • Stuff peppers. Spoon the meat mixture into the pepper halves. Top with the remaining cheese.
  • Bake. Bake the stuffed peppers (uncovered) until the peppers are fork tender and the cheese has melted, about 30 to 35 minutes. The internal temperature should register 160º F. Top with chopped fresh parsley (optional) and serve.
    Photo of stuffed peppers in a baking dish.

Notes

Storage Tips
To make ahead. Omit adding the water to the baking dish. Prepare stuffed peppers without baking. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and bake as directed. Additional baking time may be needed since the stuffed peppers are cold, about 10 more minutes. Check the internal temperature of the baked stuffed peppers. They should register at 160º F.
To store. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warm throughout.
To freeze. Stuffed peppers freeze beautifully. You can freeze them unbaked or baked.
To freeze unbaked, prepare the stuffed peppers according to the recipe without adding the final topping of cheese. Wrap the stuffed peppers in a freezer-safe container with plastic wrap and then with foil. Make sure they are well sealed. Store in the freezer up to 4 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, top with cheese and bake as directed. To bake frozen stuffed peppers, top with cheese, cover with foil, and bake until the internal temperature reaches 160º F, about 50 minutes.
To freeze baked, allow the cooked peppers to cool. Wrap in a freezer-safe container with plastic wrap followed by foil or in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Make sure they are well sealed. Store in the freezer up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pepper half | Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 431mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3417IU | Vitamin C: 107mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




17 Comments

    1. Thanks, Deborah! I hope you love these stuffed peppers and find many more recipes here that you love.

  1. 5 stars
    I have several recipes for stuffed peppers, but these look so good, I must try them !!!
    Thank you for this recipe. I am sure that I will love them.

  2. 5 stars
    Hi, was wondering if the peppers stay crunchy as your recipe does not call for peppers to be parboiled before stuffing & baking? Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. Love your site.

    1. Ferryal, you bake the stuffed peppers until they are fork tender and the cheese melts. I hope you enjoy these peppers.

  3. 5 stars
    Thank you for this absolutely delicious easy peasy recipe. I am Hungarian and we make it in a different way, but this was just as good.You deserve a 5 star for sure

  4. 5 stars
    Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe! I made it once as directed, and then again in a carb-friendly version by eliminating the rice and replacing with 1 cup mushrooms/squash/zucchini. I also added 1 can sugar free tomato paste to pump up the tomato zing. You were right, this recipe really is versatile!

    1. I know these peppers were delicious with the ground turkey, Christina. So glad you enjoyed them.

  5. I just found a new family favorite recipe when I made these tonight. My family loved these stuffed peppers. So delicious and colorful, full of flavor.