If you’re craving a cozy, classic dinner that’s hearty and satisfying, these ground beef stuffed peppers are it! Made with tender bell peppers filled with a savory mix of beef, rice, herbs, and melty cheese, they bake up saucy and bubbling with marinara. Simple to make, comforting to eat, and always a family favorite!

A large white casserole dish with stuffed peppers topped with melted cheese and chopped parlsey.

5 star review

“My daughter told me the other day she had such a taste for stuffed peppers…. I have never made this before and luckily I clicked on your recipe!!!! I let my family test the filling before I stuffed the peppers and wow did they rave!!!! These came out perfect!!! Will be putting this in rotation of family dinners!!!”

– Jill
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Stuffed Peppers w/ Rice & Ground Beef is a Cozy Comfort Dinner to Make Tonight!

If you know me, you know I absolutely love an easy, simple twist on a beloved classic. And these baked stuffed peppers are guaranteed to hit the spot. I swear, the flavor profile is one of my favs; and my stuffed pepper casserole and my crock pot stuffed pepper soup are regulars around here.

For this protein-forward, veggie-packed casserole I’m leaning on Italian flavors to add to the stuffed pepper love awhile still getting a delicious dinner on the table in under an hour. Plus, by cutting the peppers lengthwise, they’re easier to clean out and we can stuff more of that meaty, cheesy filling inside! As a bonus, there’s more of those brown, crispy bits on the top. Yummmm!

Best of all, you can customize this easy weeknight meal to your heart’s content! If you are a little spice-adverse, feel free to leave out the red pepper flakes. And you can swap out the parsley with baby spinach or fresh basil.

Ok, so let’s talk about the “Italian” aspect of this recipe. Like traditional stuffed peppers, I use ground beef and regular long grain white rice. But, unlike the traditional version, I’m using my favorite marinara sauce, an Italian cheese blend, parmesan cheese, and Italian season. I mean, how can you go wrong? Are they authentic? No. Are they delicious? Most definitely.

Now, to keep things real easy, you can even use leftover rice or microwaved frozen rice. Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret. And if you don’t have or don’t want to use ground beef, however, feel free to swap in sausage and ground turkey, as both are fabulous! When it comes to serving, I love that each half pepper is an individual serving, making it great for freezing individual portions. And if you know you have a busy week coming up, go ahead and make an big batch now to freeze for later. Future you will thank you!

Bell peppers, ground beef, and cheese next to marinara sauce, spices, and an onion.
Ingredients You’ll Need: bell peppers, olive oil, onion, kosher salt, ground beef, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, cooked rice, parsley, parmesan cheese, Italian cheese, and marinara sauce.

Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Beef Stuffed Peppers

Jump to Recipe Instructions
Diced onions cooking in a skillet on a stovetop.
Cook the onions with olive oil and salt in a large high sided skillet over medium heat.
Diced onions and ground beef cooking in a skillet on a stove.
Add the ground beef and sprinkle with salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
Browned ground beef and cooked onions cooked in a skillet.
Break the beef into small pieces and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
A hand pouring fresh herbs onto ground beef and onions in a skillet.
Turn off the heat, then add the parsley, rice, parmesan, and Italian cheese.
Cooked onions, browned ground beef, and chopped herbs in a skillet.
Stir in the marinara sauce just until it’s combined. It looks so good already!
Halved orange, yellow, and red bell peppers in a large casserole dish.
Spread marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and arrange the halved peppers on top.
A hand spooning ground beef into halved bell peppers in a casserole dish.
Fill each pepper with the beef and rice mixture.
A hand sprinkling shredded cheese on bell peppers in a large baking dish.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of each pepper.
A casserole dish filled with marinara sauce and baked stuffed bell peppers.
Bake covered tightly with foil for 30-35 minutes.
Bell peppers stuffed with ground beef, onions, and melted cheese in a casserole dish.
Bake uncovered for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Yummm!

Make it Gluten-Free

These hearty stuffed peppers are naturally gluten-free as long as you use a gluten-free grain such as white rice, brown rice, quinoa, or bulgur.

A rectangle casserole dish with red, orange, and yellow baked stuffed peppers with cheese and ground beef.
A large casserole dish with stuffed peppers.
5 stars (9 ratings)

Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers (Hearty & Easy!)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 8 (one half pepper, stuffed)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
If you’re craving a cozy, classic dinner that’s hearty and satisfying, these ground beef stuffed peppers are it! Made with tender bell peppers filled with a savory mix of beef, rice, herbs, and melty cheese, they bake up saucy and bubbling with marinara.
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Ingredients

  • 4 bell peppers, any color
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, small diced
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon no salt added Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 ½ cups cooked long grain rice
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • ⅓ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup Italian cheese blend, divided
  • 2 cups marinara sauce, divided

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a high-sided 9×13 baking dish with olive oil cooking spray, then spread 1 cup of mariana evenly on the bottom of the pan. Cut each bell pepper in half from top to bottom. Remove the seeds and membranes, then arrange cut side up in the baking dish.
  • Heat a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, diced onions and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the ground beef and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Break into small pieces and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat, then add the remaining 1 cup marinara, rice, parsley, parmesan, ½ cup Italian cheese, stirring until just combined.
  • Fill each pepper evenly with the beef rice mixture, about one heaping ½ cup for each pepper. Sprinkle over the remaining ½ cup cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, then uncovered for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is browned and bubbling.

Notes

  • Any color of bell pepper will work for this recipe. I used a mix of red and orange because it makes a prettier presentation and red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are sweeter than their green counterparts. However, if you prefer the taste (or price) of green bell peppers, those will work equally well.
  • Be sure to use cooked long grain rice for this recipe. Really any cooked grain will work, though, so feel free to swap in cooked brown rice, quinoa, barley or even wild rice.
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 8), Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 645mg, Potassium: 567mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 2490IU, Vitamin C: 86mg, Calcium: 111mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition disclaimer
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