A crowd-pleasing appetizer that can serve as a meal. You get everything from your vegetables, starch, and protein to well-seasoned meat all in one bite.
These savory, delicious, stuffed bell peppers are for sure to whoah a crowd, making them the perfect choice for social gatherings like weddings, cocktail parties, and Superbowl events.
So, if you’ve been looking for a delicious and easy stuffed peppers recipe, look no further because this one right here will, without a doubt, be the one to amaze your tastebuds.
My crazy relationship with bell peppers
I don’t remember being very fond of green peppers as a kid… and that’s probably because they always looked so weird and unattractive to me. I mean, I think we can agree that bell peppers are kinda ugly looking. Lol!
After all, they are the one vegetable people probably use the most to insult someone’s physique because of how weirdly shaped they are. Lmbo! We would do it all the time when I was a kid in school. Haha!
Anyway, as a kid, I thought they were pretty ugly, and I wasn’t too fond of how they tasted, either. Well, as we get older, we tend to change, right? Well, so did my relationship with bell peppers. 🙂
Once I realized they weren’t all a funky forest green color and beautiful orange, bright yellow, and juicy red color ones existed, I started to see them in a more positive light. LMBO!
That was what first allowed me to even consider eating one again. I remember always seeing 4 to 5 in the bottom drawers of my Grandma’s refrigerator. One thing my grandmother loved was some green and red bell peppers.
I would always see her cutting and slicing them up every time she was cooking something in the kitchen, it seems. It was then I knew bell peppers had to be good or of some value because of how often she used them.
I just figured they made food taste better or something, which happens to be true. And remember, I was always up under my grandma Viola, Gwen, and Nana, watching them as they cooked. Lol!
And guess what… they ALL USED GREEN BELL PEPPERS! LMBBO! They used to slice them up and add them to things like potato salad, baked turkey wings, collard greens, cabbage, and even to a big pot of beans.
I then saw the difference peppers made in food, and over time, my taste buds evolved, and I grew in love with them. So it’s no surprise how often you see them listed in so many of my recipes now.
The first time I tried stuffed peppers
The first time I tried stuffed bell peppers had to be sometime during my teens – because this is one thing my family didn’t make very often for us as kids. I remember wasting the first one I ever had.
I think I split it open, ate out all of the meat and rice, and threw the green pepper away… because, remember, I hated green bell peppers. But now… I eat the whole darn thing. Won’t God do it? LMBO!
It’s funny because my mom tried one the other day when I got done creating this recipe, and guess what? She did the very same thing… ate the meat and rice and threw out the pepper. Smh!
It’s like… what’s the point, right? Why even stuff the peppers? Why not just make some beef and rice? Lol! Now, in her defense, she can’t have acidic food, and she did eat some of the bell pepper.
But I’ve seen so many people do this over the years with stuffed bell peppers – eat everything inside and throw away the pepper like it’s a peeling or something undesirable. I tell you, bell peppers just don’t get any respect!
Well, they have my respect because they enhance so many of my dishes, so I’ve actually become a big fan of them. That’s why I decided to finally put some numbers to this tasty stuffed peppers recipe.
You can find the recipe below. I hope y’all enjoyed hearing about my childhood memories of bell peppers and my topsy-turvy relationship with them. It took a lot of time, but we’re in a very good place now, as you can see. Haha!
Ok, so first things first, let me address one of the most important things, which is the cookware and utensils and the ingredients you’ll need to prepare this delicious recipe. Check out the next section…
Cookware and utensils you’ll need:
- Sharp Knife: You need a knife to slice the pepper head open and remove all the glands inside the pepper.
- Big Spoon: Use a large spoon like the one in the photo below to stir in the filling.
- Large Pot: Use at least a 10 qt pot so it’s big enough to boil several peppers at once and big enough to hold a lot of water.
- Large Skillet: You need a large skillet to brown the meat.
- Large Mixing Bowls: Make sure you have a large mixing bowl to create and mix in the filling.
- Casserole Dish: At least an 8×10 baking dish to hold six bell peppers.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Main ingredient: Bell Peppers
- Meat add-ins: Ground beef and sweet Italian sausage
- Vegetable add-ins: Onions, diced tomatoes, and garlic
- Starch: White rice
- Condiments: Ketchup, Tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce
- Cheeses: Parmesan cheese and sharp Cheddar cheese
- Seasonings: Celery Salt, Italian seasonings, Red Pepper Flakes, Oregano, black pepper, brown sugar, and Parsley flakes.
- Other: Beef broth and water.
The bell peppers
How to cut peppers
- Carefully remove glands: When you cut out the glands inside the bell peppers, you want to cut out as much as possible, but make sure you don’t poke any holes in the bell peppers. Don’t want the filling oozing out! Lol!
- Remove the very top of the pepper head: Don’t cut too low when removing the head because you want the peppers to be tall enough to hold a lot of the filling. Lol! So make sure to move just the very top and not a lot of the head.
- Use a small knife: Cut the glands out using a small knife because it will be pretty different to get down in the pepper with a huge knife!
How to pre-boil the peppers
- Pre-boil peppers: Pre-boiling them shortens the baking time. Make sure you use enough water to cover the peppers fully. That way, every part of the pepper gets pre-boiled.
- Don’t boil for long: It doesn’t take long for the peppers to get soft once you put them in that scorching hot water. You want the peppers to have some bite and not be super tender to where they can’t hold up, so a quick couple of minutes will do the job.
- How do we know when they’re done? You will know when they’re done because they will change in color and go from green to a dark forest green color. Plus, they will still be firm but fork-tender.
About the bed for stuffed peppers
I have some folks ask me, “What is a bed”? In cooking, the definition is just a pile or layer of food that is placed over. The broth, stewed tomatoes, and onions are what you’d consider a bed for this recipe..
- What’s a bed good for? The only purpose for the best is just to prevent the peppers from sticking and or burning at the bottom.
- Alternative: You can just use broth and some onions. I use stewed tomatoes along with the onions because they look good, and they are what I have remaining. But all you actually need it a little liquid to prevent the peppers from sticking.
The ground beef and sweet Italian sausage + alternatives
- What’s the best ground beef to use? As I always say, use 80/20 ground beef. It has the best taste because it has the perfect lean-to-fat ratio, which provides the perfect amount of fat for flavor and moisture.
- What is sweet Italian sausage? This sausage is so delicious mainly because of all that it’s made of; fatty pork, herbs, seasonings, and amazing aromatic spices. It’s packed with so much flavor, which is why it takes recipes to another level.
- How much of each should be used? I always go with a 50/50 ground beef to Italian sausage ratio. Sometimes, I’d even go with a 75/25 beef-to-sausage ratio. I always use equal or more ground beef since ground beef is traditional.
I added sweet Italian to this recipe by accident. One day I didn’t have enough ground beef and had a few sweet Italian sausages in the freezer so I decided to use it for the filling and it took the recipe to another level.
Below are some alternatives… I try to provide alternatives because everyone doesn’t like everything, especially when it comes to meat, so here are some alternatives for ground beef.
- Ribe Eye Steak or a tender, fatty steak: If you do not have any ground beef but have a steak that’s marbled, fatty, and tender, you can put it in a blender if you have one and grind it up into ground beef.
- Ground turkey: Got some ground turkey? Listen, it won’t taste the same, but it’ll still be good. If you’re a fan of ground turkey and WANT A HEALTHIER OPTION, go ahead and use ground turkey; it will taste very good.
- Ground chicken: Ground chicken or shredded chicken is another option. It will taste different, which is to be expected but just as good. This is another option for people who don’t eat red meat and or pork.
Here are some sweet Italian sausage alternatives for people who don’t eat pork or are looking to spice things up and use something similar but maybe a little different in taste.
- Mild Italian Sausage: One time, all I could find in the store was mild Italian sausage. I was so mad, but it worked and spiced things up a little. I just omitted the crushed red peppers because I didn’t want the stuffed peppers to be too spicy.
- Spanish chorizo: This is a popular substitute for Italian sausage because of all of its bold flavors and rich smokiness. Just like Italian sausage, chorizo gives a depth of flavor and complexity to dishes with its unique and distinct blend of spices, like smoked paprika and chili peppers.
The few vegetables I use
- Onions- The onions are a must… I can’t think of too many things I make using ground beef without adding onions to it. I use yellow onions for this recipe and saute them with ground beef as it cooks to soften them.
- Garlic paste – Garlic paste is a vital ingredient in most recipes. Garlic just elevates and makes everything taste better. Without it you’ll feel something is missing.
Below is another way to make garlic paste if, for some reason, you can’t find any… here is a substitution for garlic paste if you can’t find anything
- Garlic cloves: If you don’t have minced garlic or garlic paste but have some garlic cloves around the house, you can use them. Just peel them, then place a couple in a blender with some olive oil, and BAM, you have garlic paste.
- Garlic powder: If you don’t have garlic paste, you can just use garlic powder or granulated garlic. Just use less because garlic powder is finer, so there’s more garlic in a teaspoon of garlic powder than there is in a teaspoon of garlic paste or minced garlic.
The condiments
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste thickens the filling and gives it a nice reddish color and a rich tomato flavor.
- Ketchup: I added ketchup not only to give the filling a saucy tomato flavor but to add a hint of sweetness to a dish that has a decent amount of acidity.
- Worcestershire sauce: This adds depth of flavor and gives the filling a mild smoky flavor. I always use Worcestershire sauce when I’m creating a recipe that calls for ground beef.
The cheese and alternatives
- Parmesan cheese: I’ve spent months testing this recipe and used a bevy of different cheeses for it. I found that parmesan cheese satisfied my taste buds the most!!! So Parmesan cheese is a MUST here.
- A melting cheese: It’s also good to combine Parmesan cheese with other cheeses that melt well, like cheddar and especially Mozzarella. Or else it will look kinda dry-looking and unedible.
- Grate it: It’s important, though, if you’re using parmesan cheese, to grate it and not use the pre-shredded Parm. Pre-shredded cheese takes longer to melt because of the preservatives on it, and it simply doesn’t taste as good.
Other popular cheese options
- Mozzarella: Mozzarella is probably the most common cheese people put on stuffed peppers, so you can’t go wrong with Parm and Mozzarella, which taste great together, or you can use just Mozzarella cheese.
- Monterey Jack: Monterey Jack is another cheese people commonly use for stuffed peppers, so it’s a great alternative and choice to go along with Parmesan cheese.
- Cheddar: I like to use cheddar because of its color, but it has a nice sharp taste that compliments the dish.
The seasonings and alternatives
- Italian seasoning and Oregano: Italian seasoning is a seasoning made of herbs, and these herbs add depth of flavor. Here are some alternatives if you have any on hand.
- Poultry seasoning is a good alternative: If you don’t have Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning is probably the best substitution! It has oregano, thyme, and sage in it, just like Italian seasoning, which is a seasoning of herbs. So this is the best alternative.
- Oregano: Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, and Sage: These are pretty much the main herbs that make up Italian seasoning and Poultry seasoning. So, if you don’t have either, you can throw a little of each of these herbs up in there.
- Brown sugar – I use brown sugar to reduce the acidity, mainly in the sauce! There’s garlic paste, onions, tomatoes, and tomato paste in the filling. Without adding a little sugar, it might be a bit too bitter and acidic for some folks.
- White sugar as an alternative? White sugar is an alternative, but it lacks what brown sugar has, like molasses, so unless you have no other choice, I would try to stick with brown sugar.
- Red pepper flakes: I only use a little bit of pepper flakes because they’re strong and will ruin the dish if you add too much and make it too spicy. So dont be too heavy handed when adding this.
- Cayenne pepper is a good alternative: If you don’t have red pepper flakes, the best alternative will be a pinch of cayenne pepper. Just make sure not to use too much because it’s strong and can ruin the dish.
- Tobasco hot sauce is a good alternative: A couple of squirts of Tobasco won’t hurt. Give the filling a taste test to judge how much you need, and use a little at a time until it has the perfect hint of heat.
- Mild Italian sausage is a good alternative: I mentioned earlier how if you don’t need red pepper flakes, you can add a hint of heat using a spicy sausage. You can use a 3:1 ground beef-to-mild Italian sausage ratio to give the dish just a hint of heat as the red pepper flakes do.
The filling
- Best time to give it a taste test: If you want to add more of anything, this is the time to do it. You’re always free to add more of this or that and even add something to the filling that’s not a part of the recipe to make it yours…
- Stir well: Make sure everything is well incorporated, like the paste, to ensure the filling is well balanced in taste.
- Leftover filling: If you have any leftover filling, wrap it up in a ziploc bag or Tupperware bowl and store it in the freezer until the next time you make some stuffed peppers. Or warm it up and eat it as it is. Lol!
How to make stuffed peppers
- Cut the peppers and onions: Slice and remove the head of the bell pepper, then carve out the inside of the pepper (pericarp), removing both the glands and seeds. And also, chop up the onions for the bed and filling
- Pre-boil the peppers: Next, pre-boil the peppers in a large pot until semi-tender.
- Create a bed: While the peppers are boiling, add the broth, onions, and some of the stewed tomatoes to whatever casserole dish you’ll be cooking the stuffed bell peppers in.
- Cooking the meat and boiling the rice: Place a large skillet over medium heat, then add the ground beef and sweet Italian sausage and let it cook while boiling the rice until tender.
Chop it up as it cooks with two spatulas so the meat is as fine as possible.
Add in the chopped onions and cook until it’s brown and no longer pink.
Then add in garlic paste, celery salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, and black pepper. - Preheat the oven: So this is probably the best time to preheat your oven while mixing the filling. Preheat the oven to 350 so it’s hot by the time you’re done making the filling and stuffing the peppers.
- Make the filling: Add all the meat to a large mixing bowl, then shred the cheese, and add in the Worcestershire sauce, the ketchup, the tomato paste, half of the remaining stewed tomatoes, the rice, cheese, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes, then stir well.
- Stuffing the peppers: Fully stuff the bell peppers… don’t save any of the filling!!! If you have to press some down to make more room, do so! Lol! But fill and stuff these babies up with all that saucy cheesy rice-filled meat!
- Garnish the top of the peppers. Top the peppers with the remaining stewed tomatoes, cheese, and parsley flakes, then place them in the oven.
I used a combination of parmesan and cheddar cheese, but I only used parmesan cheese in the original recipe. - Bake the peppers: Place the stuffed bell peppers in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes!
The BEST Stuffed Peppers Recipe Ever Video
Tips for best results:
- Use tall peppers: The taller, the better! This way, you don’t have to worry about being left over with too much filling.
Storage and reheating
- How do you store stuffed peppers? Wrap them in plastic wrap or keep them tightly sealed in a Tupperware bowl and sit them in the refrigerator.
- How to reheat stuffed peppers? I reheat them in the oven. I split them open and bake them on a baking sheet or aluminum foil until they’re nice and warm.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use peppers of different colors, and what’s the difference?
Green is the least ripe and the most bitter, so it’s not as sweet as the others – red peppers are the sweetest. So yes, you can use peppers in different colors, but use some green ones too.
How long does stuffed peppers last?
They’re best in my experience when eaten within two days, three days tops.
Do you cover them while baking?
No! The peppers will get fork-tender by just baking them. Doesn’t require aluminum foil because they’re already done for the most part because we preboiled them.
Other ground beef and sausage recipes
- Easy Dirty Rice Recipe
- Easy Spaghetti And Meat Sauce Recipe
- World’s Best Classic Shepherds Pie Recipe
Ok, so that’s it, folks. Give this recipe a shot and leave a comment below letting me know how ya like it, and please don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more Fiya recipes.
Enjoy, later!
PBJ~
The BEST Stuffed Peppers Recipe Ever (Made Easy With Rice & Ground Beef)
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 Hr + 20 mins
- Yield: 6
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: American
- Cuisine: Soul Food
Description
A delicious, easy, stuffed peppers recipe! A crowd pleasing appetizer that can serve as a meal.
Ingredients
- 6 Green Bell Peppers
- 3 Qts Water for Peppers + 2 Qts Water for rice
- 1 Lb Ground Beef
- 1 Lb Sweet Italian Sausage
- 2–1/2 Cups 10 Minute Success White Rice, cooked
- 1–1/2 Cups Parmesan Cheese, shredded
- 1/2 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 1–1/4 Cup Onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 Cup Beef Broth
- 30 oz Stewed Tomatoes
- 1/4 Cup Tomato Paste
- 3 Tbs Ketchup
- 2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tbs Garlic Paste
- 2 Tbs Brown Sugar
- 2 Tsps Celery Salt
- 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 Tsp Oregano
- 1/2 Black Pepper
- Parsley Flakes
Instructions
- Place a large pot of cool water (3 qts) over high heat.
- Meanwhile, slice head of peppers and remove the glands inside, then place them (3 at a time) in the pot of boiling water for 10 minutes.
- While the peppers are pre boiling, chop up some onions.
- Place 1/4 cup onions, 1/4 cup of beef broth, and 1 cup of stewed tomatoes at the bottom a baking dish to create the bed.
- Once the peppers are done, remove from pot of water and sit them inside the baking dish.
- Get a skillet and place it over medium heat, then add in the ground beef, sweet Italian sausage, and 1 cup of onions and cook until brown.
- Once the meat is almost done, add in the garlic paste, celery salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, and black pepper, then stir well. Once done drain the fat.
- Get a medium size pot, add cool water (2 qts) and place over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, add 2 bags of success rice and boil for 10 minutes or until tender.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Shred 2 cups worth of parmesan cheese with a grater.
- Add the meat and 1 cup of cheese to a big mixing bowl.
- Add in the Worcestershire, ketchup, Tomato paste, 2-1/2 cups of cooked rice, 1 cup of the stewed tomatoes, the brown sugar, and red pepper flakes, then stir everything in well.
- With a spoon, scoop filling into the bell peppers and make sure to use all the filling.
- Top the peppers with the remaining stewed tomatoes, the remaining 1 cup of cheese, and sprinkle some parsley on top.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
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4 thoughts on “The BEST Stuffed Peppers Recipe Ever (Made Easy With Rice & Ground Beef)”
I’m probably bout to rock these this weekend
Absolutely loved it!
😍😍😍😍
Looks amazing