I’ve been in a little bit of a dinner rut lately. While I like all the dinners we have on rotation on our house, I’ve been craving putting some new things in there. And that’s where this stuffed peppers recipe comes in. So tasty! So easy! And while it’s already a pretty balanced and healthy meal, it’s also easy to customize.
Stuffed peppers are: filling, inexpensive, simple ingredients and come together in around 30 minutes. What’s not to love?!
Related: Next, try this vegetarian Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers or Stuffed Pepper Soup. Both are delicious!
Ingredients
- Bell peppers
- Ground beef
- Shallot – or onion
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Spanish rice
- Tomato sauce
- Chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- Shredded cheese – cheddar or pepper jack
- Cilantro
You could also add some sour cream on top just before serving if you like.
Directions
Get the Spanish rice started (on the stove top or in a rice cooker) so it will be cooked and ready to combine later.
Prep the bell peppers. Cut in half and remove the inside seeds and veins as well as the stems on top. Toss in a little oil and salt and place in a baking dish, skin facing down. Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 20 minutes.
While the rice and peppers cook, prepare the rest of the filling. Chop up the shallot and mince the garlic. Cook these with the ground beef in a little oil until the meat is cooked through (no longer pink). Season with chili powder and a little salt and pepper and stir in the tomato sauce. Once the Spanish rice is ready, toss that into the pan as well.
Fill the peppers with the rice and meat filling. Then top with cheese. Bake at 425°F (218°C) for an additional 10-12 minutes. The cheese should look melted and almost bubbling. Then sprinkle on the chopped cilantro just before serving.
Tips & Substitutions
- You can swap the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken for an even leaner option.
- If you want to make this meat-free, you could swap the ground beef for beans.
- You can use plain white rice or brown rice in place of the Spanish rice in this recipe. But I think using a packaged Spanish rice (or southwestern rice) adds a little more flavor to the mix.
- Use less rice or swap it for cauliflower rice if you want to reduce the carbs in this recipe.
- This recipe calls for four bell peppers, one more than you see pictured here. That’s because I usually save some of the filling of this recipe and top it with a little grated cheese for our toddler son. He’s not quite at the age where we can cut up bell peppers or appreciates the presentation. 🙂
Serving Suggestions
While this stuffed pepper recipe makes a great dinner all on it’s own, here are a few side dishes you might want to consider:
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Rotel Cheese Dip – to drizzle over the peppers but also serve with chips
- Air Fryer Zucchini
- Roasted Asparagus
- Corn Dip – with chips
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Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 shallot
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 ½ ounces Spanish rice (2 cups cooked)
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Get the Spanish rice started (on the stove top or in a rice cooker) so it will be cooked and ready to combine later.
- Prep the bell peppers. Cut in half and remove the inside seeds and veins as well as the stems on top.
- Toss in a little oil and salt and place in a baking dish, skin facing down. Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 20 minutes.
- While the rice and peppers cook, prepare the rest of the filling. Chop up the shallot and mince the garlic. Cook these with the ground beef in a little oil until the meat is cooked through (no longer pink).
- Season with chili powder and a little salt and pepper and stir in the tomato sauce.
- Once the Spanish rice is ready, toss that into the pan as well.
- Fill the peppers with the rice and meat filling. Then top with cheese.
- Bake at 425°F (218°C) for an additional 10-12 minutes. The cheese should look melted and almost bubbling.
- Then sprinkle on the chopped cilantro just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
These look AND sound super delicious! I know someone who stuffs theirs with rice instead of meat, whilst that might be as filling, it might be a bit more healthier? I am NOT the cook in the house though (I just make sweets 😂) so don’t quote me on what’s healthier!
Just wondering….what do you mean by “Spanish rice”? Do you mean yellow rice, or a packaged product like Rice a Roni or Knorr’s?
packaged! the brand I used in these photos was Knorr’s but any brand of Spanish rice or southwestern rice will work well.
I love stuffed peppers!