Stuffed Pepper Casserole

If you like the taste of stuffed bell peppers, my stuffed pepper casserole will knock your socks off! All the wonderful flavors and textures of the classic without having the fuss. No need to pre-cook the bell peppers before stuffing them. They’re just chopped and thrown in the casserole!

This casserole is full of bell peppers, lots of beef, and rice. It’s all bound together in a yummy beefy tomato sauce! This is a wonderful combination of sweet and savory and a favorite in our family dinner rotation.

I hope you’ll try my Italian stuffed peppers, southwest stuffed peppers, and crockpot stuffed pepper soup next!

Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole Ingredients

• Olive Oil: You can use any neutral flavor oil.
• Ground Beef: I use 80/20 for the best flavor. You can use lower-fat beef or ground turkey if you’d like.
• Salt + Pepper: Necessary for the perfect seasoning.
• Onion: Use either yellow or white onion.
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic not the stuff already minced in a jar.
• Bell Peppers- The most commonly stuffed pepper is the bell pepper, but you can stuff any pepper you, please! Bell peppers work well because of their size, thick walls, and mild flavor. If you want to bring the heat with a hotter pepper, check out the pepper’s Scoville Scale rating, so you know exactly what you’re getting into! There are many other mild peppers- banana, poblano, or Anaheim peppers for example- that are large enough to stuff. They each offer different flavors and heat levels. Check at your local farmer’s market and experiment with different varieties.
• Italian Seasoning: I use McCormick’s perfect pinch Italian seasoning.
• Rosemary: I add rosemary because I haven’t found an Italian seasoning blend with enough.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce has 50 ingredients in it so you know it adds a ton of great flavor!
• Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes: This comes already roasted to accentuate their flavor.
• Ketchup: This adds a lovely tomato-sweetness.
• Beef Broth: I like to use low-sodium broth so I can control the overall sodium level in the dish.
• Mozzarella: Adds the perfect ooey-gooey cheese factor.
• Long Grain White Rice: I generally use Mahatma rice.

Tips 

• Method: We make this stuffed pepper casserole on the stovetop rather than in the oven. I have made it both ways. When the casserole is made in the oven, it takes significantly longer to cook until the rice is done. The stovetop makes a casserole with all the fabulous flavors in a fraction of the time.
• Rest It!: Allow the casserole to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Easy stuffed bell pepper casserole leftovers keep well for 3-4 days in the fridge. As with any dish with tomatoes, avoid plastic containers. A well-sealed glass dish works best and if it is microwave or oven-safe, allows you to reheat without using another pan.
• Can You Freeze This? Yes. Leftovers can be frozen for 3 months in individual containers. You can also, make the casserole, cool it completely, pour it into a disposable aluminum pan, wrap it well, then freeze it. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Pop thawed casserole in preheated 350°F (177°C) oven and bake, covered with foil until heated through about 30 minutes.
• Make-Ahead Tips: Make the stuffed bell pepper casserole with rice through step #3. Remove from heat and cool. Store the casserole in the Dutch oven, covered in the fridge. When ready to make dinner, pick up at step #4.

Serving Recommendations

We like to have this one pot stuffed bell pepper casserole with brown sugar glazed carrots, roasted garlic asparagus with Feta (always a huge hit!), kid-friendly Arkansas green beans  or tangy fresh broccoli salad.

My family always wants a bit of bread with every meal so we have either Bisquick cornbread, Bisquick biscuits, or my buttery, tender, and flaky crescent rolls.

How to Make Unstuffed Bell Pepper Casserole

1. Add ground beef, salt, and black pepper in a Dutch oven.
2. Cook the ground beef until there’s no longer pink in the meat. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Saute onion and bell peppers.
4. Add and saute garlic, Italian seasoning, and rosemary.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients and add the cooked ground beef. Boil.
6. Remove pot from heat. Add cheese on top and cover until cheese is melted.
7. Serve.

**See the full instructions below.

More Hearty-Beefy Casseroles

• Beef Noodle Casserole
• Johnny Marzetti Casserole
• Hamburger Casserole (my son’s lifetime favorite!)
• Mexican Casserole
• Cowboy Casserole
• Hamburger Potato Casserole
• John Wayne Casserole
• Chili Cornbread Casserole
• Hamburger Hashbrown Casserole

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Stuffed Pepper Casserole

If you enjoy the flavor of stuffed bell peppers, you'll love my stuffed pepper casserole! All the wonderful flavors of the classic without having the fuss.

Prep Time9 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 9 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• salt
• black pepper
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 large bell peppers, seeded, ribs removed, cut into 1 inch square pieces
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed in your hand before adding
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, well drained
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 1/4 cups (plus more as needed) low-sodium beef broth
• 3 cups mozzarella, ~divided shredded
• 1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked

Instructions

• Drizzle a little olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add ground beef, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 black pepper to skillet, browning, and crumbling ground beef (1 pound), over medium heat until there is no longer any pink in the meat. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  
• If there aren't 2 tablespoons of drippings in the skillet, make up the difference with olive oil. Add the onion (1 cup) and bell peppers (2) and sauté over medium, stirring often, until onions are translucent.
  
• Add garlic (1 tablespoon), Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon), and rosemary (1 teaspoon), then continue to sauté, stirring constantly, until garlic and herbs are fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
  
• Add Worcestershire sauce (1 tablespoon), fire-roasted diced tomatoes (1 can), ketchup, 1 1/4 cups beef broth, 2 cups mozzarella, ground beef, and rice (1 cup), and stir to combine evenly.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir, checking to see if the rice needs more beef broth to cook to tender, cover and finish cooking until rice is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
  
• Remove pot from heat, stir, and adjust seasoning if needed. Sprinkle cheese over top, recover, and let sit, off heat, until cheese is melted about 10 minutes.
  

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  Sausage and Rice-One Pot Meal!

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Notes

1. Method: We make this stuffed pepper casserole on the stovetop rather than in the oven. I have made it both ways. When the casserole is made in the oven, it takes significantly longer to cook until the rice is done. The stovetop makes a casserole with all the fabulous flavors in a fraction of the time.
2. Rest It!: Allow the casserole to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

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