Stuffed Peppers just like Mom made. Easy dinner-time comfort food that will bring everyone to the dinner table! Tender peppers with a homey tasty filling!!
I love this recipe! It makes a simple, fairly healthy, comfort food dinner that brings a smile to my face as I pull it out of the oven. It reminds me of the stuffed peppers my mom made for the family on an evening when there was still a chill in the air.
Usually, for me, comfort food and fairly healthy don’t go together in the same sentence so in my book, this recipe is a real winner!
I hope you’ll try my Italian stuffed peppers, stuffed pepper casserole, and Southwest stuffed peppers next. Oh, and don’t mis my baked jalapeño poppers.
Stuffed Peppers Ingredients
- Bell Peppers: I like to use a mix of colors because I think they’re prettier that way. Feel free to choose any color you like. I also remove the ribs (and of course the seeds!) before stuffing.
- Rice: When I’m making stuffed peppers with rice, I prefer to use white rice. generally higher in fiber, according to Healthline. Brown rice works really well too, and is generally higher in fiber, according to Healthline Just my personal opinion, so go with your preference. Â
- Meat: I like a combo of ground beef and Italian sausage. If you’d like, you can switch the beef and make them with ground chicken or turkey.
- Red Pepper Flakes: I suggest omitting these if you’re serving these to young kids or guests who like mild food.
Recipe Notes
- Parboil: When considering how to make stuffed peppers recipe, it helps to parboil the peppers first. It only takes a couple of minutes and ensures these peppers come out of the oven nice-n-tender. You’ll also want to let them dry well for a deliciously cohesive dish. If you skip this step your peppers may stay too crunchy.
- Cook Time: You’ll want to take the size of your bell peppers into account when deciding how long to cook stuffed peppers recipe. Most often it will be in the 25-30 minute range.
Serving Recommendations
This yummy recipe is so versatile, they pair well with almost anything. Serve them ala carte for a hearty lunch or get creative. I often serve up a delicious southwest salad or even sliced fried eggplant for a delicious home-cooked meal.
How To Make Stuffed Peppers
- Parboil the peppers until just tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.
- Saute onions and chopped bell peppers.
- Add beef, Italian sausage, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, and pepper flakes. Cook until the meat is browned.
- Add rice, tomato sauce, and sugar.
- Stuff the bell peppers with a rice mixture
- Sprinkle the tops with cheese.
- Bake.
***See the full instructions below.
How to Store and Make Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?: These will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They should cool completely before preparing them for storage, but not longer than 2 hours.
- Can You Freeze This?: Yes, you can freeze cooled stuffed peppers. I like to wrap them individually before placing them in a freezer-safe bag. Then I can pull them out one at a time for a hearty lunch or quick snack. You can slow thaw them in the fridge before reheating or place the frozen peppers directly in a 350-degree oven for about 25 minutes.
- Make-Ahead Tips: I’ll stuff my peppers the day before serving, sans baking, then pop them in the oven when I get home from work.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
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Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 (2 each color) red, yellow, and orange bell peppers tops cut away and seeds and stems removed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground bulk Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2-3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- pinch white sugar
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers (6) until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil (1 tablespoon) over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions (1 cup) and chopped bell peppers (1 cup) and cook, stirring until soft, about 3-5 minutes.Â
- Add the beef (1/2 pound), Italian sausage (1/2 pound), garlic (1 1/2 tablespoons), parsley (1/4 cup), salt (2-3 teaspoons), black pepper (1 teaspoon), and pepper flakes (1/4 teaspoon). Cook until the meat is browned, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon to break up the lumps, about 6 minutes.Â
- Add the rice (2 cups), tomato sauce (8 ounces), and a pinch of sugar and stir well. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
- Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom, about 1/8-inch deep. Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture and place them in the baking dish. Sprinkle the tops with cheese (1 cup). Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Parboil: When considering how to make stuffed peppers recipe, it helps to parboil the peppers first. It only takes a couple of minutes and ensures these peppers come out of the oven nice-n-tender. You’ll also want to let them dry well for a deliciously cohesive dish. If you skip this step your peppers may stay too crunchy.
- Cook Time: You’ll want to take the size of your bell peppers into account when deciding how long to cook stuffed peppers recipe. Most often it will be in the 25-30 minute range.
Source: From Emeril Lagasse
My nonna approved this! It was amazing!
Wow! That’s so wonderful!! Thank you, Mel 🙂
These look great, I'm having them for lunch tomorrow! You have spelled parsley wrong on the ingredients list!
http://www.mystudentfood.blogspot.com
Wish I was there enjoying some of that beautiful weather. The picture of the peppers is fabulous.
This looks so tasty! I wish my bf would eat peppers… I want to make these for dinner!
I always love the idea of stuffed peppers but have never made them like this. These look amazing…
LOVE stuffed peppers! They look warm and satisfying!
Mmmmmmm….stuffed peppers. I just love these. It was a dish my Mom made often and I still love to make them. I love the colorful peppers and the brown rice is a good touch too!! Plus, the combo. off beef & pork together – perfect!
I am a big fan of stuffed peppers! These look great. I agree about the salt and pepper. When I was first married, I was trying to be healthy and used very little salt, and my meals were just terrible…lol I noticed how much my mother-in-law used (lots!) and her food was so good. Since then, I use it liberally too:)
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I literally just made stuffed green peppers for dinner tonight! Looks like we were on the same wavelength. They are delicious!
These stuffed peppers look like wonderfully healthy comfort food. I'm putting this on my meal planner.
I'm not a big fan of bell peppers but the stuffing sounds awesome! I haven't made an Emeril recipe yet – I think I should change that soon!
LOVE LOVE LOVE stuffed peppers. Even in summer they are one of my favorite. I set up my Big Green Egg as a ceramic coal fired oven (like I do for pizzas but at a lower temp) and cook them outdoors. Amazingly good.