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.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
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Stuffed Peppers
Tender stuffed peppers with a savory homemade filling is hearty comfort food bursting with truckloads of flavor just like mom used to make.
Servings: 6 servings
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.
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Source: From Emeril Lagasse
we ate stuffed peppers all the time growing up, so this is a super comfort food for me, too. i like the blend of beef + pork in this version – i've never tried that. my latest preference is a version with ground lamb, orzo, feat + tomato stuffed in 'em. delish!
We love stuffed peppers too. They are so delicious and so healthy! Perfect. I wish we could eat more salt. Ryan had high blood pressure, so we try to cut back. Thank you for sharing this meal with me…and for making me smile. Your words are a source of joy in my life, and in the lives of many others. I hope you have a happy Friday. The weekend is almost here, and I'm ready for it!
While not generally a liberal salter or pepperer, I do commonly add more than required (or recommended) when working with baked goods. Especially with ingredients such as aging chocolate, I find that it really brings out the best possible flavors – perhaps what the taste would be like had I used the aforementioned aging chocolate before it had aged!
Your stuffed peppers look quite tasty!
Yum love stuffed peppers! Just came across your wonderful blog and am a new follower!!!
– Jessica
http://cajunlicious.blogspot.com
For some reason, I've never made stuffed peppers, Kathleen. My mother did…I remember rice and a red sauce of some sort. I'd really love to try your version.
I like! And yours are so colorful!!!
sounds so good you have to like old fashioned home cooking come see what I have been up to on my blog annies home located at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
it really is amazing what salt can do for a meal! this looks awesome!
I'm pretty much a fan of everything emeril does.
These look beautiful and delicious! I just made a version of these in “casserole form” on Sunday. I don't think I could ever get tired of stuffed peppers.
I love stuffed peppers and usually go for a vegetarian version…but I can easily be swayed:D
Hi There,
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Nina
This looks great! I've never made stuffed peppers before! Thanks for commenting on my blog. I've add yours to my Google Reader and look forward to reading your future posts!
Well, it's not free of carbs just the white ones!
Now that's my idea of comfort food. Delicious! Nice to hear it's free of carbs and fat too – what a bonus! Beautiful photos too. 🙂
LOVE THE PICSSS!!!!!
Great dish, so moreish.
Lovely stuffed peppers ?
Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite summer time dishes…especially if the peppers are fresh from the garden.
I thought that picture of the boats looked familiar! I grew up in SoCal, and this was like a come home picture to me!
Beautiful stuffed peppers! I love that peppers can be used as a vehicle for stuffing all kinds of good stuff. Plus they are so much fun to eat.