Stuffed Green Bell Peppers

Robin: You can find recipes for stuffed peppers in many parts of the world. Mexico, of course, calls their “everyday” version chiles rellenos and most often uses poblano peppers, though other kinds are sometimes employed (with delightful result).  Hungarians make stuffed Hungarian wax peppers, and in other parts of Europe and the Mediterranean—and even so far as India—a variety of different fresh or dried peppers are used to hold distinct fillings. Tex-Mex cuisine has its “jalapeño poppers,” consisting of cheese-filled fresh jalapeño peppers. Cuisines in Asia, Oceania, and South America have their own filled capiscums. If there’s intelligent life on Mars, they probably have their own version of this dish.

I find this classic American version of stuffed bell peppers satisfying because it is an all-in-one dish. It contains meat, rice, and vegetables in a relatively compact package. I love how you can cut into the finished piece and pick up a forkful of green pepper and meat-and-rice filling doused with a bit of tomato sauce and cheese and taste everything all at once. The flavors harmonize well, and I’m always happy to recall that I’m eating something filling and delicious that is at the same time healthful.

This recipe makes 10 servings, but is easy to halve if you don’t need that many. However, I don’t hesitate to make the whole recipe (even though there are usually just two of us at home) because the finished peppers freeze nicely and can be thawed and reheated for an effortless-yet-deliciously-complex meal later on.

Other stuffed peppers to try:

• Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers
• Chiles en nogada (Poblano Peppers in Walnut Sauce)

More American comfort food:

• Easy Beef and Noodles
• Autumn Vegetable Chili
• Smoked Sausage Dinner

Print

Stuffed Green Bell Peppers

Classic American all-in-one dish: fresh peppers stuffed with meat, rice, and veggies, topped with cheese and baked in a tomato-y sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 594 kcal

Author Robin Grose / comboplate.net

Ingredients

• 10 medium-sized green bell peppers
• 2 lbs. lean ground beef I like 90/10
• ½ large onion chopped
• 2 15-oz. cans tomato sauce or pasta sauce (or one of each)
• 1 cup cooked corn kernels canned, frozen, or fresh
• 2 ribs celery, with many leaves, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons beef bouillon powder or paste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cups cooked rice left over from another meal is perfect
• 1 14.5-oz. can petite diced tomatoes with chiles (Ro-tel brand or similar)
• 2 cups shredded cheese such as cheddar, Monterey jack, or pepper jack

Instructions

1. Prepare and blanch the peppers: Cut the tops off of the peppers and rinse out the seeds and veins, handling the peppers gently. Make sure each pepper is able to stand up straight; if any do not, cut a thin slice off the bottom of the pepper— being careful not to create a hole—so that it will be stable.

2. Boil a large pot of water. Use tongs to submerse the peppers, 2 or 3 at a time, allowing them to stay under the water for about 2 minutes. Remove the blanched peppers promptly (while they are still their original color and before the flesh becomes soft), drain out all hot water, and immediately plunge the peppers into a large bowl full of cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

3. Prepare the filling: Sautee the ground beef with the onion in a skillet over medium heat, breaking up clumps as much as possible as you go, until the meat is all brown and the onions have softened. Drain any excess fat.

4. Add one can of the tomato or pasta sauce, corn kernels, chopped celery, bouillon powder or paste, oregano, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes so that flavors will meld.

5. Take the filling mixture off the heat and stir in the cooked rice.

6. Stuff and bake your peppers: Spoon filling into each pepper, packing it down gently, until it is full. (If you end up with any extra filling, save it for another use.) Place the stuffed peppers into a large baking dish. Mix the second can of tomato/pasta sauce with a ¼ cup of water; place a spoonful of this mixture on the top of each pepper. Pour the remaining sauce in the baking dish around the peppers.

7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake your stuffed peppers at 375 F for about 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes, until the sauce around the peppers is bubbly.
8. Take the dish out of the oven and sprinkle each pepper with cheese. Bake another 10 minutes or so, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

9. Serve your delicious stuffed green peppers hot. Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

10. To reheat a refrigerated or (thawed) frozen pepper, cut it in half longwise and place both halves, filling side up, on a microwaveable plate. Microwave until hot.

Recipe Notes

You don’t really need to prepare any sides to go with this dish, but if you find you must have something else with it, I’ve found that some (not too dry) refried beans work really well. Their smooth texture is a nice contrast from the meat and rice filling, and the flavors are complementary.

Variations:

• These stuffed peppers can definitely be made with other colors of bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow), or completely different varieties of large-ish mild peppers, such as Anaheims or cubanelles. Feel free to experiment with what you have on hand or with your favorite variety of pepper.
• Change out the ground beef for any other kind of lean ground meat: pork, chicken, turkey, etc.
• For a “greener” flavor note, add some roughly chopped fresh parsley (or other herb) to the mix at the same time you stir the rice into the meat.

Discover new ingredients:

• Chili Powder vs. Powdered Chile
• The Nopal, an Edible Cactus
• Traditional Peruvian Hot Peppers
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Latest update: 9 June, 2024