Description
This Classic Stuffed Peppers recipe features colorful bell peppers filled with a savory mixture of ground beef, fire roasted tomatoes, rice, and melted cheese. Blanched and then roasted to perfection, these stuffed peppers make a comforting and flavorful meal that’s easy to prepare and perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Bell Peppers
- 4-6 bell peppers (any color: green, yellow, red, or orange)
Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb (450g) ground beef (or ground turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, tofu, or similar)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional, for spicy)
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes (canned; or use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce)
- 1 cup cooked rice (white, brown, or wild rice)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack, or blend)
Garnish
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Peppers: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and bring a pot of water to a boil, enough to cover the bell peppers.
- Prep Bell Peppers: Wash the bell peppers, cut off the tops, and remove the seeds and membranes. If necessary, slice a small part off the bottoms so they stand upright. Chop the removed pepper tops (discard stems) for cooking later.
- Blanch Peppers: Carefully place the bell peppers into the boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes to soften slightly. Alternatively, you can roast the peppers for 20 minutes to soften if preferred. Remove and place them upright in a lightly oiled baking dish.
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped pepper tops, and jalapeno if using. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Add Garlic: Stir in chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Cook Ground Meat: Add ground beef to the pan, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook for 5-6 minutes until fully browned and cooked through.
- Add Tomatoes, Seasonings, and Rice: Stir in the fire roasted tomatoes, paprika, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, pepper, and cooked rice. Mix everything well and remove from heat.
- Incorporate Cheese: Stir half of the shredded cheese into the meat mixture until it’s well combined.
- Stuff the Peppers: Spoon the meat and rice filling into each softened bell pepper, filling them generously.
- Top with Cheese: Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top of each stuffed pepper.
- Roast: Place the baking dish in the oven and roast the stuffed peppers for 15-20 minutes until they are tender to your liking and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish and Serve: Let the peppers cool slightly, then garnish with fresh chopped parsley and red pepper flakes before serving.
Notes
- Bell pepper sizes vary, so you might need extra peppers for the filling or can save leftover filling for another meal; it freezes well.
- Adding Worcestershire sauce to the filling mixture is a great way to boost flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper (approximate)
- Calories: 534
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 419mg
- Fat: 33g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 103mg
