One pot stuffed pepper casserole has all the flavor with zero stuffing required!
Seasoned ground beef, rice, and bell peppers are simmered in a rich tomato broth and topped with loads of melty mozzarella cheese for the ultimate stuffed pepper casserole.
You’ll Love This Stuffed Pepper Casserole Because…
- This stuffed bell pepper casserole is actually “unstuffed” and super easy to make.
- This crowd-pleaser is budget-friendly and can be kept warm in a crock pot to feed a crowd.
- Prep ahead on the weekend to enjoy hearty dinners and easy workday lunches all week long. The flavors will continue to improve.
Ingredient Tips For Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Meat: The recipe calls for ground beef but ground turkey, chicken, or sausage can be used in this recipe.
- Bell Peppers: Bell peppers add a sweet crunch to this stuffed pepper casserole. Red, yellow, or orange bell peppers are sweeter while green peppers are a bit more earthy or bitter. I like to use a combination.
- Rice: Basmati white rice is used in this recipe, if changing the rice for another type, the amount of liquid may need to be adjusted.
- Tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes add flavor, you can swap in Rotel for a little kick if you’d like.
- Broth: Adds flavor, use any kind you have on hand.
Variations
- Use up leftover vegetables from the fridge to bulk up this hearty dish. Mushrooms, diced potatoes, zucchini, sweet potatoes, kale, and spinach are great options.
- This is also a great recipe for using up leftover brown rice or other varieties. Reduce the liquid.
- Sprinkle some cheddar cheese or Parmesan in with the mozzarella for extra flavor.
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Brown beef with onion and garlic.
- Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook (recipe below) until rice is tender.
- Top with cheese before serving.
Storing and Reheating
- Keep leftover stuffed bell pepper casserole in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to two months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Leftovers can be tucked into a wrap, a pita pocket, or added to a hearty soup.
Italian-Inspired Casseroles
Did your family like this Stuffed Pepper Casserole? Leave a comment and a rating below!
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Enjoy all the delicious flavors of stuffed peppers in this easy, flavorful casserole!
Equipment
- Dutch Oven 3.5 QT
- Saucepan (If no Dutch Oven is available)
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 to 2 ¼ cups diced bell pepper red, green and/or yellow
- 2 cups beef broth more as needed
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices, 1 can
- 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup basmati rice uncooked
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a 3.5QT Dutch oven or saucepan, brown beef with onion and garlic until no pink remains over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat.
- Add peppers, beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, rice, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper to taste.
- Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender. (Add more beef broth if needed).
- Once rice is tender, top with cheese and cover with a lid until melted. Optionally, broil in the oven to brown the cheese for 2-3 minutes.
Notes
Store leftover stuffed bell pepper casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze individual portions in zippered bags for up to two months. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, just thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 434 | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 763mg | Potassium: 1035mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2422IU | Vitamin C: 86mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
We make this recipe constantly!
That recipe is so delicious! Every single person ate all their food. Definitely keeping this in my book.
I’m going to make this tonight, just wondering if I could substitute any of the tomato based ingredients with homemade pizza/spaghetti sauce (containing tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano).
It will definitely change the flavor but you can if you prefer!
Love all your recipes …. Easy and delish !!!
So happy to hear you are enjoying them, Laurie!
Hi, can we substitute quinoa and or black beans for the hamburger? Thanks.
Since there is already rice in this recipe I would probably use black beans instead of quinoa to replace the ground beef. But it should work fine!
Oh my goodness, absolutely delicious! Instead of leaving it in the pot and topping with cheese, I put into individual casserole dishes, and added cheddar to 3 and mozzarella to 3. It’s sooo good with either cheese. Served it with pierogies and side salad. Much easier than stuffed peppers and just as delicious.
You can’t use jasmine rice? I never buy basmati rice
I’ve only tried it as written but Jasmine rice should work just fine. You may need to adjust cook time slightly.
Made this for dinner & it was absolutely delicious! My very picky husband loved it, as did I! The only change I made was to add 5 cloves of minced garlic because we love garlic so much! This recipe was fast, easy, and so very tasty! My husband wants me to make it more often, which is high praise coming from him!
I tried this recipe for the first time tonight, January 26th, 2023. I followed the recipe precisely and found it a good, simple one-pan meal. I would like to try it with a Monterey Jack with jalapenos cheese over top, instead of mozzarella, only for flavour and some heat. My family enjoyed this meal very much and it will become part of my rotation.
How long would you recommend to do in the slow cooker?
I would brown the beef and onion first on the stovetop, then add all ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-8 hours or high for 1 1/2-2 hours. Just be sure to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t dry out! Good luck :)
Too much Italian seasoning but good otherwise.
This recipe is fantastic!!!!
The only change we made is we added more Italian seasoning, extra oregon, and a bit of thyme.
Have more beef broth handy, like the recipe says….we added much more, bc the rice wasn’t done.
Oh, and when it was all cooked, we dumped it into a 13×9″ pan, and spread 2 cups of cheese over the entire casserole. We stuck it in the oven until the cheese melted.
Everyone wanted seconds and raved about the meal!!
Thank you!!
You are welcome Sylvia, I love this casserole with cheese!
Made this recipe exactly as directed and it turned out amazing. Will be adding g this to my rotation. Easy recipe using ingredients I have on hand.
How do you have to adjust the recipe if you want to use cauliflower rice? Thanks.
Hi Callie, you should be able to substitute cauliflower rice into this recipe with adjustments. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Love it
How long in the instant pot? Im thinking 30 minutes?
Hi Tom, I have never made this recipe in the Instant Pot so I can’t say for sure. If making it in the Instant Pot I would use the saute function to still brown the ground beef then add the remaining ingredients following the recipe. I would then pressure cook for about 10 minutes instead of simmering in Step 3. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
can i use minute rice?
Hi Penny, we have never tried minute rice in this recipe but I don’t think it would work the best. I think it would cook too quickly for this casserole. But if you try it, we would love to hear how it turns out.
Made this tonight my whole family loved it! Was amazing. Made exactly as the recipe directs.
Super tasty and easy to make. Made it per the recipe. Definite addition to the menu. Quick and ingredients are typically on hand.
That sounds like a delicious addition!
My whole family loved it! Thank you!!
*i added a little bit of corn on my daughters request*
Omg, I could eat the entire pot! I used cauliflower rice instead and actually forgot to add the tomato paste, but it was still delicious. Weekly rotation worthy!!
Enjoy the whole pot, Becky! You secret is safe with us :) But it does make for delicious leftovers too!