Quick & easy to make, Stuffed Pepper Casserole is a dish the whole family will love!
Cheesy and meaty with a zesty flavor from homemade taco seasoning, this casserole has just the right balance of ground beef, peppers, rice, and cheese!
Why We Love This Recipe
Stuffed Peppers are a go-to for us and this great variation has a yummy tex-mex flavor!
This casserole is quick and easy to put together. Prep only takes minutes, and using instant rice means it cooks fast!
Extra ingredients (and veggies) can be added to stretch this dish even further. Corn, black beans or pinto beans, or zucchini (or even extra peppers) are all good choices.
Ingredients/Variations
Stuffed Pepper Casserole only uses a handful of ingredients!
MEAT This recipe uses ground beef with Homemade Taco Seasoning. Ground chicken, ground turkey or shredded rotisserie chicken would taste great too!
VEGGIES Fresh bell pepper, onion, and tomatoes are loaded into this casserole. Feel free to add corn, jalapenos or some beans to stretch this dish even further!
RICE Instant rice is the perfect addition to this casserole! Out of instant rice? To use long-grain white rice, cook the rice in broth on the stove according to package directions or use leftover rice. If using cooked rice, do not add broth to the casserole. Try tomato basil rice for a delicious twist!
CHEESE This casserole is topped with cheddar cheese, but any cheese will taste great. Use Tex-Mex or Monterey Jack for an extra kick!
VARIATIONS Want more spice? Add some chili powder or try swapping the tomato paste for homemade enchilada sauce!
How To Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole
This recipe is every bit as easy as the typical undone stuffed pepper casserole.
- Brown beef and combine all ingredients except cheese in a casserole dish.
- Cover and bake until bubbly (per recipe below).
- Top with cheese and broil!
Serve with a Mexican corn salad or black bean and corn salad.
Delicious Toppings
Once baked, set out an assortment of toppings for a fun taco casserole bar!
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- Sauces: Salsa or Pico de Gallo, sour cream, and guacamole
- Veggies: Cilantro, green onions, and diced tomatoes
- Chips: Crumbled corn chips or tortillas
Tips for Perfect Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Want a little more sweetness and color? Balance the green pepper with red, yellow and orange!
- The instant rice called for in this recipe is also known as Minute Rice.
- Tomato sauce can be substituted for crushed tomatoes or even salsa if needed.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezer for up to 4 months!
- Reheat in a 350°F oven with a foil cover until heated through, or in the microwave on a covered plate. If reheating from frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge first.
More Bell Pepper Favorites
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole – hearty & comforting
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers – easy & cheesy
- Easy Pepper Steak – takeout at home
- Sausage and Peppers – Italian classic
- Stuffed Pepper Soup – warm and cozy
- Easy Chicken Fajitas – quick and fresh
- Unstuffed Peppers – a one-pot dish
- Tamale Pie – freezer-friendly
Did you love this Stuffed Pepper Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Taco Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 package taco seasoning
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 bell peppers any color, diced
- 14 ounces diced tomato with juice
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups instant rice (Minute Rice)
- 1 ⅔ cups beef broth
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Add taco seasoning, water, and peppers. Stir to combine and simmer until most of the water has evaporated, about 3-5 minutes.
- Combine all remaining ingredients except cheese in a 9x13 pan. Cover and bake 30-35 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Uncover, top with cheese and broil 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
To use long-grain white rice, cook the rice in broth on the stove according to package directions or use leftover rice. If using cooked rice, do not add broth to the casserole.
To make it spicy, add 1 finely diced jalapeno to the pepper mixture.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican© 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.
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So good absolutely delicious. 5 star for sure. Easy to make very little clean up.
Absolutely delicious. Very easy to make with little clean up. I added a small can of green chilli peppers and a can of black beans. I used 4 tblsp of spend with Pennie’s taco seasoning recipe and used basmati rice cooked in beef broth. It’s a 5 star for sure. Thx spend with Pennie’s. Ps I baked it in the bbq at 350 for 20mins. Too hot to put oven on.
So happy you enjoyed it, Shirley! Your additions sound so delicious.
Few typos
cooked
slow melt
Holly
I am embarrassed I have not written any reviews.
I have been using your receipts successfully since 2017!!!!!!!
I have cooker you sandwiches that snowmelt the cheese on a skillet,
entries, vegetables, snacks and desserts.
There are easy, a pleasure to cook and serve.
Dependably 5 Star.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for leaving a review Ava! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed so many of my recipes and I’m happy you’re following along.
I might be missing it but when do I use the beef broth?
Hi Colleen, the beef broth is added in step 4 with all remaining ingredients. It is what helps to cook the rice in the casserole dish. Hope that helps!
Loved the casserole! I would give it 10 stars if I could!
Could I make this without the tomato ingredients? What could I add in its place? I cannot have tomatoes.
I have only tried it as written in this recipe however I have a similar one without tomatoes. You could certainly use it as a base and add in peppers in place of the mushrooms and add taco seasoning to the meat.
I Followed the instructions
Personally I think it Definitely needs more meat or less rice
When all done I felt like I was just eating a bowl of rice
Sorry to hear that Glen, you can definitely alter the recipe to your tastes and add additional meat.
i made this last night it turned out good. I’m gonna do a little tweaking the next time!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Robert!
“We” haven’t tried your recipes yet but each one I’ve printed out looks so delicious and easy. You see I have to live in a Nursing Home now and what I like best about your site I can add how many people will be fed and all the ingredients are adjusted to the recipe. None of the other Recipe sites has that option. So I’m praying that the kitchen will use your recipes because we are tired of having the same food over and over again. If they do, I’ll be back to get more recipes. Thank you so much for adding that extra option of how many people to feed along with the adjusted ingredients to go with it!!
Enjoy Joyce!!
We loved the casserole! Very yummy! I added a jalapeño pepper and a can of black beans! Thanks for a wonderful recipe! I love your website!