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 sauce 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!
-
- 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 ounce taco seasoning 1 pckg, or 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 bell peppers any color, diced
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups instant rice or Minute Rice
- 1 ⅔ cups beef broth
- 1 cup shredded 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.
I made the Taco Stuffed Pepper Casserole. it is delicious. I love your recipes.
This recipe was yummy! I added black beans and used half cheddar and half Monterey Jack cheese.
This sounds so good and so easy to put together as well. Thank you for the recipe.
I RARELY leave comments because, quite frankly, I’m too busy stuffing my face with Holly’s recipes! This recipe, since first est. early 2024 in this house, has become hands down in the weekly rotation.
I use this recipe and add a TBSP of Cumin to put a slight twist (sort of like the Taco Pepper Casserole Holly has!)!!!
This recipe is also fail proof!
Nice work, Holly! Very nice!
Oh my gosh, Valarie! You are too sweet. I am so glad you are enjoying our recipes. ❤️
Made this tonight. It was absolutely delicious and easy! Will definitely make again!!!
So glad you loved it Elizabeth!
Probably a great recipe as is, but I’m posting because I used cooked rice and these were my notes that I thought might be helpful for those who also might need to improvise. Not having pre-cooked the peppers and onions (I had large green onions) they cooked fine. I covered casserole and cooked until it was bubbly which was 15 minutes for me. I don’t think cooking for 30 minutes with cooked rice is necessary, but ovens do vary. I had large softball-sized peppers and I thought two was enough to get some peppers in each bite. I also subbed a smaller 10oz a of rotel tomatoes and didn’t feel like it was lacking. Lastly I added more cumin, garlic, onion, and chili powders to taste because I like strong flavors when I’m pregnant, but otherwise wouldn’t need it. ;)
Thank you for sharing your tips, Jessica!