Stuffed Pepper Casserole

If you love classic stuffed peppers, you’ll love the ease and convenience of Stuffed Pepper Casserole. This one-pot, 30-minute meal starts on the stove and finishes in the oven, and it’s way less fussy than stuffing individual peppers.

Meggan’s notes

As a classically-trained chef, I love to reimagine recipes in new ways to suit different situations. Stuffed Peppers make a great summer meal when the harvest comes in, but sometimes the work of hollowing out, par-boiling, and stuffing them is just too much, especially in the chaos of the summer months. Stuffed Pepper Casserole allows you to bring this hearty recipe to the table without all the manual labor.

The secret to Stuffed Pepper Casserole is to use half as many peppers as you would use if you were making the classic dish. Because the diced peppers get stirred in, they infuse the casserole with plenty of bell pepper flavor. Just 2 bell peppers gets the job done.

I also suggest using fresh parsley here, if at all possible. It does make for the tastiest casserole, and dried parsley won’t be the same.

Be sure to drain the fat after browning your ground meat, too. I tested a version where I cooked everything together, without draining the fat, one-pot wonder style. It still tasted good, but it was rich and unnecessarily greasy. But I just wanted to know what would happen!

Recipe ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Beef: Substitute ground turkey, chicken, or even sausage for the ground beef. The flavor will change, but any of those will work here.
• Onions and garlic: Brown them with the meat in step 1.
• Water: Bring it to a boil in the pot before you transfer your dish to the oven.
• Tomatoes: If you’d like to use the juice from the canned tomatoes, drain it into a 2-cup measuring cup, then add water to reach 2 cups to use in step 2.
• Ketchup: For a touch of sweetness.
• Rice: I tested this recipe with long-grain white rice.
• Bell peppers: Use any color pepper you love here. Add them with the rice so they don’t overcook. I liked small pieces, 1/2-inch in size so they don’t overpower the other ingredients.
• Parsley: You can substitute 2 teaspoons dried parsley, but I love the flavor of fresh here.
• Cheese: I chose Monterey Jack cheese for its excellent meltability, but you can use any cheese you love.
• Salt and pepper: Add a little bit with the meat and a little more with the rice so every step is properly seasoned. And feel free to add a bit more at the end if you think it needs it. Keep in mind, cheese adds saltiness, too.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, add ground beef, onion, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, then drain fat well.

2. Add water, diced tomatoes, and ketchup. Bring to a boil, then stir in rice, bell peppers, parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt.

3. Cover, transfer to the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Top with shredded cheese, then return uncovered to the oven. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes 8 cups of Stuffed Pepper Casserole, enough for 4 hearty servings, 2 cups each.
• Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Classic stuffed peppers: Prefer the veggie-stuffed version? These Stuffed Bell Peppers have the same rice and beef filling you’ll find in the casserole.
• Mexican stuffed peppers: Use chorizo in place of ground beef (or ground beef and homemade taco seasoning) and crumbled queso fresco, tomatoes, chopped scallions, and cilantro in the filling.
• Vegetarian stuffed peppers. Chipotle peppers add a smoky, spicy kick to this meatless version.
• Greek-style stuffed peppers: Make the filling with ground lamb, golden raisins, oregano, mint, and lemon zest. Use crumbled feta cheese in place of Monterrey Jack.
• Italian-style. Crumbled Italian sausage, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and garlic-butter bread crumbs.

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Stuffed Pepper Casserole

By Meggan Hill

If you love classic stuffed peppers, you'll love the ease and convenience of Stuffed Pepper Casserole.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings (2 cups each)

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Calories 626

5 from 1 vote

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 pound ground beef
• ▢ 1/2 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained (see note 1)
• ▢ ¼ cup ketchup
• ▢ 1 cup long-grain white rice
• ▢ 2 large bell peppers stemmed, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley plus more for garnish
• ▢ 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, add ground beef, onion, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt.
• Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, then drain fat well. Add water, diced tomatoes, and ketchup. Bring to a boil, then stir in rice, bell peppers, parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt.
• Cover, transfer to the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Top with shredded cheese, then return uncovered to the oven. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Notes

1. Tomatoes: If you’d like to use the juice from the canned tomatoes, drain it into a 2-cup measuring cup, then add water to reach 2 cups to use in step 2.
2. Yield: This recipe makes 8 cups of Stuffed Pepper Casserole, enough for 4 hearty servings, 2 cups each.
3. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 cupsCalories: 626kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 32gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 405mgPotassium: 831mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 3151IUVitamin C: 120mgCalcium: 297mgIron: 4mg

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