This Stuffed Pepper Casserole recipe makes it even easier to enjoy the flavor of a cheesy stuffed pepper. Mix all of your ingredients and bake in the oven for a delicious weeknight dinner.
One-pot
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: How to cook rice with all your other ingredients for maximum flavor
Worth It: It’s a satisfying, protein-forward option that actually keeps you full
Bonus: Make ahead and freeze
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great for meal prep – Make this easy stuffed bell pepper casserole recipe in advance for the perfect meal to enjoy all week long. Changing up the toppings is a great way to mix it up so that you don’t get bored.
- Easy weeknight eating – This easy casserole comes together with little prep time in one pan! Brown meat, add the rest of the ingredients, and bake. The rice cooks in the cooking process, so it is such an easy dinner recipe. You can even prepare this easy recipe in the morning and place it in the oven when you are ready for dinner.
- Perfect freezer meal – You can freeze this casserole dish before baking and bake from frozen at a later date. You can also make this stuffed pepper casserole recipe and freeze the leftovers for an easy reheat meal in the future.
Serving suggestions
This easy stuffed pepper casserole recipe is a full meal on its own with the beef, rice, and vegetables all packed in the dish. It’s a fun twist on traditional stuffed peppers. If you’re looking to add a little more green on the side, this Lemon Kale Caesar Salad or Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts could be a great simple addition to your meal. Garlic bread would be a great side as well.
Add different toppings to change up the delicious flavors of this dish. I like to use fresh ingredients like fresh herbs, a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt and a dash of hot sauce for a little spice.
If you are looking for more ground beef recipes, try my Ground Beef Baked Tacos, Tater Tot Taco Casserole, or Cheeseburger Breakfast Casserole.
For more one pot meals and beef casseroles, you can make this Creamy Meat Sauce One Pot Pasta or Easy Baked Gnocchi Recipe.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – I use ground beef as the protein for a classic stuffed pepper feel, but you can also use ground chicken or ground turkey as your ground meat.
- Salt, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Smoked Paprika – This blend of spices creates an amazing flavor for your stuffed pepper casserole. If you prefer an Italian style stuffed pepper, you could use Italian seasoning.
- Bell Peppers – Rather than stuffing the peppers for this recipe, you will dice them up to get a bit of tender pepper in every bite. You could use a mixed of red bell peppers and green bell peppers for this dish.
- Diced Tomatoes – Using canned tomatoes keeps this recipe easy, and it’s the best way to get a great tomato taste out of season. You can use fire-roasted tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes. The extra tomato sauce from the can will also help keep your casserole moist.
- White Rice – Make sure to thoroughly rinse your uncooked rice. It makes a big difference so your rice does not get sticky.
- Beef Broth – The beef broth keeps your casserole moist and adds even more flavor to your meal. Chicken broth or vegetable broth will also work. A dash of worcestershire sauce or balsamic vinegar would also be a great addition.
- Cheddar Cheese – The shredded cheese on top makes this stuffed pepper casserole creamy, gooey and so delicious.
Ingredient Substitutions
I used 93% lean ground beef. If you prefer not to use ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey would also be delicious in this casserole. If you use a leaner meat, you might need a bit of olive oil in the pan when cooking.
I used white long grain rice, but you can also use brown rice if you prefer. Because we are using rice, this recipe is already gluten free!
For extra fiber, you could add black beans to this recipe.
If you need this recipe to be low carb, you could try this recipe with cauliflower rice. Strain your tomatoes and make sure the liquid is cooked off in the pan before adding the rice.
For an even more vegetable packed meal, you could add green peppers, diced onion, fresh garlic, mushrooms, or zucchini for extra veggies. Just be cautious with the amount of liquid in the casserole.
I went with classic flavors, but feel free to experiment with a different flavor for spins on stuffed pepper recipes. You could do an Italian twist on this dish with Italian sausage and Italian seasoning. Taco seasoning would also be a great shortcut. Feel free to add a bit of tomato paste or soy sauce for some added umami. This casserole dish has more mild flavor, but you can add some red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.
I love the taste of cheddar on top, but this stuffed pepper casserole would be delicious with pepper jack or Monterey jack. Mozzarella cheese would also work for a much milder flavor.
How to make
Step 1: Brown Your beef and Add Peppers
Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a large skillet or large pot like a dutch oven over medium heat to medium-high heat.
Add the ground beef to the pan. Break into crumbles as you brown meat for about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess oil and season with the salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika (Image 1).
Pour the diced peppers and stir. (Image 2).
Step 2: Add tomatoes, broth and rice
Add the diced tomatoes, rice, and beef broth into the pan (Images 3 and 4). Stir together and continue heating on the stove until the mixture just begins to simmer.
Step 3: Bake and add cheese
Remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a 350 F oven for 35 minutes covered (Image 5).
Remove foil, add one cup cheese and bake for another 10 minutes (Image 6) for a total time of about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly and enjoy! If you’d like, garnish your finished meal with a bit of fresh parsley and black pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I do not have an oven safe pan?
If you do not have a cast iron, you could brown the meat and add all ingredients in a large nonstick skillet, then transfer to a baking dish, top with cheese and bake recipe.
Do I need to thaw my frozen casserole?
You don’t have to thaw it. You can bake directly from frozen. Bake at 325F for 1 hour covered. Then, uncover to cook the cheese on top.
Do I need to boil the peppers?
Because we are chopping the peppers rather than baking them whole, they will soften enough while cooking and you do not need to boil them.
Storage, reheating and Freezing
Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Next time, you can reheat a serving in the microwave or toaster oven. If you have a larger portion to reheat, you can place in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes until warmed through.
I recommend freezing this casserole just before baking. Store a freezer safe dish and cover with plastic wrap and foil. To bake from frozen, bake covered at 325F for 1 hour.
You can also freeze your leftovers after cooking this meal. Store in a freezer safe dish for up to 4 months. When ready to eat, defrost and warm in the a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes.
Check out these other Casserole Recipes
If you love this stuffed pepper casserole recipe, the Turkey Sausage Breakfast Casserole next!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 bell peppers – diced
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup long grain white rice – thoroughly rinsed
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a large oven safe skillet over medium heat.
- Add the ground beef to the pan. Break into crumbles as you brown it for about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess oil and season with the salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika.
- Pour the diced peppers, diced tomatoes, rice, and beef broth into the pan. Stir together and continue heating on the stove until the mixture just begins to simmer.
- Remove from heat and cover with foil. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes covered.
- Remove foil, add cheese and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute ground chicken or ground turkey for the ground beef.
- You can use brown rice instead of white rice.
- Freezer instructions: freeze before baking. To bake from frozen, bake covered at 325F for 1 hour.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Leave a Reply