These stuffed bell peppers are filled with a combination of ground beef, tomato sauce, garlic, rice, and cheese. A hearty dish that can stand on its own and a perfect way to end any night.

Classic Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef And Mozzarella

Stuffed peppers don’t take very long to make either! In just about 45 minutes, you will have dinner on the table and your family thanking you for always feeding them such incredible meals filled with love. Actually, that will never happen – but we can dream, right? Maybe next Mother’s Day! Kids… are you reading this?!

Prep : 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Consider using whatever you have on hand to fill your peppers. Do you have extra zucchini? Carrots? Are your mushrooms starting to go? Add them in!

Reminder: You Must Cook The Meat Before You Fill The Peppers

A big part of classic stuffed bell peppers is filling them with ground beef. The meat truly adds in extra layers of flavor that we all love. I know that a lot of people search for vegan stuffed peppers, but I am a traditionalist.

There’s one thing I need you to remember – the meat must be cooked ahead of time. This recipe requires several steps and is broken down into two parts. Cooking some ingredients on the stovetop and then finishing everything off in the oven. It will be worth it!

Stuffed Bell Peppers Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground sausage, cooked and browned
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1 cup water
4 green peppers, tops removed and cored, discard seeds
1 can, 14.5 oz, Italian style diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Products Needed

9×13 baking dish
cooking spray
skillet

How To Make Stuffed Bell Peppers With Cheese

Place rice and water into a saucepan. Heat on medium high until boiling. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place green peppers into dish, cut side up. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add sausage, rice, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon an equal amount into each pepper. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Add mozzarella cheese on top of each pepper and broil for 1-2 minutes or until melted.

transfer stuffed peppers to casserole dish

Bell Pepper Tips

If you cannot get the bell pepper to stand up in your tray or on your plate while prepping, slightly trim the bottom to give it a more even base. You don’t want to cut a hole into it! Cut just enough so it will stand without any help from you.
Don’t be afraid to purchase different types of pepper colors! I love to serve a tray filled with variety. I know people are always so caught up on the green peppers or the red peppers… but I LOVE yellow and orange. They are MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE though, but make for a nice display.

Can I Prepare This Stuffed Peppers Dish Ahead Of Time?

You can prepare this stuffed peppers dish ahead of time and get a jump on most of the leg work. Prepare everything up until the baking part. Once you have everything assembled, allow to slightly cool and the cover and refrigerate.

When you are ready to serve these stuffed bell peppers, just continue the recipe and place the dish straight into the oven and enjoy!

What Rice Should I Use For Stuffed Peppers?

There are a few different thoughts on what the best rice is for stuffed peppers. We live on basmati rice, but others use jasmine rice. I’ve even read a few blogs mention that they use instant when making this stuffed peppers recipe which means they don’t care. When in a pinch, we use what we have.

In the end, it’s a personal choice. I like to have a little bite to my rice and basmati rice has texture but also has a bit of a flavor to it as well. It’s not plain by any means. This option truly adds to any dish you incorporate it into.

What to Eat With Stuffed Peppers

As I’ve mentioned, stuffed peppers is a dish all by itself. Consider serving it with a side salad and a fresh loaf of Italian bread. So easy!

Freezing Stuffed Peppers

Be sure to place your stuffed peppers in a freezer-safe dish and one that you will be able to transfer into your oven for cooking. A large casserole dish will do!

Wrap everything first in aluminum foil and then add a second layer of plastic wrap. This will lock your dish up nicely and help you avoid freezer burn. You can leave everything in the freezer for a few months! But I try not to wait that long. I like to eat these stuffed bell peppers in a few weeks.

Stuffed Peppers Casserole

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground sausage, cooked and browned
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1 cup water
4 green peppers, tops removed and cored, discard seeds
1 can, 14.5 oz, Italian style diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Place rice and water into a saucepan. Heat on medium high until boiling. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until rice is cooked.
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place green peppers into dish, cut side up. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add sausage, rice, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon an equal amount into each pepper. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Add mozzarella cheese on top of each pepper and broil for 1-2 minutes or until melted.