Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

When it comes to figuring out what to make for dinner, the task can be a bit daunting. There are so many options out there, and you may find it hard to pinpoint exactly what you're in the mood for. Or, you may be cooking for a family, and you might worry that your selection won't please everyone's palate. It's also important to get protein and vegetables in with the meal, but you don't want to sacrifice flavor for nutrition. If only there was a meal that was easy, crowd-pleasing, and covers all of the dinner bases, right?

Fortunately, there is such a dinner, and it's none other than stuffed bell peppers. Recipe developer Hayley MacLean has an easy stuffed bell pepper recipe that takes the difficulty out of figuring out what to make for dinner. Not only is the dish incredibly easy to make, but it covers all of the essential dinner bases with protein from the ground beef, vegetables from the peppers, corn, and onions, and plenty of wholesome carbs thanks to the addition of rice. "These stuffed peppers are pockets of super savory goodness," MacLean says. "The whole thing comes together so quickly, and is truly filling and delicious." 

If filling and delicious is exactly what you look for in a dinner, then this easy stuffed bell pepper recipe is sure to leave you satisfied. Keep reading to learn how to make it.

Before you can get started on making easy stuffed bell peppers, you'll want to make sure that you have the right ingredients. For this recipe, you'll need bell peppers, ground beef, white rice, white onion, garlic, a can of drained diced tomatoes, frozen corn, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and shredded cheddar cheese. MacLean notes that there are many ways to customize this dish, making it incredibly versatile and pleasing to any palate. You could use ground turkey instead of beef, yellow or red onion instead of white, pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar, and you could add even more spices. The possibilities are virtually endless!

Once you have your ingredients sorted, you can get started prepping the star of the show: the bell peppers. First, preheat your oven to 350 F. Then, carefully trim off the tops of each of the peppers. Then, remove as many seeds as you can using your fingers, a knife, or a spoon. Also try to remove as much of the peppers' white inner membrane as you can. When you're finished prepping the peppers, they should look clean and hollow, just like they do in the above picture. At this point, you can line the peppers up in a baking dish, and then set it aside.

After you finish prepping the bell peppers, it's time to get started on the filling. Put a skillet over medium-high heat, and add in the minced garlic, diced onion, and ground beef. If you're using an alternative to ground beef like ground turkey, you'll still follow the same cooking procedure. Allow these ingredients to cook for a few minutes, until the beef starts to brown and the onion and garlic are nice and fragrant. Then, drain out any excess fat and liquid from the pan.

Once your beef has had time to cook, you can add in the rest of the filling ingredients. Into your skillet, add the drained diced tomatoes, cooked rice, corn, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese, or whatever cheese you prefer. Continuously stir all of the ingredients so they incorporate into the beef, onion, and garlic mix. After about two minutes, you should notice the cheese starting to get nice and melty. Once this happens, go ahead and turn off your stove, and remove the pan from the heat.

Now that your filling is ready, you can start stuffing the peppers. Grab your baking dish with the hollowed peppers, and set it next to the skillet with the filling. Using a spoon, add equal amounts of filling to each of the peppers. Fill each pepper to the top while also ensuring that you leave a little room to sprinkle extra cheese on top. After you've stuffed each pepper, grab the rest of your shredded cheese, and sprinkle equal amounts on top of each pepper. 

Once they're ready, pop the peppers into the oven for 30 minutes. When the filling starts to get bubbly, you'll know that they're done.

After your peppers are done cooking in the oven, they're ready to serve! Be sure to serve them immediately when they're nice and hot. You'll notice a wonderful depth of savory flavor with a pop of juicy freshness thanks to the peppers. "The filling is so hearty ... and the bell pepper on the outside adds a perfect sweetness to counter balance the saltiness of the beef and cheese," MacLean notes. Sounds like an unbeatable combination to us!

MacLean also mentions that this meal is perfect for family dinners, as it's both cost-effective and can easily be reheated for leftovers. "Pair it with a veggie or fresh salad and you've got one balanced, well-rounded meal for the whole family," she explains. Of course, you can make these easy stuffed bell peppers for any amount of people, even just for one. With such simple ingredients and an easy one-pan preparation, there's lots to enjoy about this recipe.