Stuffed Peppers With Ground Beef and Rice
These stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice are full of classic taco flavors that your entire family will love. A simple stuffing mix of ground beef, Spanish rice, beans, and other classic ingredients are all simmered together in one pot then stuffed into bell peppers, topped with cheese, and baked until melty and warm.
Stuffed Peppers With Ground Beef and Rice
Stuffed peppers are a versatile, classic dinner recipe to keep in your weekly lineup. They have been a staple dinner for me and my household, mainly because they are family friendly, healthy, and can be filled with so many different flavors!
From vegan stuffed peppers to steak and cheese stuffed bell peppers, the stuffing options really are endless. Of all the ways you can make a stuffed bell pepper, these stuffed pepper with ground beef and rice are the recipe my family and I keep coming back to.
The ground beef and rice stuffing is all mixed together in one large pot then stuffed into pre-baked bell peppers, covered with cheese, and baked until fully melted and warm. This recipe gives you all of the flavors of taco night but stuffed into a low carb bell pepper bowl.
Let’s get to the recipe!
Why you’ll love these stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice:
You’ll love this stuffed pepper recipe because it is:
Full of taco flavored: While you can make stuffed peppers with just about any flavor, taco stuffed bell peppers are my personal favorite. This recipe is full of taco seasoned ground beef, Spanish rice, fresh cilantro, and other taco ingredients that make every bite of these stuffed peppers full of flavor.
Ready in one pot… the stuffing, at least: The one thing that keeps people from making stuffed peppers is the number of dishes you end up with but I minimized that with this recipe by making the entire ground beef and rice stuffing in just one pot. Then, you’ll just need a 9×13 baking dish!
Ready in under an hour: The longest part of this stuffed pepper recipe is simmering all of your stuffing mixes together which takes about 30 minutes. Other than that, you’re just waiting for your cheese to melt!
Balanced: As a registered dietitian, I love that this recipe features protein, carbs, and colorful ingredients all in one meal.
Made with ground beef: I like to make ground beef stuffed peppers to add a high quality protein that is rich flavor and full of nutrients like iron and Vitamin B12.
This is a great dinner recipe for family, friend, and visitors!
Ingredients you’ll need:
Large bell peppers: Try to choose bell peppers that are evenly sized and flat on the bottom to stand up. If you can’t find any that stand up on their own, you can slightly trim the bottom of your bell peppers with a knife so that they are flat on the bottom.
Lean ground beef: I used 96% lean ground beef for this recipe. Ground beef is an excellent protein to cook with that is full of flavor and nutrition like protein, iron, and vitamin B12.
Spanish rice: You can use any box of Spanish rice that you find at the store. You’ll add the rice as well as the seasoning pack it comes with to these ground beef and rice stuffed peppers.
Beans: Pinto or black beans.
Diced green chilis: You can choose mild or hot based on your spice preference.
Petite diced tomatoes: To add a boost of nutrition.
Lime: For a boost of fresh flavor:
Cilantro: To bring out the taco flavors of these taco inspired stuffed peppers.
Seasonings: You can use taco seasoning or use the blend of seasonings that I used of cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Shredded cheese: I used freshly shredded cheddar cheese but you can use any cheese of your preference.
Topping recommendations: Diced avocado, tortilla strips, and fresh cilantro.
All the taco ingredients for these taco stuffed bell peppers.
Deconstructed Pepper Skillet
Want to skip the extra stuffing step? Make this one pot deconstructed pepper skillet instead!
Step by Step Instructions:
Now let’s walk through how to make these stuffed bell peppers with ground beef and rice:
Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Warm a large pan over medium heat for two minutes. Add your ground beef and seasonings, mix together, then brown the meat until fully cooked through (~10-12 minutes).
Step 2:
To the same pan with the meat add your drained beans, diced tomatoes, green chilis, rice with the seasonings mix, chopped cilantro, and lime juice.
Step 3:
Pour in your water, stir until combined, then cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until your liquid is fully absorbed and rice is cooked.
Step 4:
While the ground beef and rice mix simmers, slice the top 1/2 inch off your bell peppers and remove the inner seeds and core. Line them in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish and bake them at 375 for 20 minutes to soften the outsides.
Step 4:
Remove your bell peppers from the oven, fill them with the cooked stuffing to the brim, top with shredded cheese, and bake until your cheese is melted.
Step 5:
Top with avocado, tortilla strips, and cilantro and serve warm!
Swaps, substitutions, and serving suggestions:
Here are a few changes you could try with this recipe:
Skip the rice: If you want a low carb dinner and need recipes for stuffed pepper with no rice, you can easily leave the Spanish rice out of this recipe! Simply brown your meat then add all of your non-rice ingredients, stir them together, then stuff your peppers. You’ll also save time.
Swap the protein: I love using ground beef in stuffed bell peppers but you could easily make ground turkey stuffed peppers, shredded chicken stuffed peppers, or even commit to steak and rice stuffed peppers using this recipe but with steak!
Change your sides: If you need some recommendations for what to eat with stuffed peppers then I would recommend an easy taco inspired salad, chips with 4 ingredient guacamole, or even some delicious cowboy caviar to add more color to your meal.
And more! Make this recipe your own and tag me on instagram with any fun ideas you come up with!
Recipe FAQ:
What is the best way to reheat stuffed bell peppers?
There are alot of ways you can reheat stuffed bell peppers- the oven and the microwave being the most popular. If you want to reheat multiple stuffed peppers, I would preheat your oven to 325 and warm them for 25-30 minutes or until warmed through.
If you want to meal prep stuffed bell peppers and just reheat one at a time, I personally would use an air fryer or a microwave for 2-5 minutes or until warm.
Are the outsides of the stuffed pepper supposed to be raw?
The key to a delicious stuffed bell peppers is to pre-bake your bell peppers. I prep my bell peppers bowls then bake them at 375 for 20 minutes until slightly softened, then I add my stuffing, top with cheese, and bake again until melted. This gives you a softened bell pepper bowl that is much easier to eat!
Are there other ways to serve stuffed peppers?
This recipe has you slicing the top off of your bell peppers, removing the seeds and core, then filling the entire bell peppers bowl with stuffing. If you want a smaller portion of stuffed peppers, you can also sliced your peppers in half lengthwise, fill with stuffing, top with cheese, and bake.
Are stuffed bell peppers healthy?
Stuffed peppers are a healthy dinner recipe that features a high quality protein, carbohydrates, and colorful ingredients like peppers, tomatoes, and beans. With all of the red ingredients, this recipe is also high in lycopene, an antioxidant that can promote health and protect against diseases like cancer.
Other family dinner recipes you will love:
Looking for other family dinner recipe ideas? I have a few on my blog that I think you will love:
Ground Chicken Stir
Fry
Baked Chicken and Orzo
Smash Burger Tacos
One Pan Coconut Lime Chicken
Stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice
These stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice are full of classic taco flavors that your entire family will love. A simple stuffing mix of ground beef, Spanish rice, beans, and other classic ingredients are all simmered together in one pot then stuffed into bell peppers, topped with cheese, and baked until melty and warm.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Warm a large pan over medium heat for two minutes. Add your ground beef and seasonings, mix together, then brown the meat until fully cooked through (~10-12 minutes).
- To the same pan with the meat add your drained beans, diced tomatoes, green chilis, rice with the seasonings mix, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Pour in your water, stir until combined, then cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until your liquid is fully absorbed and rice is cooked.
- While the ground beef and rice mix simmers, slice the top 1/2 inch off your bell peppers and remove the inner seeds and core. Line them in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish and bake them at 375 for 20 minutes to soften the outsides.
- Remove your bell peppers from the oven, fill them with the cooked stuffing to the brim, top with shredded cheese, and bake until your cheese is melted. Top with avocado, tortilla strips, and cilantro and serve warm!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
337Fat
9 gCarbs
43 gSugar
12 gProtein
23 gFiber
8 gAll nutrition information has been approximated and may vary depending on personal portion size, ingredient swaps, brand of product used, and other factors.
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!