Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers with meat, rice, and tomato sauce garnished with parsley on a white plate with a fork.

5 from 2 votes

Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers

Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers. Meat and rice stuffed peppers topped with a tomato sauce and melted cheese. Almost as good as grandma used to make.

Prep Time35

Cook Time45

Total Time1 20

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 345kcal

Author: Keri

Ingredients

For the peppers

4 Green Bell Peppers or pepper color of your choice.
1 lb. Ground Beef *85/15 works great
1 Onion chopped
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Pepper
¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes more if you like some heat
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
14 oz Diced Tomatoes can
2 cups Rice cooked

For the sauce

15 ounce Tomato Sauce
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon Salt

Topping

2 cups Colby / Jack Cheese or Cheddar, shredded

Instructions

Cook the rice and set aside while you prepare the filling.
Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the sees and ribs (the white part inside the pepper).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

For the filling

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the ground meat, chopped onion, and the spices. Cook until the ground meat is browned
Next, add the can of diced tomatoes and the cooked rice. Stir the mixture together and sample test the seasoning, adjust if necessary.
Place the halved peppers in the prepared baking dish.
Spoon the rice and meat mixture into the bell peppers. (I used my ice cream scoop for this)

For the sauce

Mix together the can of tomato sauce and spices and pour over the top of the bell peppers.
Cover and seal the baking dish with foil and bake for about 30-35 minutes until the bell pepper are soft. Use a fork to test them.
Add the cheese on top of the peppers and return to the oven, without the foil, for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Cool slightly and serve!

Notes

*If you are using extremely lean ground meat, add a drizzle of oil to the pan before adding the meat and onions.

If the meat has more fat in it, you may want to drain some of the excess oil before moving on to the next step.

Can I prep stuffed peppers ahead of time?

Yes! You can cut and clean the bell peppers, then place them in a Zip-loc bag and store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.

You can cook the rice, and then make the meat and rice filling ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Also, mix together the ingredients for the sauce and store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

When you are ready for dinner, preheat the oven, place the bell peppers in a baking dish, add the meat mixture and sauce, then bake according to the recipe directions!

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