Featuring gooey cheese, mouth watering peppers, and hearty ground beef, this Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole makes a delicious dish for family dinner nights. It’s also an easy casserole for the next time that you want to make dinner ahead of time.
If you’re looking for a great recipe, this take on traditional stuffed peppers has become a family favorite in my household.
With the classic flavors of regular stuffed peppers transformed into a casserole version, this easy dinner is perfect for when you don’t have a ton of time to cook.
My whole family loves this delicious meal and I do too, because it makes for easy prep and clean up.
Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe
This stuffed bell pepper casserole is an easy recipe to make when you want a healthy dinner with delicious flavors.
There are a lot of good options out there for casserole recipes, but this easy casserole recipe will ensure that you have a simple way of creating a meal the whole family will enjoy.
If you like this one you will love this Green Rice Casserole, Grandma’s Ground Beef Casserole, or this Mexican Trash Casserole.
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Ingredients Needed
- Lean ground beef – Substitute for ground turkey or ground chicken for a healthier option.
- Sweet onion – If you can’t find sweet onions, you can use yellow onion as well.
- Yellow bell pepper – Individual bell peppers can be swapped for any other color, like red or green peppers.
- Red bell pepper – Replace with green bell peppers or yellow bell peppers as needed.
- Italian seasoning – You can make your own italian style seasonings at home if you can’t find any at the store.
- Minced garlic – Replace with garlic powder as needed.
- Diced tomatoes with peppers and onions – For added spice, substitute for diced tomatoes with green chilies or Rotel.
- Tomato sauce – If you don’t have tomato sauce, you can swap with tomato paste.
- Long grain white rice – You can also use brown rice if you prefer.
- Beef broth – No beef broth? Swap for chicken broth or vegetable broth instead.
- Mozzarella cheese – For cheese, you can use pepper jack cheese, Monterey jack, or cheddar cheese as well.
- Kitchen staples – Kosher salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, fresh parsley for garnish.
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How to Make Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350F. In a large skillet or dutch oven, cook ground beef, onions, and bell peppers over medium-high heat to until beef is cooked thoroughly and veggies soften.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir with wooden spoon, cooking for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in uncooked rice.
- Cover dutch oven or transfer vegetable and meat mixture into casserole dish or large pan. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
- Cook for 30 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven. Remove the foil and sprinkle with cheese.
- Return to oven for a baking time of roughly 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool. Garnish with parsley and serve.
For the full recipe and detailed baking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
How long does it last?
Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. Transfer any leftovers to a airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge.
To reheat, warm the casserole in a skillet on the stove top, or in the microwave. Heat in intervals until warmed through.
You can also reheat in the oven. Place the whole dish in the oven at 350F. Top with more cheese and cook until cheese is melted and the middle is hot.
If your stuffed pepper casserole seems a little dry, add some extra broth and stir before reheating.
Can I freeze it?
Want to store your unstuffed pepper casserole for another busy day instead of eating it right away?
The best way is to make it according to the instructions, and before baking, place in an airtight container and freeze.
When you’re ready to make it, you can remove it from the freezer and thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, bake as directed. I would wait to add the cheese until after thawing.
Serving Suggestions
Personally, I like to serve this by topping it with sour cream and parsley for garnish. Or I stretch it feed more people with a nice side salad and crusty bread.
You can also roast some brussels sprouts or broccoli in olive oil to combine with this dish, if you’re looking for a side with a more mild flavor.
Craving even more dinner casseroles?
Casseroles are life-savers when it comes to getting dinner on the table for my hungry family. And for using up any leftovers I might have in the fridge. I love this Philly cheesesteak tater tot casserole recipe when I’m extra hungry.
But when I need some new side dishes for my usual menu I like this green rice casserole, this cabbage casserole by Brenda Gantt, and this crack green bean recipe.
Tips for the Best Casserole
- Want to stay on a low calorie or low carb diet? Switch out the rice in this recipe for cauliflower rice instead.
- For a little spice, try topping with red pepper flakes at the same time that you add your cheese.
- To cut down on cooking time, try using minute rice instead of long grain rice.
- To make this a one pot meal, I highly recommend creating this recipe in a dutch oven. This allows you to make a one pot casserole, and cleaning up will be super easy.
- For lower fat content, you can use ground turkey and pair it with a mozzarella cheese made with skim milk.
- Make this in a slow cooker. Brown the ground beef and drain. Add to a crock pot and add in remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until rice is done.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, pin this to your favorite casserole Pinterest board and share it on your favorite social media channels!
This unstuffed version of stuffed peppers has quickly beaten out a lot of casseroles for the top spot on my list of delicious recipes. With savory peppers, melted cheese, and a good combination of spices, this stuffed pepper recipe is my new go-to for dinner recipes.
Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 yellow bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with peppers and onions
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a large skillet or dutch oven, over medium heat, cook the ground beef, diced onion, and bell peppers until the ground beef is almost cooked through and the veggies start to soften.
- Add in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Stir and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth.
- Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the rice.
- Cover the dutch oven or transfer the mixture to a casserole dish.
- Cover tightly with foil.
- Cook for 30 minutes, stirring once, or until the rice is tender.
- Remove the oven.
- Uncover and top with mozzarella cheese.
- Return to the oven and bake 3-5 more minutes, uncovered, until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes to cool.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.
Notes
- Want to stay on a low calorie or low carb diet? Switch out the rice in this recipe for cauliflower rice instead.
- For a little spice, try topping with red pepper flakes at the same time that you add your cheese.
- To cut down on cooking time, try using minute rice instead of long grain rice.
- To make this a one pot meal, I highly recommend creating this recipe in a dutch oven. This allows you to make a one pot casserole, and cleaning up will be super easy.
- For lower fat content, you can use ground turkey and pair it with a mozzarella cheese made with skim milk.
- Make this in a slow cooker. Brown the ground beef and drain. Add to a crock pot and add in remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until rice is done.
Nutrition
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