Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole
Featuring gooey cheese, mouth watering peppers, and hearty ground beef, this stuffed pepper casserole is delicious for family dinner nights. All the yummy flavors of stuffed peppers but without all the fuss.
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 but in a casserole version, it’s an easy dinner 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 quick prep and clean up. You can even make a meatless version of these vegetarian stuffed peppers as a casserole.
If you like this one you will love this old fashioned green rice casserole recipe, grandma hamburger casserole, or this white trash casserole.
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef – I prefer lean ground beef (93/7) or substitute ground turkey or ground chicken. It’s even tasty with spicy pork sausage.
- Bell pepper – Use your favorite peppers. I prefer the red, orange, or yellow ones because they are sweeter, but the green ones are more budget friendly and add a little extra bite.
- Italian seasoning – You can make your own italian style seasonings at home if you can’t find any at the store. Substitute a combination of oregano and thyme.
- Diced tomatoes with peppers and onions – For added spice, substitute for diced tomatoes with green chilies or Rotel.
- Long grain white rice – You can also use brown rice if you prefer but you might need to adjust the broth amount and cook it for a little longer since brown rice, and even wild rice, takes longer to cook.
- 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.
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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 to a casserole dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Cook for 30 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring halfway through. 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 cooking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
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 more vegetable sides.
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. Transfer to a airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap.
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.
How To Freeze
Want to store your unstuffed pepper casserole for another busy day instead of eating it right away?
The best way is to make it as usual, but before baking, place in an airtight container and freeze.
When you’re ready to bake it, you can remove it from the freezer and thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, cook as directed. I would wait to add the cheese until after you thaw it.
Easy 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 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.
- 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 most popular recipes. With savory peppers, melted cheese, and a good combination of spices, this 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
- 14.5 ounces 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
- Switch out the rice in this recipe for cauliflower rice instead.
- Cook this recipe in a dutch oven for a one pot meal.
- Make this in a slow cooker for easier prep. 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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