If you love stuffed bell peppers, you’re going to love this stuffed pepper casserole. Made with ground beef, bell peppers, rice, spices, and ooey-gooey mozzarella cheese, this casserole is a one-pan meal the whole family is sure to love. Not to mention, it makes plenty of servings so you’ll have leftovers for days to come.
Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole
Perhaps it’s the cold winter weather, but I’ve been making a lot of casseroles lately. Not only are they the stick-to-your-ribs kind of food I crave when the temperature drops, but they are so easy to make and make so many servings in one simple dish. Just whip up a casserole, slice it up, serve it up and store leftover servings in the fridge or freezer so they are ready to go whenever you need them.
Although casseroles get a bad rap for being high-carb, high-fat, or a little extra indulgent, that is certainly not the case. Of course, the canned soup casseroles of the 70s and 80s are not the most ideal choices, given they are mostly made of processed food, but real food-based casseroles, like this stuffed bell pepper casserole, can be a healthy and well-balanced meal. In fact, this stuffed pepper casserole is high in protein, rich in fiber, and filled with healthy fats making it a great choice for lunch or dinner.
More Healthy Casserole Recipes:
- Chicken Burrito Casserole
- Mexican Baked Rice Casserole
- Baked Chicken & Rice Pilaf Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
This stuffed pepper casserole is a one-pan version of stuffed bell peppers. Although this recipe is made with ground beef it could easily be made with ground turkey or ground chicken as well.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 50 minutes
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Total Time: 1 hour
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Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Category: Mains
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Method: Baked
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 bell peppers, mixed colours, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white rice, basmati or jasmine, dry
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 150 grams mozzarella cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a cast-iron skillet or large pan, warm olive oil on medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook for 5-6 minutes, until mostly browned with a few pink bits remaining, then add onion and garlic and cook until the beef is completely browned and cooked through.
- Once cooked, transfer the meat mixture to a large baking dish (I used 9 x 13 inch) along with diced bell peppers, rice, oregano, basil, chili flakes and salt and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir to combine. Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and beef broth and stir again until everything is well incorporated.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and then transfer to the oven to bake for 50-60 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Once complete, remove baking dish from the oven, remove the aluminium foil, and sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.
- Return the baking dish to the oven for a final 5-10 minutes until cheese has melted and is slightly golden.
- The casserole can be served immediately or cooled completely and then stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 342 calories
- Sugar: 11 grams
- Fat: 6 grams
- Carbohydrates: 43 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein: 31 grams
This was very easy to make and quite tasty. I used regular rice and u it turned out fine. Found it a bit liquid so would drain the diced tomatoes. Lots leftover
Will definitely make again.
Easy to make & super delicious!
I added ground sausage and eliminated the crushed tomatoes & it turned out perfectly.
We’ve made this at least three times now and I’ve shared the recipe with all my friends and family.
Huge hit!
I’m not a fan of stuffed peppers but this recipe is DELICIOUS! It’s a deconstructed version and very yummy, especially the day after. There is some time to be spent chopping veggies, cooking the mean and putting it all together before it spends another 75 minutes in the oven. I will make this one again. It was a hit with the whole family.
We REALLY enjoyed this fast and easy recipe.
My family really enjoys this dish, I make it regularly. I use spicy cheese on the top.
I used this recipe twice now. The outcome was delicious, however it seemed to take longer to bake then mentioned In the directions. Both times the rice was hard and the casserole was not done. ( this was done in 2 different ovens, so I don’t think the oven was off. Also I double checked the ingredients to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes ). I turned the oven up to 425 and removed the aluminum foil to get the casserole to absorb the juices. It took another 1/2 hour to complete, before adding the cheese. Next time I plan to use minute rice as I know it will done. Other than that, the casserole was delicious!
This is delicious! I did find I needed to cook it longer than indicated in the recipe, and will keep that in mind for next time. My 3.5 and 1 year old loved it as well! Can’t wait to make it again.
I’ve made this twice. It’s very good! I changed a few things: used fire roasted tomatoes and stewed Italian tomatoes instead of diced & crushed, and added a can of corn. I used minute rice, so there is quite a bit of excess liquid, even after 60 minutes in the oven. I just uncovered it and baked it another 30 minutes then put the cheese on it and baked it awhile more till the cheese turned gold. Makes two nice sized casseroles.
I was thinking after reading comments about the rice taking too long to cook?
What if you cooked the rice first? I was even thinking of using brown rice? Cooked .
I wouldn’t recommend using cooked rice, it will end up for too mushy. If you cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil (some people forget to do this), the rice will cook evenly, although exact cooking time can vary slightly to due oven temperatures. To use brown rice, you’d need to significantly increase the cooking time – perhaps even double it – because brown rice takes longer to cook than rice, for that reason I wouldn’t recommend it.
Amazing!! I added a can of corn to mine. I also cooked it covered for an additional 20 minutes as the rice wasn’t quite done and there was a lot of liquid. I will definitely make it again. If you like meat, I would double the ground beef. I’m going to try that next time. Great recipe!
This was great! I also found that it needed about an extra 45 min to make sure the rice was cooked and liquid absorbed, but still delicious! Also added some chopped Zuchinni for a few extra veggies. Will for sure make again!
Thanks for sharing! The additional cooking time required will likely have been due to the addition of the zucchini, given they have a high water content and therefore added additional liquid that needed to be absorbed, but happy it turned out and you enjoyed it!
I made 4 of these casseroles and froze for when we had a baby! Super awesome and simple
I’m so happy to hear it and I hope you enjoy it when the baby comes! (And congratulations!)
So so good! It tastes exactly like stuffed peppers! I would love to know how much is considered one serving. Thanks for a great recipe!!!
I’m so happy you liked it, thanks for sharing!
I made the stuffed pepper casserole tonight. Very good! With the inclusion of oregano and herbs, it tasted less like a Mexican dish, which was a pleasant change.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you!
Made this with cauliflower rice and reduced the liquid – tasted exactly like the stuffed peppers my parents used to make 👌.
So happy you liked it and love the cauliflower rice swap, thank you for sharing! 🙂
So yummy! Love making a double recipe and freezing one. Kid approved!
I’m so happy you like it and love the idea of making a double batch. Thank you for sharing!
Love this casserole it has become a weekly staple delious
Made this for a girls’ dinner with a side salad and roasted carrots. I added mushrooms and a can of black beans. Delicious!!! Will for sure make again. I did listen to reviews and baked it for an extra 20 minutes. Came out perfect. Leftovers were just as delicious.
Happy you enjoyed it, Karin, thanks for sharing!
I make this as a soup in my instant pot, but I leave out the cheese to put on top when I serve into a bowl. I browned my meat in the instant pot, add all your spices, add five cups broth, one small can of tomato paste, two cans of 15 oz tomatoes (diced, sauce, whatever you have), three or four cut up peppers (I prefer red, yellow, and orange), 3/4 of a cup of rice uncooked.
Then set your IP for 10 minutes and it’s done!
I’ve made this many times and it’s always a crowd pleaser.
Thank you so much for sharing your Instant Pot instructions! Much appreciated and so happy you like it. 🙂
Oh my goodness this was amazing. Ok a bit of extra liquid but as it sat it was absorbed. It was flavorful and filling. I’m not usually a leftovers person but I’m looking forward to warming it for lunch tomorrow.
I’m so happy that you liked it, thank you so much for sharing, and enjoy the leftovers! 🙂
This was absolutely delicious! Easy to make and fantastic for freezing for lunches!
Hits all three marks: easy, healthy, delicious! The whole family loves it, it’s a part of our regular rotation, thanks for the recipe!
My fav recipe – EVER – and I make it every week!!
So happy you like it, Leah, thank you for sharing!
My whole family LOVED these and I loved how easy they were to make! I will be making them again and again! Would LOVE a version with brown rice and maybe another veggie added too like zucchini!
Thank you so much for sharing, Kelsey!
This was absolutely delicious, and filling. It was comfort food at its best. I did substitute the ground beef with ground turkey as that is what I had on hand. My husband totally loved it. Many thanks, Stephanie for another winner!
Thanks for sharing, Carine!
Loved this meal! Prepared and cooked just as stated, and it was delicious!