Old fashioned stuffed green peppers are a wholesome, Sunday family dinner! Green bell peppers are stuffed with a cheesy, ground beef, rice and tomato sauce mixture. Gluten-free
I’ve been making this stuffed green peppers recipe for many years. Don’t get turned off by the long cook time because the prep is only about 15 minutes! It’s a wonderful Sunday family dinner much like a good meatloaf or slow cooker chili.
I just love the cheesy ground beef/rice mixture but, if you haven’t tried my Italian Stuffed Peppers with breading, you should take a look! It’s yummy!
I don’t use canned tomato soup for this recipe (or any for that matter.) I use canned tomato sauce which has a better homemade taste than canned soup. Also, adding olive oil to this recipe gives it great flavor.
Making this hearty recipe is not difficult although it may seem intimidating to a beginner cook. It’s made with basic ingredients and the prep is super easy!
Basically, you cook the ground beef mixture and then stuff it into green bell peppers that have been cleaned and their stems removed. Then, bake them for 1 hour and fifteen minutes or until a sharp knife easily pierces the skin of one of the green peppers.
I recommend using an 85% lean ground beef or higher. If you use a fattier one, than you should drain the grease after the meat is cooked and BEFORE adding the remaining ingredients in the instructions below.
Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, the price you pay is the same.
How to Make Stuffed Green Peppers with Mozzarella Cheese
First, you’ll want to get 5 medium sized green bell peppers or 6 large.
Then, you’ll make the ground beef mixture.
First add olive oil, chopped onions and minced garlic to a large frying pan.
Then, add the ground beef, worcestershire sauce, dried basil, salt and pepper to taste and tomato sauce. At this point, you can add instant rice (or cooked rice in a later step.) Cook for about ten minutes or until the beef is cooked and the sauce has thickened.
Meanwhile, clean the green bell peppers and remove the stems. You can do this before cooking the meat but, it’ll save you time if you do it while you’re waiting for the meat to cook. Place them in a baking dish but, oil spray it first.
Once the meat mixture is cooked, stir in the shredded mozzarella cheese. It’s at this point you would add in the cooked rice if you’re not using instant rice. It’ll look like the picture below. Doesn’t it look yummy?
Then, spoon the meat mixture into the the bell peppers and pack it down into the peppers.
Then, cover them with aluminum foil and bake at 375F for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the peppers are very soft but, not mushy. Use a sharp knife and pierce the pepper with it. It should go in really easy. Let them stand 5 minutes before serving.
What to serve with stuffed green peppers
It may be hard to come up with a side dish because this main dish already has meat, a starch and a vegetable but, I find that pasta is the best side dish. Garlic bread is also the perfect to serve with them! Find some others below.
- pasta
- buttered noodles
- mashed potatoes
- air fryer baked potatoes
- garlic bread
- salad
Can you freeze stuffed green peppers?
Yes. Place them in a plastic container, label them with the date and place them in your freezer for up to six months for maximum freshness.
Make these delicious and hearty Old Fashioned Stuffed Green Peppers for your family. It’s a comfort food meal everyone will enjoy.
You may also like:
Spicy BBQ Meatloaf with Smoky Sweet BBQ Sauce Topping
Ultimate Shepherds Pie with Beef and Pork
Zucchini Lasagna with Ground Beef
I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.
Old Fashioned Stuffed Green Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef 85% lean or higher
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 cup cooked rice or 1/2 cup of instant rice
- 15 oz Hunt's tomato sauce
- 4 large green bell peppers or 5 medium sized bell peppers
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 375F.
- Next, add oil to a large frying pan and turn heat to med/high. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook one to two minutes.
- Then, add the lean ground beef (NOTE: If using 73% lean, drain the grease in a colainder before adding the remaining ingredients.) Break up the ground beef into small pieces.
- Next, add the wocestershire sauce, dried basil, salt and pepper to taste, and instant rice (if using) to the ground beef. NOTE: If you're adding cooked rice, wait until a later step mentioned below. Cook on med/high until meat is browned and sauce has thickened (about 10 minutes.)
- Meanwhile, wash and remove stems from the green bell peppers. Oil spray a baking dish and place the peppers upright in a baking dish.
- Then, stir in mozzarella cheese and cooked rice (if using) into the cooked meat.
- Next, sprinkle some salt into the the empty peppers.
- Then, spoon the meat mixture into the peppers. Pack down the meat into the peppers.
- Next, cover the stuffed peppers with aluminum foil and bake at 375F for one hour and 15 minutes or until the peppers are very soft when pierced with a sharp knife. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
