This stuffed peppers recipe is an easy, healthy and hearty dinner your whole family will love. A flavorful beef & rice filling is topped with cheese and baked in bell peppers.
Begin by cooking the rice according to package instructions. White rice takes about 25 minutes, brown rice takes about 45 minutes. Be sure to measure it after cooking, for some brands, 1 cup uncooked rice yields 2 cups of cooked rice. For others, 1 cup uncooked rice yields more than 2 cups cooked rice. You will use 2 cups of rice in this recipe.
Pre-bake the peppers
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
Grease a baking dish and set aside.
Cut whole bell peppers in half lengthwise, then remove the seeds and core from each half, carefully.
Place the bell pepper halves open side up on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.
Bake 15 minutes (baking time depends on thickness of your peppers) in preheated oven until they just begin to become soft. Remove from oven and set aside.
Make the filling.
Add the ground beef, onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic to a 5-quart Dutch oven or sauce pan. Cover and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft., stirring often and breaking up the ground beef into small pieces,
Turn heat to medium-low and stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, cumin, coriander salt and pepper
Turn off heat and add cooked rice and stir until combined.
Taste filling and adjust salt/pepper/seasonings to your liking.
Assemble the stuffed peppers
Add about ½ cup of filling to each bell pepper half (or as much as can fit without overflowing).
Top each filled bell pepper with about 2 TBS cheddar cheese.
Bake peppers in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Remove from oven and serve.
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Notes
Ingredient Substitutions/NotesWhite rice. You can use leftover cooked rice. If cooking your own, use any rice you prefer - white, brown, wild, etc. Just remember that cooking brown or wild rice takes about twice the amount of time as cooking white rice.Bell Peppers. Use your favorite color or a variety.Ground beef. Ground turkey is a great substitute.Diced tomatoes. You can use crushed if you prefer.Worcestershire sauce. BBQ sauce is a good substitute.Cheddar Cheese. I prefer a sharp cheddar - you can use your favorite cheese variety such as mozzarella, Colby Jack, gouda, etc.Store/FreezeStore leftovers in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for 2 months.Reheat in the oven set to warm, or in the microwave.