Stuffed Pepper Casserole with Beef and Rice
Stuffed pepper casserole with ground beef, three bell peppers and rice that cooks right in the pan, baked under melted Colby Jack until bubbly.
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Stuffed pepper casserole gives you everything good about stuffed peppers and skips the twenty minutes of hollowing peppers out and standing them upright in a pan. Ground beef, diced bell peppers, rice and tomato all bake together in a 9×13, and the rice cooks right in the dish.
The rice goes in raw. That feels risky the first time, but a tightly covered pan holds steam, and 45 minutes at 375°F is exactly what a cup of long grain white rice needs to drink up the broth and tomato juice around it. It picks up the beef and pepper flavor while it does, which rice stirred in already cooked never manages.
So seal the foil right down onto the rim. The whole thing runs on trapped steam, and one loose corner lets enough escape to leave crunchy grains in the middle of an otherwise finished casserole.
Why You’ll Love This Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe
- No hollowing out peppers. No blanching, no hollowing, no trying to keep a stuffed pepper from tipping over in the pan.
- The rice cooks in the sauce. Raw rice absorbs the beef broth and tomato instead of arriving pre-cooked and bland, which is the whole reason this version tastes better than it should.
- Cheap ingredients, big pan. Ground beef, rice, a few peppers and two cans of tomato feed 8 people for a few dollars a plate.
- It reheats without falling apart. Rice-based casseroles hold up in lunch containers far better than pasta ones, so leftovers actually get eaten.
Stuffed Pepper Casserole Ingredients
Use plain long grain white rice, not instant and not short grain. Instant rice turns to mush inside a 45 minute bake, and short grain releases enough starch to make the whole pan gluey.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (85/15)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 bell peppers, diced into 1/2-inch pieces (any mix of colors)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Recipe Variations
- Use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the beef. Cook it to 165°F rather than 160°F, since poultry needs the higher temperature no matter how it’s ground.
- Make it southwestern. Swap the Italian seasoning for 2 teaspoons of chili powder and 1 teaspoon of cumin, add a drained 15 ounce can of black beans, and finish with cilantro instead of parsley.
- Go low carb by skipping the rice and the beef broth. Stir in 4 cups of riced cauliflower with the tomatoes and bake uncovered for 25 minutes instead of covered for 45.
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Brown the beef: Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef, and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking it apart, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Drain off the grease.
- Soften the peppers and onion: Add the onion and diced bell peppers to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, until they start to soften at the edges but still have some body. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Season and add the liquids: Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and smoked paprika. Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, the tomato sauce and the beef broth, and bring everything to a simmer.
- Stir in the raw rice: Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the uncooked rice, spreading it evenly through the mixture. Pour it all into the greased 9×13 and smooth the top.
- Bake covered: Cover the dish tightly with foil, pressing it down onto the rim to seal, and bake for 45 minutes. The rice should be tender all the way through and most of the liquid absorbed.
- Add the cheese: Uncover, scatter the Colby Jack evenly across the top, and bake uncovered for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges bubble.
- Rest and serve: Let the casserole stand 10 minutes so the rice finishes steaming and the cheese sets enough to scoop cleanly. Scatter the parsley over the top.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Use Cooked Rice in This Stuffed Pepper Casserole?
Yes, with two changes. Use 3 cups of cooked rice, cut the beef broth to 1/2 cup, and bake covered for only 20-25 minutes since nothing needs to hydrate. The flavor is milder because the rice never soaks up the sauce.
Why Is My Rice Still Crunchy?
Steam escaped. Either the foil wasn’t sealed to the rim or the dish came out early. Re-cover it, pour in 1/4 cup of hot broth, and put it back for another 10-15 minutes.
Can I Use Brown Rice?
You can, but it needs about an hour under foil and an extra 1/2 cup of broth. Check at 55 minutes and keep going in 10 minute stretches until it’s tender.
Do the Peppers Need to Be Peeled or Precooked?
Neither. Five minutes in the skillet and 45 minutes under foil is more than enough to get them fully tender, and the skins soften right along with them.
What Cheese Melts Best on Top?
Colby Jack is the standard because it melts smooth and stays mild. Sharp cheddar, mozzarella or a Mexican blend all work. Shred it off a block if you can, since bagged shreds are dusted with starch that can go grainy.
Cooking Tips
- Cut the peppers into 1/2 inch pieces, not big chunks. Anything larger stays crunchy in the middle of a covered bake and reads as undercooked next to the soft rice.
- Give the beef a full drain. Extra fat can’t evaporate under foil, so it pools at the bottom of the dish and the rice sits in grease instead of broth.
- Peek before you commit to the cheese. If the rice still has bite at 45 minutes, re-cover the dish for another 10 minutes before the cheese goes on, since cheese added early just browns while you wait.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Individual portions store better than the whole pan since the edges dry out less.
To freeze: It freezes for up to 3 months. Cool completely, then freeze in portions and thaw overnight in the fridge. The rice softens slightly on thawing, which nobody has ever complained about.
To reheat: Microwave portions with a tablespoon of broth or water stirred in, or warm a covered dish at 350°F for 20 minutes. Heat until it reaches 165°F throughout.
How to Serve Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Stuffed Pepper Casserole is a full plate on its own, so all it really needs is something crisp next to it. A romaine salad with vinaigrette, garlic bread for scooping, or roasted broccoli all work. A spoonful of sour cream and a few pickled jalapeños on top turn leftovers into a different dinner the second night.
Loved This Recipe?
Stuffed Pepper Casserole takes about ninety minutes, most of it hands-off in the oven, and it gets stuffed peppers on the table on a night you’d never actually make stuffed peppers.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Stuffed Pepper Casserole with Beef and Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef 85/15
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 bell peppers diced into 1/2-inch pieces, any mix of colors
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the beef: Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef, and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking it apart, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Drain off the grease.
- Soften the peppers and onion: Add the onion and diced bell peppers to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, until they start to soften at the edges but still have some body. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Season and add the liquids: Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and smoked paprika. Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, the tomato sauce and the beef broth, and bring everything to a simmer.
- Stir in the raw rice: Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the uncooked rice, spreading it evenly through the mixture. Pour it all into the greased 9×13 and smooth the top.
- Bake covered: Cover the dish tightly with foil, pressing it down onto the rim to seal, and bake for 45 minutes. The rice should be tender all the way through and most of the liquid absorbed.
- Add the cheese: Uncover, scatter the Colby Jack evenly across the top, and bake uncovered for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges bubble.
- Rest and serve: Let the casserole stand 10 minutes so the rice finishes steaming and the cheese sets enough to scoop cleanly. Scatter the parsley over the top.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
