All the flavor of stuffed peppers without the work: Stuffed Pepper Casserole understood the assignment.

Cheesy beef and vegetable baked casserole in cast iron skillet.

My sweet Grandma always made her well-loved stuffed peppers every year when her large garden yielded big bell peppers. The savory filling and slightly sweet sauce was soooo good. Even as a picky eater kid, I loved this dish. When I was an adult, I tried to make her recipe a couple of times. But the work involved! Yikes. Definitely not a weeknight dish. Enter Stuffed Pepper Casserole. It’s a game-changer.

When you think about it, there are lots of deconstructed dishes that are popular. Tacos become nachos, chicken and dumplings become chicken pot pie, and so on. Stuffed Pepper Casserole is just another example. Not having to individually stuff each pepper half cuts out a lot of preparation. And you still get the great flavors and filling taste of stuffed peppers.

You will love Stuffed Pepper Casserole if you want a hearty, tasty meal that can be easily put together on a weeknight or meal prepped ahead of time. The seasoned rice and beef mixture, bright bell pepper flavor, and tomato are all there. Topped with cheese, it is a one-pot meal that is flavorful without being spicy. Leftovers taste great, too! If there are any.

Bell Pepper 101

Bell peppers are easy to grow and even easier to buy in the produce section of your grocery store! Their mild but still flavorful taste makes them versatile for a number of dishes: fajitas, pepper steak, and even served raw on relish trays. Your grocery store probably sells at least four colors of peppers, especially in the summer when they are in season: green, red, orange, and yellow. Are they all the same? Fun fact: red, orange, and yellow peppers were all green peppers at one point. Green peppers, when left on the vine, ripen into other colors and get sweeter as they ripen. So the red, orange, and yellow peppers have a sweeter taste, slightly more nutritional value, and, because the farmers have to care for them longer than the green ones, a higher price.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
1 cup long grain white rice
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
Parsley, chopped for garnish

Fresh bell peppers, onions, garlic, ground meat, rice, and seasonings for homemade stuffed peppers recipe.

How to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spatula, until browned.

Ground beef cooking in a black skillet on a white countertop.

Step 2: Drain excess fat from the skillet. Stir in the diced onion and bell peppers, cooking for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened.

Sautéed ground beef with chopped onions and colorful bell peppers in a cast iron skillet.

Step 3: Mix in minced garlic, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper, and cook for another 30 seconds.

Seasoned ground beef with chopped bell peppers and onions in a skillet.

Step 4: Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, rice, and beef broth to the skillet. Stir well to combine.

Steaming beef and vegetable stir-fry with rice in a black skillet, ready to serve.

Step 5: Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the skillet with a lid (or aluminum foil if using a casserole dish).

Step 6: Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Step 7: Remove the skillet from the oven, uncover, and sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.

Baked cheesy casserole with ground meat and melted cheddar cheese in a skillet.

Step 8: Place the skillet back in the oven, under the broiler, for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Step 9: Garnish the casserole with chopped parsley before serving.

Cheesy beef and vegetable baked casserole in a cast iron skillet with melted cheese and fresh herbs.

FAQs & Tips

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Stuffed Pepper Casserole is super easy to make ahead. Prepare as directed, except do not bake. Let the dish cool and wrap in foil. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to a month. If freezing, allow the casserole to thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake as directed. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for 4-5 days or frozen for up to a month.

Why did my peppers turn mushy after baking?

They may have been chopped too finely. Leave them bite-sized but not totally diced. If they are chopped too small, they will cook down too much. Since they’re a main component of this dish, it’s ok to leave them a little bit big, but not so big that you have to cut them to eat a bite of the casserole. In contrast, you can dice the onions as finely as you’d like, particularly if you have picky eaters. The smaller the onion pieces, the easier they blend in with the rest of the ingredients!

I don't have an ovenproof skillet; what should I do for Step 6?

If you don’t have a skillet that can go in the oven, simply transfer the contents of the skillet into a greased 9×13 casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. To save a step, you can even go ahead and add the cheese; just be sure to give the underside of the foil a spray of nonstick canola oil before placing on top of the casserole dish.

Savory breakfast casserole with cheese, ground beef, and vegetables in a cast-iron skillet.

Serving Suggestions

Even though Stuffed Pepper Casserole has meat, veggies, and starch all in one pot, you can always complement it with a simple green salad. Another idea is to serve it with Jenny’s Cornbread, a Baked Bree favorite. The nice part of Stuffed Pepper Casserole is that leftovers taste great the next day, so even if you’re cooking for one or two, it’s a dish that holds up for lunches or dinners the next day.

Savory beef and vegetable casserole topped with melted cheese, served in a black skillet for comforting family meals.

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Amy Golden

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Course dinner

Cuisine international

Servings servings

Calories 430 kcal

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 yellow onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green bell pepper diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
1 cup long grain white rice
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese mix of cheddar and mozzarella
Parsley chopped for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spatula, until browned.
Drain excess fat from the skillet. Stir in the diced onion and bell peppers, cooking for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened.
Mix in minced garlic, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper, and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, rice, and beef broth to the skillet. Stir well to combine.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the skillet with a lid (or aluminum foil if using a casserole dish).
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Remove the skillet from the oven, uncover, and sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.
Place the skillet back in the oven, under the broiler, for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Garnish the casserole with chopped parsley before serving.