Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers
on Sep 23, 2013, Updated Jul 06, 2024
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Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers are convenient, filling, and absolutely delicious! This vegetarian recipe is full of nutrient dense ingredients that come together to create a flavorful masterpiece the whole family will love
Stuffed bell peppers are a classic meal that should be added to your dinner rotation! They are easy to make, full of flavor, don’t cost much, and are very filling. I love being able to throw everything together in the slow cooker and then just walk away until it is dinner time.
One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to customize. We like to keep it simple, but you can get pretty creative with what you add to your stuffed bell peppers. Some of our favorite ingredients to add include ground beef or turkey, chopped black olives, green onion, etc. You can also top your bell peppers with guacamole, sour cream, and hot sauce.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The slow cooker makes it easy to prep the ingredients and leave it alone to cook.
- The stuffed bell peppers are bursting with flavor and are filling.
- You can modify this recipe to your preferences by adding or removing ingredients.
Recipe Ingredients
- Bell Peppers—Any color will work!
- Onion—Diced. You can use a white or yellow onion.
- Olive Oil—To cook your veggies.
- Fresh Minced Garlic—For a vibrant flavor, you can also use garlic powder.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese—For a delicious, gooey texture and sharp, rich flavor.
- Black Beans—Drained and rinsed.
- Quinoa—We love the flavor and texture of quinoa, but you can use rice as well.
- Corn—You can use frozen, freshly cut from the cob, or canned corn.
- Salsa—Feel free to grab your favorite kind!
- Cilantro—Chopped.
- Spices—A flavorful blend of salt, pepper, and cumin.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers
Step #1. Trim ½ inch from the top of each pepper, discard seeds and core. Remove stems, finely chop tops. Sauté chopped tops, onion, and olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
Step #2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked vegetable mixture, half of the cheese, black beans, quinoa, corn, salsa, half of the cilantro, and spices. Stir well to combine. Pack the filling evenly into each bell pepper.
Step #3. Pour water in the bottom of the slow cooker and place each pepper standing up in the bottom. Cover and cook until the peppers are tender.
Step #4. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly over the peppers, put the lid back on, and cook until the cheese melts. Remove the peppers from the slow cooker.
Recipe FAQs
Nope! You will not need to pre cook the quinoa for this recipe. There will be plenty of moisture in the slow cooker as well as in the bell peppers that will help the quinoa cook. It is a small grain and absorbs lots of water, so it will become perfectly cooked the longer it is in the slow cooker. If you decide to use rice, you will want to cook the rice before adding it to your bell peppers, since it can take longer and will need to be fully submerged in the water to cook correctly.
There might have been too much moisture in the slow cooker, or you cooked the peppers for too long. Only pour ⅓ cup of water into the slow cooker, even if it does not look like a lot. The peppers will release moisture as they cook so you do not need any more than that. Also be aware of how long they are cooking. If you set the temperature to high, try not to cook for longer than 3 to 4 hours. If you set the temperature to low, try not to cook for more than 4 to 5 hours. Keeping them in there longer than needed will cause them to become too soft.
How to Serve and Store Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers
While serving these bell peppers, you can add a variety of toppings such as chopped cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado, or hot sauce! These peppers are very filling on their own, but we also love to pair them with a side of homemade tortilla chips, fresh homemade bread and fresh vegetables like roasted carrots to complete this dish.
If you have any leftover cooked stuffed bell peppers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat the bell peppers in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warm throughout. Alternatively, you can place the peppers in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes to reheat them.
Expert Tips
- You will not need to cook the bell peppers beforehand because they will become nice and tender in the slow cooker!
- Try not to open the lid as the peppers cook, because this will drop the temperature inside the slow cooker, so just wait until the time is up!
- Any type of jarred salsa will taste great in this recipe. You can use mild to spicy, chunky or not, pick your favorite!
- If you want, you can add any type of ground meat to your stuffed peppers, just be sure to cook it first.
More Slow Cooker Recipes To Consider
Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker Beef Enchiladas
Slow Cooker Recipes
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Soups, Stews & Chowders
How to Make Chicken or Turkey Broth
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Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers with Quinoa, Black Beans, and Corn
Ingredients
- 4 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 can lack beans, rinsed, 15-ounce
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup corn, frozen or freshly cut from the cob
- 1 cup jarred tomato salsa
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Trim a 1/2 inch from the top of each pepper. Discard the seeds and core. Remove the stem from the pepper tops and then finely chop the pepper tops. Add the chopped pepper tops, onion, and olive oil to a small saute pan and cook over medium heat until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic the last minute of cooking and cook until fragrant.
- In a large bowl combine the cooked vegetable mixture, 1 cup of the cheese, black beans, quinoa, corn, salsa, half of the cilanto, and spices. Stir well to combine. Pack the filling evenly into each bell pepper.
- Pour 1/3 cup water in the bottom of the slow cooker and place each pepper standing up in the bottom. Cover and cook until the peppers are tender, 4 to 5 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly over the peppers, put the lid back on and cook until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Remove the peppers from the slow cooker and place on a serving dish. Sprinkle with remaining chopped cilantro and serve.
Can you please email your recipe to me? The site is not loading the ingredients or instructions and this is my favorite recipe! I should have printed it!
It was a glitch on my end and it’s all fixed now, the recipe should be in the post like normal! Holler if you need more help!
I tried this recipe last week and because our local farm only had very small peppers, I had quite a bit of the stuffing left over. I put it into a dish and stored it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Tonight, I took it out, put cheese on top and warmed it for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. We ate it on tortilla chips with salsa and sour cream and it was delicious. Next time we make it, we’ll leave the cheese off, letting those who so desire, add it to theirs individually,
and it becomes vegan for my niece to eat.
3 to 4 hours in a slowcooker v. 30 minutes in the oven??? Dont u think cooking in a “slowcooker” will make a considerable difference in the electric service/gas bill??? Ill go with the 30 minutes oven. Bless
I made these the other night in the oven,and they were delicious! I used red quinoa and it was delicious. Wish I could share my photos of it!
This is now part of my regular dinner routine. My boyfriend loved them!
Katie! I’d love to see a picture… I’m pretty sure you can share them on my FB page which I would LOVE! I’m not too much a quinoa ninja and have only tried the white. Is red the same? How is the flavor? I’m going to have to look for it! I’m so pleased you are getting good recipe inspiration too. Your comments totally made my day.
I just stopped by your Facebook and LIKED it. Although I can’t figure out how to make a post of the peppers I made?