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This easy Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole combines all the delicious flavors of traditional stuffed peppers in one convenient dish. It’s a hearty, cheesy casserole with all the classic flavors of stuffed peppers—without the fuss! Easy to prep, family-friendly, and packed with savory goodness.
🫑 Unlike traditional stuffed peppers that require individual assembly, this one pot casserole lets you dump everything together and bake. No fussy stuffing or complicated prep work required – just mix, top with cheese, and let the oven do the work!
My 2 Best Tips For Making Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole
Cooking Rice: Always rinse your long grain rice before using to remove excess starch; I actually rinse all rice. This prevents the casserole from becoming gummy and ensures each grain cooks up fluffy and separate. If you want to use brown rice, plan on adding a bit more liquid and cooking it longer (see notes in the recipe card!)
Don’t Skip Browning: Taking time to properly brown the ground beef and soften the vegetables builds crucial flavor foundations. Cook until the beef loses its pink color and the bell peppers start to become tender before adding seasonings.
🩷 Melissa
This dish was really easy and all of my kids liked it! I think chopping the peppers and onions fairly small and very uniformly helped them to not notice them as much.
This casserole reheats beautifully and tastes even better the next day. Make it ahead for busy weeknights, or double the recipe to have delicious leftovers throughout the week.
Whether you prefer red bell peppers, yellow bell pepper, or green bell peppers, this recipe works with any combination.
You can easily swap ground beef for turkey, add extra vegetables, or adjust the spice level to suit your family’s tastes.
Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 large bell peppers, diced (any color)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2½ cups beef broth
- 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice, rinsed
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef, bell peppers, and onion over medium-high heat until the beef is browned and the vegetables begin to soften, about 7–9 minutes.
- Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook for another 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in the beef broth, fire-roasted tomatoes (with juices), and rinsed rice. Mix well to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can swap the ground beef for ground turkey or sausage.
- Make it spicy by adding red pepper flakes or diced jalapeños.
- For extra veggies, add chopped zucchini, mushrooms, or spinach with the peppers and onions.
- You can use any other cheese that you like or have on hand. Pepper jack would be really good on this!
- If you can’t find the fire-roasted tomatoes, regular diced tomatoes work, but the fire-roasted variety makes a noticeable difference.
Nutrition
How To Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe
Step 1: Cut up veggies, preheat the oven to 375°F, and grease a casserole dish with oil or cooking spray.
Step 2: Cook the ground beef, bell peppers, and onion until the beef is browned and the vegetables begin to soften, about 7–9 minutes. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Stir and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 3: Stir in the beef broth, fire-roasted tomatoes with juices, and rinsed rice. Mix well to combine. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
Step 4: Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
While this recipe is designed for the oven, you can adapt it for a slow cooker. Brown the meat and vegetables first, then transfer everything to your slow cooker with slightly less broth (about 2 cups instead of 2½). Cook on low for 4-5 hours until the rice is tender, then add cheese in the last 15 minutes.
This unstuffed pepper casserole contains all the same delicious flavors as a traditional stuffed pepper recipe but in an easier, family-friendly format. Instead of hollowing out whole peppers and stuffing them individually, everything is diced and baked together in one dish.
Yes, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking method. Brown rice takes longer to cook, so either pre-cook it partially before adding to the casserole, or increase the liquid to 3 cups and extend the baking time by 20-30 minutes, checking periodically.
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