This easy recipe for Italian Stuffed Peppers is loaded with tender rice, seasoned ground beef in a delicious tomato sauce. They’re finished with Parmesan cheese for a crisp topping that can’t be beat! Serve with warm Garlic Bread for the perfect weeknight meal!
Stuffed Peppers are an American classic. It’s one of those feel-good meals that just satisfies! I make my stuffed peppers Italian style with Italian flavors as well as the classic ingredients of rice and ground beef coated in a flavorful tomato sauce. I also start with oven-roasted peppers instead of the flavorless parboiled ones you see in so many
Why This Recipe Works
- Oven roasting the peppers keeps them from getting overcooked, losing flavor and helps them retain their shape for easy stuffing.
- Seasoning the peppers before roasting adds flavor, keeping them from being a bland shell to the delicious stuffing.
- Starting with Roasted Peppers keeps the baking time minimal keeping the stuffing from drying out.
- Topping with parmesan cheese adds a crunchy topping that’s the perfect Finishing touch!
What Peppers for Stuffed Peppers
Large bell peppers should be used for stuffed peppers. I use red, yellow, and orange because they are sweeter and milder than green, but if green peppers are your thing – go right ahead!
How to Make Italian Stuffed Peppers
Cook the rice until firm and just underdone. You want to stop the cooking process before just before it’s fully cooked to avoid it getting mushy. I do this by rining it with cold water, but you can cook it the day before and place it in the fridge until it’s needed.
To find the right pan, place the peppers in the pan and make sure they can sit snug next to each other. This will keep them from falling over when baking.
Start by preparing the peppers. Start by slicing the top off. Free the stem by cutting around for easy removal.
Place top side up in the pan, coat the inside with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Roast until just undercooked.
While the peppers are roasting, start the stuffing by cooking in olive oil until soft. Add garlic, cook another minute.
Add the meat and cook until browned.
Add the tomatoes, crush them with the spoon, and add the rice.
Add the herbs and taste for seasoning (adding more salt or pepper if needed). Divide evenly by spooning into the roasted peppers. Top with fresh parmesan cheese.
Bake until the tops are golden and crisp.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Cook the rice until just underdone to avoid it becoming mushy in the stuffing.
- Be sure not to cook the peppers completely when roasting. This can cause them to be overcooked once stuffed and collapse.
- Choose a pan that the peppers fit snug into so they don’t fall over when stuffed.
- Not a fan of beef? you can substitute the beef with ground turkey, chicken, or pork.
- Line the pan with nonstick foil for easy cleanup.
FAQs
Stuffed Peppers can easily be frozen. and a big time saver and an easy way to enjoy make ahead meals. Frozen stuffed peppers will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Bread can turn out hard if you use too much flour, overwork your dough, or use the wrong kind of flour. Overbaking can also be the culprit.
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Let’s Make Italian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup long-grain white rice cooked until just underdone (cooled)
- 6 bell peppers any color (large size)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced or thin sliced
- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
- 28 ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
- A good handful fresh parsley chopped
- 6-8 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- To prepare the peppers, trim about 1/4-inch from tops of bell peppers. Snip around the core and then remove it. Place snug into a baking dish just large enough to fit the peppers.
- Brush or spray the inside of each pepper with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the peppers until just undercooked and firm (about 15 minutes).
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent (around 4-5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Add beef season with salt and pepper then let cook until browned. Break up the beef and toss it with onions and continue to cook another 2 minutes, Remove from heat, drain off excess fat if necessary.
- Stir in tomatoes and crush them with a spoon or potato masher. Mix in the cooked rice, parsley, basil, and oregano.
- Taste for seasoning and if needed, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into the roasted peppers. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese bake 20-25 minute or until the peppers are tender and the tops are crisp and golden. Serve warm.
Tips + Notes
- Cook the rice until just underdone to avoid it becoming mushy in the stuffing.
- Be sure not to cook the peppers completely when roasting. This can cause them to be overcooked once stuffed and collapse.
- Choose a pan that the peppers fit snug into so they don’t fall over when stuffed.
- Not a fan of beef? you can substitute the beef with ground turkey, chicken or pork.
- Line the pan with nonstick foil for easy cleanup.
Tom Condon says
I’ve been searching for my entire life for a stuffed tomato recipe to try to replicate the dish served me as a kid in Rome.
While this recipe doesn’t EXACTLY try to match my search, it does look like a wonderful tomato-adjacent dish.
Erren's Kitchen says
We are so glad you found it! Please let us know if you give it a try! 😊
Gil says
DELICIOUS !
We’re cutting down on carbs so I prepared without the rice and incorporated Passata for canned tomatoes. A whole onion for 1lb of best quality meat was very yummy. Served with a generous side of salad.
Had some meat left over that i cooked in a separate dish at the same time with the peppers and today we’ll feast on a awesome sandwich.
It’s a keeper! in my kitchen.
Erren Hart says
Hi Gil, I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the dish and made some delicious modifications to suit your dietary preferences! Using Passata for tomatoes and adding a whole onion must have added fantastic flavor to the dish. Serving it with a generous side of salad sounds like a wonderful and well-balanced meal. And turning the leftovers into an awesome sandwich idea is simply brilliant! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and sharing your positive experience. Happy cooking and enjoy your sandwich feast! 🥪🍲🥗
Sheryl Ann Harris says
I found this to be very bland. I had to add alot of other spices to liven it up.
Erren Hart says
I’m sorry to hear that you found the stuffed peppers to be bland. Taste preferences can vary, and adding additional spices is a great way to customize the flavors to your liking. Feel free to experiment with different herbs, spices, or seasonings to enhance the taste and make it more flavorful to suit your palate. Thank you for your feedback, and I hope your modifications resulted in a delicious dish!
imsen says
Healthy and delicious. Also they freeze well for a make ahead meal.This is delicious! This will be made often!5 stars
Quick and Easy Family Recipes
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you so much for letting me know how much you liked the recipe, I hope you try some more! 🙂
Erren's Kitchen says
You’re so welcome! Thank you so much for trying it!