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These Healthy Stuffed Peppers are a classic stuffed peppers recipe made with ground beef, rice, tomato sauce, and cheese. They make for an easy great weekday dinner and are wonderful as leftovers as well.

Healthy Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice in a pan fresh out of the oven.

Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite comfort food recipes. You’ve got veggies and beef and rice all in one spot. They are warm and delicious, and they taste amazing with a salad on the side. They can also be easily tweaked to work with whatever ingredients you have on hand.

Speaking of comfort food, try my potato soup or butternut squash chili for all the comfort food vibes.

Up close photo of stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice with melted cheese on top.

Why this recipe works

  • This recipe is a delicious high protein meal that keeps you satisfied and full.
  • It is easier to make than it looks, and is an impressive gourmet meal.
  • This recipe is naturally gluten free.
  • It is easy to customize. You can omit the cheese to make it dairy free. You can omit the rice and use quinoa instead.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients needed to make stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice.
  • Bell peppers– any color bell pepper can be used here. Red, yellow and orange are more sweet than green.
  • Garlic– this helps to season the meat sauce.
  • Shallot– this also helps to season the meat sauce.
  • Ground beef– use a good quality organic ground beef if you can find it.
  • Dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley– these herbs help season the meat and the meat sauce.
  • Paprika-you can use smokey or sweet paprika, based on your tastes.
  • Tomato paste– this flavors the meat and adds tomato flavor to the sauce.
  • Marinara sauce– any good quality tomato basil sauce works great here.
  • White rice– this recipe calls for uncooked rice that you cook prior to using. You can also use leftover rice if you have that.
  • Shredded Parmesan– this is sprinkled on top of the stuffed peppers.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/ Substitutions

  • Instead of shallots, you can use regular onions.
  • Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey.
  • Instead of marinara sauce, you can use strained tomatoes or any type of tomato sauce of your choice ( like arrabiata sauce).
  • Instead of white rice, you can use brown rice or quinoa.
  • Instead of Parmesan, you can shredded cheddar or Swiss.

Step by step instructions

Bell peppers on a pan.
Step 1

Step 1: Cut the bell peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Then place them open side up in the pan. Set them aside.

Start cooking the white rice.

Onion and garlic in a pan being cooked.
Step 2

Step 2: Sautée the garlic and shallot in a pan.

Ground beef being browned in a pan.
Step 3:

Step 3: Add the ground beef to the pan and break it up into small pieces. Add the dried basil, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, paprika, and parsley. Mix and cook until the meat is cooked through.

Tomato paste added to ground beef in a pan.
Step 4

Step 4: Add tomato paste to the meat and mix.

Tomato sauce added to ground beef in a pan.
Step 5

Step 5: Add the marinara to the pan and mix.

Cooked rice added to meat sauce in a pan.
Step 6

Step 6: Add the cooked white rice to the sauce and mix.

Peppers stuffed with meat and rice sauce.
Step 7

Step 7: Scoop the meat and rice mixture into the bell peppers.

Cheese sprinkled on top of stuffed peppers before baking.
Step 8

Step 8: Sprinkle shredded Parmesan on top.

Stuffed peppers recipe with rice and ground beef baked in the oven.
Step 9

Step 9: Cover the pan in aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Then bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

How do you store these peppers?

In an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Should peppers be precooked before stuffing?

It depends how you cut your peppers. If you cut the tops off and then stuff them standing up, then yes, you need to precook them. But if you cut them lengthwise, ( like in this recipe), then you do not need to.

What do you eat with stuffed peppers?

I like eating these with a side salad or with veggies like green beans, asparagus, and broccoli.

Healthy stuffed peppers with melted cheese on top freshly cooked.

Other ground beef recipes you’ll love

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

5 from 3 votes

Healthy Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice

Servings: 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Healthy Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice in a pan fresh out of the oven.
A classic stuffed peppers recipe made with ground beef, rice, tomato sauce, and cheese. They make for an easy great weekday dinner and are wonderful as leftovers as well.

Ingredients 

  • 4 bell peppers
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced ( or 1/2 of an onion)
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups marinara , any tomato basil sauce will do, or strained tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Cook rice according to instructions. For me this means cooking 1/2 cup white rice in 1 cup water and cooking until the water is absorbed.
  • Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds inside the peppers and throw them away. Place them open side up in a  9” x13" pan.
  • Put the diced garlic, diced onion and olive oil into a large sauté pan. Heat over medium heat. Mix and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef and break it up into small pieces. Then add the dried basil, dried oregano, salt, ground black pepper, paprika, and parsley and mix into the meat. Cook the meat until it has browned, about 7- 10 minutes. 
  • Add the tomato paste to the pan and mix. Then, add 2 cups of marina sauce to the pan. Mix again. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add the cooked rice to the mixture.
  • Spoon the meat and rice mixture into each pepper. Top each pepper with shredded Parmesan.
  • Cover the pan with aluminum, then bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes. ( Note if any cheese comes off on the foil, sprinkle a little more on top of the peppers)
  • Optional- broil for one minute at the end.

Notes

  • Instead of shallots, you can use regular onions.
  • Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey.
  • Instead of marinara sauce, you can use strained tomatoes or any type of tomato sauce of your choice ( like arrabiata sauce).
  • Instead of white rice, you can use brown rice or quinoa.
  • Instead of Parmesan, you can shredded cheddar or Swiss.

Nutrition

Calories: 534kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 29gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 1541mgPotassium: 1133mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 4668IUVitamin C: 165mgCalcium: 224mgIron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
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12 Comments

  1. These look so good! It’s almost midnight here and your photos are making me hungry. Such vibrant colors.

  2. Your pictures are totally making my stomach growl! Those peppers look so fresh and that filling looks fantastic. Thanks for this recipe!!

  3. Thanks!! I’ve found the best Whole30 recipes are the ones that just happen to be whole30 compliant without meaning to. 🙂 Let me know if you make these!

  4. Yay! Happy to hear it. If I ever have a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in the fridge, I always add them.

  5. Oh my gosh these look so tasty!! I shouldnt be looking at these right before dinner! Your making me hungry haha. Im going to be trying the recipie very very soon!!!