Our Best Stuffed Peppers

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The only recipe you'll ever need for stuffed peppers.

Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Peppers in the dish ready to serve
Photo:

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless 

Active Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Servings:
6

Stuffed peppers are often a go-to dish for a hands-off weeknight meal. They're versatile, filled with a nourishing combination of protein and veggies, and they lend themselves to a wide range of filling options, such as our Turkey Stuffed Peppers.

This recipe is fantastically classic: Ground beef and red tomato sauce makes it cozy and hearty, while corn, beans, and taco seasoning give it some taco-night style flair.

Many recipes for stuffed peppers require blanching peppers first, but this recipe couldn't be easier: Simply covering the peppers and baking at a high temperature ensures that each pepper is fork tender and delicious. Learn how to make Our Best Stuffed Peppers.

Ingredients for Stuffed Peppers

Pick up the most beautiful peppers you can find, and then everything for the filling. Here's everything you'll need for this recipe.

  • Multicolored bell peppers: Not only will the presentation be pretty with multi-colored peppers, but you'll also have a nice range of flavors of pepper to contain the filling.
  • Kosher salt: Enhances the flavor of the filling.
  • Tomato sauce: Provides the base of the sauce that binds and coats the pepper filling. Use any tomato sauce you have on hand, whether plain or infused with your favorite herbs.
  • Taco seasoning mix: Adds classic taco seasoning flavors to the sauce.
  • Ground beef: Ground beef is a classic filling for stuffed peppers, and a lean 90/10 beef is best to keep fat drippings to a minimum within the pepper's filling.
  • Yellow onion: Brings a classic oniony aroma to the filling, as well as some extra texture and flavor. If you do not have a yellow onion, a sweet onion—or any onion—would do in a pinch.
  • Black beans: Add some extra protein and bring some varied texture to the filling.
  • Frozen corn: Provides pops of subtly sweet freshness—and color—to the filling.
  • White rice: This recipe calls for precooked microwavable rice, which makes this recipe work fast and easy. If you have leftover rice that's still good, however, you could also use it here.
  • Pre-shredded Mexican 3-cheese blend: Not only is pre-shredded cheese less work, but the fine shred on most 3-cheese blends will also more seamlessly integrate into the filling than fresh shredded cheese.
Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Bell Peppers ingredients

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Why Do Stuffed Peppers Take So Long To Cook?

Fibers of bell peppers can be tough, and depending on the cooking method for your stuffed peppers, it could take quite a while for them to break down. This recipe calls for a higher temperature, but it also calls to cover the peppers.

By covering the peppers during cooking, steam is trapped and collects moisture within the baking dish and the pepper, helping to steam and cook the peppers from the inside out (as well as the outside in). This results in a softer pepper in a shorter amount of time.

What To Serve With Stuffed Peppers

Ground beef, corn, and beans are hearty and filling, and a nice crisp, light, refreshing salad is the perfect accompaniment. Try a simple green salad with vinaigrette or a cucumber and tomato salad for fresh contrast.

How To Make Stuffed Peppers

Directions for making stuffed peppers are provided in detail below, but here's a little walk through of the important steps:

  • Step 1. Prepare the peppers: To prepare each pepper, remove and discard the interior seeds and membranes. Sprinkle the interior of the peppers with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt. You'll also stir together the tomato sauce and taco seasoning and set it aside until alter.
  • Step 2. Cook pepper filling: Heat oil in a large skillet, add beef, onion, and remaining salt. Once nice and browned, you'll add the beans, corn, and a cup of the tomato and taco seasoning mixture. Cook that mixture together until the sauce is mostly absorbeed, then remove it from the heat and stir in your precooked rice. Stuff your peppers evenly with the rice filling. Spoon the remaining sauce into the baking dish and arrange the filled peppers on top.
  • Step 3. Bake stuffed peppers: Cover the dish of peppers tightly with aluminum foil until they are fork tender, which should be about 35 to 45 minutes. Once they're tender, remove the aluminum foil and top each pepper with cheese and return them to the oven to bake until cheese is gorgeously melty.

How To Store Stuffed Peppers

If you have leftovers, the cooked stuffed peppers can last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or oven, but know that the peppers can fall apart as they sit and are reheated.

Can You Make Stuffed Peppers Ahead of Time?

Yes if you need to get ahead, the filling can be made the day before you plan to cook the meal, and the peppers can be stuffed the day of and sit in the fridge until time for the oven.

Editorial contributions by Catherine Jessee.

Ingredients

  • 6 large red, orange, yellow, or green bell peppers

  • 1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

  • 2 (15-oz.) cans tomato sauce

  • 1 (1-oz.) envelope taco seasoning mix

  • 1 lb. 90 /10 lean ground beef

  • 1 medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped (1 1/4 cups)

  • 1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed

  • 1 (8.8-oz.) pkg. precooked microwavable white rice

  • 4 oz. shredded Mexican 3-cheese blend (about 1 cup)

  • Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions

  1. Prepare peppers:

    Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut tops off peppers, and set aside. Remove and discard seeds from peppers; sprinkle interiors of peppers with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt.

    Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Peppers preparing the peppers

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

    Stir together tomato sauce and taco seasoning.

    Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Peppers preparing the tomato sauce

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  2. Cook beef mixture:

    Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add beef, onion, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until beef is browned, 6 to 7 minutes.

    Southern Living Stuffed Bell Peppers cooking the onions and beef

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

    Stir in beans, corn, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring often, until flavors meld and sauce is mostly absorbed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in rice until well combined.

    Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Peppers preparing the filling

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  3. Stuff peppers:

    Spoon about 1 cup of the rice mixture into each pepper. Spread remaining 2 cups sauce into skillet or a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add filled peppers to skillet or baking dish, tuck tops in between peppers.

    Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Peppers ready to bake

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

    Cover tightly with foil.

    Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Peppers covering the pan with foil

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  4. Bake peppers:

    Bake in preheated oven until peppers are fork-tender, 35 to 45 minutes.

    Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Peppers after baking before adding the cheese

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

    Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese blend.

    Southern Living Stuffed Bell Peppers sprinkling with cheese

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

    Bake until cheese has melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

    Southern Living Our Best Stuffed Peppers after baking with the cheese on top

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Additional reporting by
Catherine Jessee
Catherine Jessee
Catherine Jessee is an Assistant Digital Food Editor at Southern Living. She is a writer, editor, and recipe developer with a passion for Appalachian foodways, culture, and history. Prior to joining the Southern Living, Catherine tested and developed recipes for print and digital publications like EatingWell, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Serious Eats, Southern Living, and more.

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