Bell peppers stuffed with seasoned ground beef, rice, tomato and Parmigiano — a complete one-dish dinner from a single tray.
Stuffed peppers are one of the great Italian-American comfort foods — a complete meal in an edible vessel. The filling combines lean ground beef with rice, tomato, garlic, herbs and Parmigiano, simmered briefly before stuffing into halved bell peppers and baking until the peppers are tender and the cheese topping is bubbling.
Serves 4
Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes. Brush cut sides with olive oil and place cut-side up in a baking dish.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook 6 minutes, breaking up, until browned. Drain excess fat if needed.
Add onion to the beef and cook 4 minutes until soft. Add garlic, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook 60 seconds.
Stir in uncooked rice, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and beef stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 12 minutes — rice should be partially cooked but not fully.
Off the heat, stir in half the Parmigiano. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Spoon filling into pepper halves. Top with the remaining Parmigiano and the mozzarella. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 190°C for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes until peppers are tender and cheese is golden bubbling.
Rest 5 minutes. Top with fresh basil. Serve with crusty bread or a green salad.
Halve the peppers lengthwise — easier to stuff and cook more evenly than whole peppers.
Pre-cook the rice partially in the filling — fully cooking it first makes the result mushy.
Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes to steam-cook the peppers tender.
Vegetarian: substitute lentils or quinoa + crumbled feta for the ground beef.
Mexican Stuffed Peppers: substitute black beans + corn + cumin + chili powder; top with cheddar.
Greek Stuffed Peppers: add chopped olives, oregano, lemon zest; substitute feta for Parmigiano.
Turkish Style (Biber Dolması): substitute lamb mince, currants, pine nuts, cinnamon and parsley.
Refrigerate up to 4 days. Freeze stuffed unbaked peppers for 3 months — bake from frozen, adding 20 minutes.
Stuffed peppers exist in many cultures — biber dolma in Turkey, papryka faszerowana in Poland, peperoni ripieni in southern Italy. The Italian-American version, with rice and ground beef, became popular in mid-20th-century US households as bell peppers became affordable year-round.
Not strictly necessary — covering with foil during baking steams the peppers tender. Some recipes parboil for 5 minutes; this gives a slightly softer pepper but is an extra step. Foil-covered baking is reliable.
Long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine) is ideal — cooks evenly, doesn't go gluey. Short-grain rice gets mushy. Brown rice needs pre-cooking before stuffing — uncooked brown rice won't soften enough during baking.
Yes — ground turkey or chicken works perfectly. Reduce cooking time slightly as poultry overcooks faster. Add an extra tablespoon of olive oil since turkey is leaner.
Either undercooked (need more covered baking time) or the peppers were under-ripe. Fully ripened bell peppers cook tender in 30 minutes covered. Green peppers stay slightly firmer than red/yellow.
Per serving (420g / 14.8 oz) · 4 servings total
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