Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers – A Stuffed Pepper with Cooked Rice and Ground Beef

Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe is a simple stuffed pepper recipe with cooked rice and ground beef.  With only five ingredients, including a simple tomato sauce, this basic recipe is anything but simple in flavor.

Am I the only one that feels like keeping up with summer produce is a full time job?  I can easily spend an entire morning or day making recipes to use up zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, etc. I’m not complaining, just saying it can be somewhat exhausting in a good way.

Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers

I just can’t pass up the box of beautiful green bell peppers at the farmers market for only a couple dollars. My son Sam eats one to two bell peppers by himself on the days he is home with me.

So I stock up, but I still have too many green peppers on hand. To remedy the situation, I searched for a quick and easy stuffed green pepper recipe in my cookbooks. I hit the jackpot when I opened up my Amish Cook Book.

Simple Stuffed Pepper Recipe

What I love about Amish cooking is that the recipes are all fairly simple.  For example, this Stuffed Pepper recipe with ground beef, rice and tomato sauce only has 5 ingredients in total.

This simple stuffed green pepper recipe has multiple aspects that point to its simplicity and easiness to make.

• The hamburger does not get cooked before stuffing the pepper; keep it raw.
• White rice is cooked before stuffing which means you can use leftover white rice.
• The green peppers do not get boiled before stuffing like some recipes call for.
• Canned tomato sauce makes the perfect, easy sauce.

Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers Ingredient List

• Green Peppers, tops removed with seeds discarded
• Hamburger (lean ground beef), raw
• Onions, diced (optional)
• White Rice, cooked
• Large Egg
• Salt and Black Pepper
• Tomato Sauce

Optional Ingredients

Here are a few additions that could be added to the stuffing if desired.

• Shredded Cheese (shredded mozzarella cheese or shredded cheddar cheese)
• Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic Powder
• Chili Powder or Cumin
• Dried herbs (parsley, oregano, basil, etc.)

How to Make Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef, Rice and Tomato Sauce

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking dish that fits the stuffed peppers with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Remove the tops and inside membranes of the bell peppers. Wash and dry.
3. In a large bowl, stir together raw hamburger, cooked rice, egg, diced onions and salt and pepper.
4. Stuff bell peppers with hamburger mixture leaving room at the top for sauce.
5. Place in prepared dish.
6. Pour tomato sauce into the top of each bell pepper.
7. Bake for 1 hour. The peppers should be tender and the meat cooked through.

Equipment

Gather your pantry ingredients and kitchen tools to make these old-fashioned stuffed green peppers. I personally love using a rice cooker to make this step fail-proof.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For the full ingredient amounts instructions for quick stuffed peppers, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

• I used green peppers but any color bell peppers would work.
• There’s no need to boil the peppers; instead, just cut off the top, remove the seeds and wash and dry the pepper.
• Use cooked rice; go ahead and use leftover cooked rice if you have it.
• The ground beef is raw; do not precook.
• Pick out a baking dish that allows the peppers to stand upright without too much extra room. I like to use a tall, round dish.  If needed, slice off a tiny bit of the bottom of the pepper to allow the pepper to sit upright.
• Depending on the size of the bell peppers, you may need 3 to 4. I had extra large ones, so I had enough filling for 3.
• Leave a little room at the top of the pepper after filling with the ground beef mixture for the sauce.
• Have a large family? Double this recipe.
• Check out our Amazon Store for our favorite items, including a rice cooker…we LOVE it!

Recipe Variations

• Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
• Try any large bell peppers you can find including red bell pepper or orange bell peppers.
• Make these classic stuffed peppers Italian by added herbs such as oregano and basil or an Italian seasoning blend.
• Instead of rice, try cooked quinoa or any other cooked grain.
• Disassemble all the ingredients to make a pepper soup instead.
• Top with a thin slice of mozzarella, and broil for a couple minutes right before serving.

Garden Recipes with Ground Beef

We love combining our fresh garden produce with a pound of ground beef to create a quick, easy and healthy dinner.

• Ground Beef Stuffed Yellow Squash
• Bacon Cheeseburger Squash Casserole
• Layered Garden Casserole with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Linking up to Weekend Potluck.