These Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice are an easy weeknight meal that I think you're going to love. Seasoned with cumin, paprika, dried oregano, and chilli powder, they integrate taco-inspired flavours with black beans and salsa.
These ground beef stuffed peppers are absolutely fantastic. They're simple to assemble and create a super tasty, easy meal. I love prepping them for the week so I can then heat them up when I need something in 5 minutes.
If you love stuffed recipes, check out my ground turkey stuffed peppers with a Mediterranean twist, my ground chicken stuffed peppers with buffalo and cheese sauce, my stuffed air fryer salmon with spinach and cream cheese, they are great recipes for when you need something simple and delicious!
For those of you with lots of leftover peppers, a great way to use them up is by making my roasted red pepper pasta sauce or my roasted red pepper chicken. They are great midweek dinner recipes!
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ABOUT EMILY'S RECIPE
Texture: The pepper is al dente, so slightly soft on the outside and lightly crunchy on the inside. You've then got the filling which is light but full of ingredients that have a variety of textures from the beans to the rice.
Taste: we're using Mexican flavours so expect fresh, spicy, and herbaceous flavours.
Ease: The most difficult part of this recipe is slicing the peppers and removing the seeds and placenta (the white bit of the pepper). So once you're past that, this stuffed peppers recipe is a breeze.
Top Tips: 1. Opt for large bell peppers so you can easily stuff them and so that they can easily stand on their side. 2. You can either go for red, yellow or green bell peppers. The green ones are the most savory/bitter, so feel free to pick whichever colour you prefer. 3. Let the stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice rest once out of the oven, this allows the filling to settle and makes them easier to move.
Would I make this again? Absolutely, it's a great dish to make midweek but also a good one for meal prep. You can also customise it with any leftover veggies or meat you have lying around in your fridge too!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Ground beef: we're using ground beef for this recipe. You can either go for a leaner beef mince (5% fat) or go for a higher fat percentage (around 20%). The leaner mince is healthier, but will have less moisture and less flavour.
Rice: we need cooked rice for this recipe, I used a bag of pre-cooked microwavable rice. But you can pre-cook yours from scratch if you'd like.
Onion: white onion is perfect for this recipe. You can also use red onion or shallots.
Garlic: whole cloves of garlic are the best option for this recipe, that you then mince or finely chop.
Spices & herbs: you'll want ground cumin, paprika, and chilli powder for the spices for this ground beef and rice stuffed peppers recipe. And then some dried oregano for some herbiness.
Black beans: I adore beans, and they go SO well in stuffed peppers. If you don't like black beans, you could use kidney beans or pinto beans.
Passata: we're using just a bit of this to add moisture to our stuffed pepper mixture. You can alternatively use chopped canned tomatoes, salsa, or fresh tomatoes (finely chopped).
Bell peppers: red, green or yellow, depending on which flavour you like the most! I'd recommend getting large peppers that can easily lie on their side.
Cheese: we're using cheddar for this recipe, but mozzarella is also a great option.
For the full list of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card in this blog.
Step by step instructions with photos
Step 1: Place a non-stick pan on medium heat and add in a drizzle of oil. Add in the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes until the beef turns a light brown. Break apart the beef mince, we don't want any big chunks. Then, add in the cumin, paprika, chilli powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 190c fan or 210c / 375F. Add the rice, the black beans, and the passata to the ground beef pan.
Step 3: Stir to combine. Then set aside while you prepare your bell peppers.
Step 4: Slice the bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and placenta.
Step 5: Then, stuff the pepper halves with the filling. Delicately arrange the peppers into your oven-proof dish or tray and top each pepper with cheese. Place into the oven, covered in kitchen foil for 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 15 minutes.
Step 6: Once the bell peppers are slightly charred and the cheese has melted, remove from the oven and leave to sit for a couple of minutes. Then top them with sour cream, jalapeños, and lime. Enjoy!
What to do with leftovers
Storage: Leave the stuffed beef and rice peppers to cool, then place in airtight containers and into the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: You can totally freeze these peppers, but the texture may differ when reheated. Store in airtight containers (don't forget to label with the date and contents) for up to 3 months. Leave to defrost/thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheating: Either leave the lid ajar and reheat in microwave until piping hot. Or heat up in the oven at 200C/ 390F for 20 minutes.
FAQs
Spinach, finely chopped eggplant/aubergine, kale, chickpeas, or carrots.
I'd recommend making a guacamole sauce to go with them. Combine avocado with lime juice, finely chopped chillies, and salt and pepper.
Yes, for sure. Simply sub out the ground beef for a plant-based alternative mince. Also make sure to use a vegan cheese and sour cream.
More recipes you might enjoy!
If you tried this Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Easy Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers sliced in half, lengthwise
- 250 g ground beef
- 250 g rice cooked
- 1 white onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoon ground paprika
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 400 g black beans drained weight 240g
- 100 g passata or tomato salsa
- 50 g cheddar grated
Extra Toppings
- Sour cream
- Jalapeños
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Place a non-stick pan on medium heat and add in a drizzle of oil. Add in the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes until the beef turns a light brown. Break apart the beef mince, we don't want any big chunks.
- Then, add in the cumin, paprika, chilli powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 190c fan or 210c / 375F. Add the rice, the black beans, and the passata to the ground beef pan. Stir to combine. Then set aside while you prepare your bell peppers.
- Slice the bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and placenta.
- Stuff the pepper halves with the filling. Delicately arrange the peppers into your oven-proof dish or tray and top each pepper with cheese. Place into the oven, covered in kitchen foil for 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 15 minutes.
- Once the bell peppers are slightly charred and the cheese has melted, remove from the oven and leave to sit for a couple of minutes. Then top them with sour cream, jalapeños, and lime. Enjoy!
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