Easy Stuffed Pepper Casserole With Ground Beef, Rice, and Cheese

Stuffed Pepper Casserole With Ground Beef, Rice, and Cheese

Stuffed pepper casserole keeps the familiar combination of beef, rice, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cheese, but skips filling individual peppers. Chopping the peppers lets them cook alongside the beef, and using cooked rice makes the liquid easier to control. The result is a scoopable, cheesy dinner with the flavor of stuffed peppers and considerably less assembly.

This version starts on the stovetop and finishes in the oven. The skillet time matters: it softens the peppers, cooks off some of their moisture, and thickens the tomato mixture before the rice goes in. That keeps the casserole from turning soupy beneath the cheese.

Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe

Yield: About 6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: About 40 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour
Course: Main dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1 cup (about 185 g) uncooked long-grain white rice, to make about 3 cups cooked rice
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil, if needed
• 1 pound (450 g) ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 medium bell peppers, seeded and chopped into roughly ½-inch (1-cm) pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14.5 ounces/411 g) diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 1 can (8 ounces/227 g) tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ cups (about 170 g) shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided

Equipment: Large skillet, 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish

Instructions

1. Cook the rice. Prepare the rice according to its package directions. Measure out about 3 cups cooked rice. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease the baking dish.
2. Brown the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and fully cooked. Drain excess fat. If the skillet looks dry, add the olive oil before cooking the vegetables.
3. Soften the vegetables. Add the onion and chopped bell peppers to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and the peppers have begun to soften. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Thicken the tomato mixture. Stir in the diced tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, oregano, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be saucy but should not have a pool of thin liquid at the bottom of the skillet. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Combine and bake. Stir in the cooked rice and ½ cup (about 55 g) of the cheese. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup (about 115 g) of cheese over the top. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot throughout and the cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe notes

Use a skillet large enough to hold the rice when it is added. If yours is too small, combine the cooked rice and beef mixture in the baking dish instead. The casserole should look moist before it goes into the oven; the short bake heats it through and melts the cheese, rather than cooking the rice or reducing a large amount of liquid.

Cheddar gives the topping a sharper flavor, while Monterey Jack melts more gently. A mixture of the two works well. For a less cheesy casserole, reduce the topping, but keep a little cheese mixed into the rice if you want it distributed through the filling.

Why Cooked Rice Makes This Easier

Rice is the ingredient most likely to cause trouble in an unstuffed pepper casserole. Uncooked rice needs enough liquid to soften, and that liquid has to remain in the dish long enough for the grains to absorb it. Tomatoes and peppers complicate the calculation: canned tomatoes vary in how much juice they contain, and peppers release water as they cook. A pan can look wet at first and still leave some rice undercooked.

Cooking the rice separately removes that uncertainty. One cup of dry long-grain white rice typically yields about three cups cooked, which is enough to distribute the beef and peppers without making the dish feel like plain rice with a little sauce. Measure the cooked rice if you are using leftovers or a different variety, since yields can vary.

Brown rice also works if it is already cooked. Its firmer texture will remain noticeable in the finished casserole. Leftover rice should be refrigerated promptly after its first cooking and used within a few days. Reheat the assembled casserole until it is hot throughout.

The rice should be cooked but not mushy before it meets the tomato mixture. If it is very soft, stirring and baking can break down the grains. Fold it in gently, especially when using leftover rice.

Keep the Peppers Tender and the Casserole Saucy

Chopped peppers need a head start in the skillet. If they go into the baking dish raw, the brief oven time may leave them too firm, and the water they release can collect around the rice. Cooking them with the onion gives that moisture a chance to evaporate. The peppers do not need to become completely soft; they will continue heating in the oven.

Any color of bell pepper will work. Green peppers have a more pronounced, slightly bitter flavor associated with many traditional stuffed-pepper recipes. Red, orange, and yellow peppers taste sweeter. Using one green pepper and one sweeter pepper gives the casserole a little of both. Chop them to a similar size so they cook at roughly the same rate.

The tomato mixture needs attention for the same reason. Diced tomatoes bring both tomato pieces and juice, while tomato sauce coats the rice and beef. Simmering them uncovered before adding the rice reduces excess liquid without drying out the filling. If the skillet mixture is still watery after 10 minutes, give it a few more minutes. If it has become thick enough to stick, stir in a small splash of water.

Avoid draining the canned tomatoes automatically. Their juice contributes flavor and moisture, and the uncovered simmer gives you more control than discarding it at the start. The goal is a filling that holds together on a spoon but remains moist after baking.

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing

For a make-ahead dinner, cook the rice and beef mixture, combine them, and assemble the casserole without the cheese topping. Cool it promptly, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Add the cheese just before baking. Because the dish starts cold, it may need longer than the recipe’s 15 to 20 minutes in the oven. Bake until the center is hot throughout; a food thermometer should read 165°F (74°C).

You can also cook the rice and filling separately a day ahead, then combine them before baking. This is useful if the rice tends to absorb sauce while it sits. If the assembled mixture looks dry after refrigeration, stir in a small amount of tomato sauce or water before adding the cheese.

Refrigerate leftovers in shallow, covered containers within 2 hours of cooking and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat portions to 165°F (74°C). A splash of water or tomato sauce helps loosen rice that has firmed up in the refrigerator.

The casserole can be frozen, though thawed peppers will be softer than freshly cooked ones. For the best texture, freeze the cooled beef, pepper, tomato, and rice mixture before adding the cheese topping. Pack it in a freezer-safe dish or portion it into containers, leaving room for expansion. Use within about 2 to 3 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator, add cheese, and bake until the center reaches 165°F (74°C). If freezing it in a glass baking dish, follow the manufacturer’s directions and avoid moving the dish directly from freezer to hot oven.

Economical Substitutions That Still Taste Like Stuffed Peppers

Ground beef gives this casserole its familiar flavor, but it does not have to be the only substantial ingredient. Replacing part of the beef with cooked lentils can lower the cost while keeping a hearty texture. Start by replacing about half the beef with 1 to 1½ cups cooked, well-drained lentils. Brown the remaining beef first, then add the lentils with the tomatoes. The result will taste less beefy, so check the salt and seasoning before mixing in the rice.

Ground turkey can replace the beef in the same quantity. Because it is generally leaner, use the tablespoon of oil when cooking the vegetables if the pan is dry. Cook ground turkey thoroughly to 165°F (74°C). For either meat, a less expensive package of mixed-color peppers or whichever bell peppers are on sale will work as well as a specific color.

Leftover cooked rice is another practical savings, provided it has been stored safely. If you have less than three cups, use what you have and assess the mixture before baking. A smaller amount makes a saucier, meatier casserole; there is no need to cook an extra batch just to meet an exact volume. Likewise, a modest amount of cheese can be reserved for the top, where it is most noticeable.

A Simpler Way to Serve Stuffed-Pepper Flavor

The casserole succeeds when each ingredient is cooked for the job it needs to do: rice is tender before assembly, peppers soften in the skillet, and tomatoes simmer until their juices coat the filling rather than flood it. After that, the oven only has to heat the dish and melt the cheese. It is the same satisfying combination as stuffed peppers, served by the spoonful instead of inside individual pepper shells.