American
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Chopped bell peppers, ground beef, rice, and tomato bake in one dish instead of being packed into whole peppers. The rice steams in the tomato liquid under a lid, then mozzarella is added for a short uncovered finish.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Chopped peppers cook in the same time as the rice, so nothing is boiled on the side.
- The beef is browned until no pink shows before the liquid goes in.
- Tomato plus broth is enough liquid for one cup of rice without flooding the pan.
- Cheese is added only at the end so it stays on top instead of melting into the rice.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 375°F. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the diced onion for 3 minutes.
- 2
Add the garlic and ground beef with the salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook, breaking the meat up, until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F, about 8 minutes. Drain extra fat.
- 3
Stir in the diced peppers and the dry rice and cook 1 minute so the rice is coated.
- 4
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth. Scrape the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and cover tightly.
- 5
Bake until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. If the top looks dry before the rice is soft, add 0.25 cup water and cover again.
- 6
Uncover, sprinkle with mozzarella, and bake until the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Pro tips
- Dice the peppers about the size of a postage stamp so they soften with the rice.
- Rinse nothing off the rice; the surface starch helps the casserole hold.
- Keep the lid tight for the first bake or the rice stays chalky in the center.
Easy substitutions
- Ground beef
- Ground turkey, cooked until no pink remains
- Mozzarella
- Provolone, shredded, in the same amount
- Long-grain white rice
- Long-grain brown rice, with 15 extra covered minutes
Storage and reheating
Storage
Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheating
Reheat covered at 350°F until the center is hot, about 25 minutes, adding a splash of water if the rice looks dry.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 557
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
Moderate · Oven · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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