The flavors you love in traditional stuffed peppers are all here in this easy Stuffed Pepper Skillet. You can have this satisfying meal on the table in 30 minutes!
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I’m a stuffed pepper lover from way back. My mom made them on a regular basis so the flavors hold so much nostalgia for me. I’ve cooked lots of yummy variations, like my Italian Stuffed Peppers and Mexican Stuffed Peppers. But honestly, they aren’t on regular rotation in my kitchen because they take a little more time than I typically have to give most weeknights. Enter these fabulous “unstuffed peppers”.
Why This Recipe Works
- This easy ground beef recipe is ready in about 30 minutes.
- Everything cooks in one skillet which means easy cleanup.
- It includes wholesome, easy to stock ingredients.
- It is hearty and satisfying.
- The flavors are family-friendly, even for little ones who don’t think they love bell peppers.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil
- Ground beef – I use 90% lean ground beef.
- Onion – Sweet yellow onion is my favorite for this recipe.
- Minced garlic – Either fresh or the jarred variety will work just fine.
- Tomato paste
- Bell pepper – I like to use a combination of red and green peppers for that traditional stuffed pepper flavor. Keep in mind that if your kiddos are unsure of their feelings about bell peppers (or dead set against them), you might have more luck with red, yellow, and/or orange peppers which are sweeter and milder than green.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Rice – Long grain white rice, like Jasmine rice.
- Low sodium beef broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- Fresh parsley – I’m a fan of old school curly parsley. It’s inexpensive and works well in this recipe.
- Seasoning – Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Cheese – A mixture of shredded pepper Jack cheese and sharp cheddar cheese.
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Skillet
- Heat the oil in a deep 12-inch skillet and add the ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until cooked through and crumbled. Drain the excess grease from the skillet and return it to the heat.
- Stir the tomato paste into the beef until well combined. Add the bell peppers, diced tomatoes, rice, beef broth, Worcestershire, fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let cook until the rice is tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Remove the cover and stir the mixture to fluff the rice.
- Top with the cheese and cover the skillet, cooking just until the cheese melts. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve.
Storage
Refrigerator
Promptly refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use within 3 to 4 days for the best quality.
Freezer
For longer storage, transfer cooled leftovers to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw safely overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or in a pot on the stove.
More One Pot Wonders
- Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
- Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta
- Skillet Sausage and White Beans with Spinach
- Check out my entire collection of One Pot/One Pan Recipes!
Stuffed Pepper Skillet
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced sweet yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup long grain white rice, like Jasmine
- 2½ cups low sodium beef broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over MEDIUM heat. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic and cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until cooked through and crumbled. Drain the excess grease from the skillet and return it to the heat. Stir the tomato paste into the beef until well combined. Add the bell peppers, diced tomatoes, rice, beef broth, Worcestershire, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let cook until the rice is tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Stir the mixture to fluff the rice. Top with the cheese, cover and continue to cook over LOW until the cheese melts. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
Adapted from An Affair from the Heart and I Wash You Dry
Excellent recipe. Made as written just with addition of stirring in 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar before topping with cheese. Had to simmer 25 mins to get the Carolina long grain rice tender. Delicious. Thank you
Prep time 5 mins lol food tasted okay? But there is no way this is a 30 minute fast dish
Hi Lisa. There isn’t a whole lot of prep involved in this recipe – just chopping some veggies and shredding a little cheese – but I’m sorry you found the time it to be off.
Yummy and easy peasy!
Followed directions exactly. Tastes just like Stuffed Peppers but so much easier and faster to make. Love 1 skillet meals.
Thanks so much for this great recipe.
Excellent, but add an additional splash of beef broth; rice was slightly undercooked. Also recipe does not state how to divide the parsley, so I threw all 3 tablespoons in the mix, then added a little more to top.
Hi Kay. Check step 2 and you’ll see it says to add 2 tablespoons of the parsley and the remaining tablespoon is added at the end. Glad it worked out for you!
Made it just as you suggested. Wonderful flavor. A little garlic bread and we call it dinner!
Yum! I did make some modifications: Used Venison. Used 1 cup quinoa instead of rice. Eye balled spices and ended up adding more Worcestershire. Only 2 cups of beef broth. 1 6-ounce bar if MontereyJack cheese. Added splash of Frank’s hot sauce. Added a few diced jalapeños. Splash of white wine vinegar in with the meat and onions before adding everything else. Had to cook longer for the quinoa. Would make again!
I only have brown rice which takes 40-50 min to cook (versus the 10-15 minutes for Jasmine). Would I want to reduce the beeth broth or omit it all together if I cook the brown rice separately in beef broth? I don’t want the dish to have too much liquid by adding already cooked rice.
How much is in one serving?
The recipe serves six so one serving is ⅙ of the finished recipe.
I cooked it for 17 min. and the rice is still crunchy
If you’ve added the correct amount of liquid and covered the skillet it shouldn’t take much longer to soften the rice. Hope it worked out for you!
I made this tonight and it was so simple and delicious and hardly any clean up! I added a little glaze drizzled on top… mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and maple bbq seasoning. It was a nice contrast.
Fantastic! Love what you did with it and so glad it worked out so well for you. Thanks, Christina. 🙂
Do you think it could be made with rotisserie chicken?
Thanks