This unstuffed peppers recipe turns classic stuffed peppers into an easy one-pot dinner with ground beef, rice and a rich tomato sauce.
Because stuffing peppers is great… until it isn’t. They crack, go soggy and refuse to stand up straight. Here’s a twist on the classic you can actually rely on – and honestly, it tastes even better too. Follow me…
Stuffed Peppers Filling
The best part? It’s all made in one pot. Here I use a large cast iron skillet, but any large/heavy bottom oven safe pan will do the trick. If you don’t have an oven safe pan don’t worry, you can just pour the filling into a dish to melt the cheese (more on this in a sec). The bulk of this stuffed pepper casserole consists of the classic beef, rice and diced peppers.
The Peppers (Bell Peppers)
Regular peppers (bell peppers) work great. I usually do different colours, but any you’ve got on hand will do the trick. I also dice them into small bite-sized pieces as opposed to finely dicing them, just to make them pop (they are the star of the show after all). One key step when frying them is making sure you do it over a high heat. This will lightly char the peppers and offer an extra layer of smoky flavour.
The Beef (Ground/Minced Beef)
You’ll want to use ground beef (beef mince), and preferably fairly lean. Because it’s all made in the same pot, you don’t want excess fat turning the filling greasy. If you’ve only got fatty beef, just drain off the fat after it’s fried.
Process shots: add peppers to skillet (photo 1), fry over high heat until lightly charred (photo 2), reduce heat and fry onion (photo 3), fry garlic (photo 4), add beef (photo 5), fry until browned (photo 6).
Once you’ve fried the beef, just stir in tomato paste, then add beef stock, chopped tomatoes and some simple store-bought spices/seasoning.
Using uncooked rice (the one pot method)
The beauty of this dish is that the rice cooks right in with everything else. Not only does this keep it a true one-pot meal, but it also lets the rice soak up all those gorgeous flavours as it cooks.
Once the rice has cooked, you could serve it up from there, but what’s a stuffed pepper (or unstuffed pepper in this case) without copious amounts of cheese? Here I sprinkle over mozzarella and cheddar, then pop the whole thing under the grill until the cheese has melted.
Recipe Tip
To stop the rice from going mushy, be careful not to overcook it and keep an eye on the liquid. Once the rice is tender, remove it from the heat so it doesn’t continue soaking and soften too much.
Process shots: add tomato paste (photo 1), stir to combine (photo 2), add stock, tomatoes and seasoning (photo 3), add rice (photo 4), stir until cooked (photo 5), add cheese and grill (photo 6).
Unstuffed Peppers FAQ
Long grain white rice works best as it cooks evenly and stays fluffy. You can use other types, but you may need to adjust the liquid and cooking time (i.e. brown rice)
I like a mix of mozzarella for meltiness and cheddar for flavour, but you can use whatever you’ve got — Monterey Jack or a Mexican blend also work great.
Yes! Just allow to completely cool, then tightly store in the fridge for a few days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until piping hot
Yes! Allow it to cool completely, then store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat until piping hot.
How to serve Unstuffed Peppers
I love finishing this with fresh coriander/cilantro once the cheese has melted. I’ll also sometimes serve it with avocado (or guacamole) and a dollop of sour cream, but both are optional.
If you love this, be sure to check out my Italian Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes for another easy stuffed recipe.
Or for something similar, try my One Pot Meatballs and Rice — another hearty beef and rice dinner.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this unstuffed peppers casserole shall we?!
How to make Unstuffed Peppers (Full Recipe & Video)
Unstuffed Peppers
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Cast Iron Skillet or Large Oven Safe Pan & Wooden Spoon (see notes)
- Jug (for stock)
- Cheese Grater
- Serving Spoon
Ingredients
Unstuffed Peppers
- Olive Oil, as needed
- 3 Peppers, diced into large chunks (bell peppers)
- 1 medium Onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1lb / 500g Ground Beef (low fat, preferably 5%)
- 3 tbsp Tomato Puree (tomato paste in US)
- 1 1/2 – 1 1/3 cups / 375-400ml Beef Stock
- 1x 14oz/400g can of Chopped Tomatoes
- 2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1.5 tsp EACH: Smoked Paprika, Cumin
- 1 tsp EACH: Grounder Coriander, Chilli Powder (hot or mild, work to spice preference)
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper (or to taste, if stock is salty consider reducing salt)
- 1/2 cup / 100g Long Grain Rice (uncooked)
- 1 cup / 100g EACH: Mozzarella, Cheddar
To Serve
- finely diced Fresh Coriander/Cilantro
- diced Avocado (optional)
- Sour Cream (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a large cast-iron frying pan over a high heat, then add the chopped peppers and fry until they are lightly charred. Turn the heat down to medium, add the onion and fry until soft, then add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes longer.
- Add the beef and fry until browned and cooked through, then stir in the tomato purée and fry for a couple of minutes. Pour in 1 1/2 cups/375ml of the stock and the chopped tomatoes, then add the oregano, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and salt and pepper to taste (I usually use ½ tsp each).
- Stir in the rice, then gently simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through, stirring now and then. If you need to add more liquid to cook the rice just gradually add more stock as needed. Level out the mixture with a wooden spoon, then sprinkle over the mozzarella and Cheddar.
- Preheat the broiler/grill to high. Place the pan under the grill and cook until the cheese melts. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro/coriander, a dollop of sour cream and the diced avocado. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
Excellent idea and recipe! My family loved it, and it will come back often! I cannot help but make my own spin on it (I don’t mind dirtying more dishes, and I would love for the meat to get as soft and supple as it is in cottage/shepherds pie). Also, it seems perfect stuffing for a quesadilla or a burrito. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks so much for the review, Agnes! 🙂 C.
So… This actually became our new burrito stuffing
So perfect, with chopped iceberg lettuce and Greek yogurt. My 4yo just love it !
Love that idea!! Thanks so much for the review, Marie 🙂 C.
This is so easy to make and it tastes wonderful! I’ve made stuffed bell peppers for years and it’s always bothered me that there is more pepper than stuffing. This ratio works great. I get a bite of pepper with each bite of stuffing. The added beef broth and seasonings really highlight the dish. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thanks so much for the review, Jan! 🙂 C.
Definitely going to try this one this week. Do you cover the pan while the rice is simmering?
Hi Jeanne! The pan is left uncovered 🙂 C.
Thank you, I am making it today!
LOVE THIS ONE! THANKS!
Cheers Miska! C.
Hi Chris,
Given that I normally prefer to use brown rice, rather than the quicker-cooking white, I’m concerned about over-cooking the other ingredients in order to avoid “crunchy” rice. Any suggestions, please?
Thanks very much,
Jane
Hey Jane! I wouldn’t worry too much about overcooking the other ingredients, in fact the longer simmer will help tenderize the beef and marry all the flavours together. If you’re concerned you could slightly undercook the peppers when frying them, but they hold up pretty well with longer cooking, so I wouldn’t worry too much. The recipe as written isn’t specifically suited for brown rice, but you can just adjust the liquid amounts and timings to adapt. Hope you love the recipe! C.