Unstuffed Peppers

5 from 5 votes

This unstuffed peppers recipe turns classic stuffed peppers into an easy one-pot dinner with ground beef, rice and a rich tomato sauce.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £2.50 / $3

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

a) What can I use instead of a cast iron skillet? - If you don't have a cast iron skillet you can just use a large oven-safe pan. Failing that, you can pour it into a baking dish, sprinkle over the cheese then pop it under the grill. For reference, my skillet is 12"/30cm wide, but there's still a little room, so don't worry if your pan is a little smaller.

b) Storage - allow to completely cool then tightly cover and store in the fridge or freezer. If using from the fridge, just reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 180°C/350°F until piping hot again. If using from the freezer, defrost in the fridge then reheat as above.

c) Ground Beef - I recommend using lean beef, so it doesn't become greasy with the excess fat. If you’ve only got fatty beef, then drain away most of the fat after you've fried it

d) Cookbook - As one of my most loved and most popular recipes, I had to include this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’!

e) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4 with no sides.

Nutrition