In this round-up, we’ve gathered all of our favorite stuffed peppers recipes in one place. A delicious resource for getting more veggies in your diet!
There’s nothing quite like pulling a tray of gooey stuffed peppers out of the oven. That’s why we’ve put all our top recipes in one place. With so many different flavor profiles and fillings, you’ll never get tired of this healthy yet delicious dish!
Why Stuffed Peppers Are So Awesome
Stuffed peppers are unquestionably tasty, but they’re packed with other awesome benefits too. Below, find the 3 reasons you should be making more stuffed peppers.
- Stuffed bell peppers are packed with veggies and fiber. You’ll not only get a full serving of veggies from the bell pepper itself (oh, the tenderness!), but you’ll also get a hefty serving from the filling. Whether you’re on a low-carb diet or trying to sneak veggies into a picky eater’s diet, they’re a wonderful dish to start incorporating into your weekly rotation.
- Stuffed peppers are easy to make. Despite how impressive they look, stuffed peppers couldn’t be any simpler to make. In each of these recipes, all you need to do is prepare the filling in one pan, stuff it into the pepper, and let the oven work its magic.
- Stuffed peppers are customizable and limitless. Consider each one of these recipes as the perfect foundation for you to tweak and play around with your favorite ingredients. If you want more cheese, add it. If you think the recipe would be better with chicken versus beef, feel free to make the swap. You truly can’t go wrong!
Need a good baking dish for stuffed peppers? These ceramic baking dishes are my fav. No sticking and easy to clean!
A Quick Guide on Bell Peppers
If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between all the different colors of bell peppers, this quick guide is for you. Below, find a quick rundown on each.
- Green Bell Peppers: A little tangy and slightly bitter (the cheapest of all bell peppers)
- Red Bell Peppers: The sweetest and juiciest of all bell peppers (typically the most pricy of all bell peppers)
- Orange Bell Peppers: Slightly sweet and a little tangy
- Yellow Bell Peppers: A little sweet and fruity and perfect for standing up to the high heat of a grill
Top Tips for All Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipes
Here you’ll find all of our top tips for any stuffed pepper recipes.
- Select bell peppers with flat bottoms. To make your life easier when assembling the bell peppers upright in your baking dish, select bell peppers with flat bottoms.
- Assemble the peppers flush against one another. To keep your peppers from toppling over in the oven, assemble them tightly packed in your baking dish.
- Opt for lean ground meat. If you’re making a stuffed pepper that calls for ground meat, go for lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey. This will prevent your peppers from turning out oily or soggy. If your ground meat releases a ton of grease in the skillet, drain the pan of the excess grease before building the filling.
- Always taste test the filling before stuffing. No matter which pepper you’re making, always give the filling a good stir and taste test before you stuff the peppers. This will give you a chance to adjust the seasonings as necessary before you pop them in the oven.
Meal Prepping Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are wonderful for meal prepping and can be kept on hand for quick weeknight meals or work lunches. Below, find all the tips you need to store leftovers in the fridge or to freeze a batch for a rainy day.
- Refrigerator: To keep the bell peppers on hand for up to 5 days, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. If you want them to be super fresh, only bake the amount you’re going to eat straight away and keep the rest of them raw until you’re ready to eat.
- Freezer: Assemble the stuffed peppers and pop them in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Instead of baking them, pop them in the freezer uncovered. Once completely frozen, transfer the peppers to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Of note, you should avoid freezing baked stuffed bell peppers – the cooked pepper rarely thaws well and turns mushy.
6 of Our Best Stuffed Peppers Recipes
1. Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers (Low-Carb)
These Philly cheesesteak stuffed bell peppers give you all the satisfaction of the sandwich, without the carbohydrates. Stuffed with steak strips, mushrooms, and provolone cheese, then baked to bubbly perfection. YUM!
2. Russian Stuffed Bell Peppers
​These mini green peppers are filled with carrots, ground chicken, rice, and onion. Serve them as an appetizer or finger food or alongside a Russian beet salad with garlic for a well-rounded, veggie-packed Slavic meal.
3. Stuffed Bell Peppers (Classic Ukrainian Recipe)
This recipe comes straight out of my family’s cookbook. Each pepper is filled to the brim with steak, mushrooms, tender buckwheat, carrots, and simple seasonings. They’re so tasty, you’ll find them served at most Slavic weddings and get-togethers.
4. Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
These Mexican stuffed peppers are filled with black beans, corn, cumin-based taco seasoning, salsa, and heaps of melty cheese. Best served with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole for an extra pop of flavor. Hot Tip: Omit the meat from this recipe for filling vegetarian stuffed peppers.
5. Ground Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers
​These healthy ground turkey peppers feature crumbly turkey, tender white rice, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. A wonderful alternative to super carb-heavy pasta and super kid-friendly!
6. Low-Carb Lasagna Stuffed Bell Peppers
The perfect way to satiate a craving for lasagna with zero guilt. These peppers are filled to the brim with ground turkey, 3 different kinds of cheeses, sautéed yellow onion, and tangy pasta sauce. Each bite will simply melt in your mouth!
FAQ
Do you need to cook the peppers before stuffing them?
There’s no need to cook the peppers before stuffing them unless you want them to be ultra-tender. For most, boiling them before baking results in a pepper that’s too soggy.
Are stuffed peppers good for freezing?
Stuffed peppers are only good for freezing if they’re kept raw. Baked stuffed peppers don’t thaw very well and are prone to turning mushy.
Are stuffed peppers good for a low-carb or keto diet?
Stuffed peppers are great for a low-carb or keto diet so long as they aren’t stuffed with a rice mixture. Feel free to omit the rice in any of the recipes in this round-up to make them carb-free.
About how long does it take to bake peppers until they soften?
Stuffed peppers take anywhere from 30-45 minutes to soften in the oven.
Why did my stuffed peppers turn out so watery?
Your peppers turned out watery if you used ground meat with too high of a fat content (more grease released = soggier pepper) or if you boiled them before baking.
Other Healthy Main Dishes
- Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe (Italian Flare) – Stuffed zucchini with ground meat and red sauce
- Best Zucchini Ravioli Recipe – Carb-free zucchini raviolis
- Roasted Crispy Cauliflower Steaks – Thick cauliflower steaks with bacon bits
- PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps – Low-carb ground chicken stuffed lettuce wraps
What temperature do you cooked stuffed peppers at?
Hello Dennis- it really depends on which recipe you're making. From the 6 shared in this blog post, which one are you looking at in particular?