Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Sauce

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These stuffed bell peppers with tomato sauce are filled with a tasty mix of ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce and topped off with gooey melted mozzarella. A touch of balsamic vinegar adds depth, while rosemary and oregano make the dish extra flavorful.

😍 Why you'll love these stuffed bell peppers

They're the definition of home-cooked comfort food.
You can serve them on their own for a complete meal. However, if you want something on the side, a simple salad and slice of bread make easy compliments to round out the meal.
The peppers reheat and freeze well, which means they're good for making in advance.

There's something special and extra satisfying about hearty recipes like these stuffed peppers, where vegetables are the meal's star. If you're looking for similar recipes, try my Simple Stuffed Zucchini, Polish Golumpki, Eggplant Florentine, and Easy Chile Rellenos Casserole.

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😍 Why you'll love these stuffed bell peppers
🫑 Ingredients
🌶️ Substitutions & Variations
🥘 Instructions
♨️ Top Tip
🥡 Storage
🤔 FAQ
🍴 Pairing
📖 Recipe
🍆 Related Recipes
💬 Comments

🫑 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make these stuffed peppers with tomato sauce:

Bell peppers - You don't have to use green bell peppers. Any color is fine. I had orange and green when I picked peppers for this recipe. Wider and large peppers are easier to fill and stand upright in the baking tray. But more awkward shapes can always be sliced in half lengthwise.
Ground beef - Or try ground turkey or pork.
Tomato sauce - Use your favorite store-bought sauce, or if you have the time, make a quick one from fresh tomatoes, as I describe in the sauce recipe portion of this Eggplant Florentine.
Cooked rice - Use leftover rice or cook some ahead of time. Any variety of rice is fine.
Mozzarella - For melting over the top of the peppers.
Rosemary
Onions
Garlic
Dried oregano
Balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.

🌶️ Substitutions & Variations

Poblano peppers make a good alternative to bell peppers.
Make vegetarian stuffed bell peppers using crumbled tempeh in place of ground beef. Learn more about crumbled tempeh in this recipe.
Try an equal amount of another grain, such as barley or bulgur, in place of the rice.

🥘 Instructions

Here are the step-by-step instructions for making this stuffed pepper recipe.

Step 1: Chop the onion, garlic, and rosemary.

Step 2: Saute the onion, garlic, and rosemary in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add the ground beef to the pan, along with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the meat is browned, about 7-8 minutes.

tomato sauce being poured in a pan of ground beef

Step 4: Pour in the tomato sauce.

Step 5: Then add the rice and balsamic vinegar.

stirring a pan of stuffed pepper filling

Step 6: Stir the meat mixture to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Step 7: Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice the peppers' tops off and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Save the tops for another use.

Step 8: Pour the filling into the peppers. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

sauce being spooned over stuffed peppers

Step 9: Remove the foil from the pan, and top the peppers with more sauce.

mozzarella cheese being sprinkled over peppers

Step 10: Add the mozzarella over top and return the oven, uncovered, to bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

♨️ Top Tip

Some recipes tell you to precook the peppers before stuffing them, but there is no need, and I think that approach only makes more work. Covering the peppers with foil during the first portion of baking helps them steam and become tender.

🥡 Storage

Baked peppers: Store them in an airtight container or individually wrapped in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat stuffed peppers in the oven or microwave until sufficiently warmed through.
Unbaked peppers: Store filled, unbaked peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day in advance. Let them come to room temperature, then bake as described in the recipe.
Freezing: Baked stuffed peppers can be frozen for up to three months, tightly wrapped in a freezer bag or container. Defrost and heat until warmed through.

🤔 FAQ

What's the best sauce to use for stuffed peppers?

Tomato sauce is excellent for stuffed peppers because it pairs so well with ground meat, rice, and peppers and ties them all together. You can use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce or make it homemade so you can control the flavor exactly to your liking.

Do you cook peppers before stuffing them?

There's no need to cook peppers before stuffing them. You only need to bake them with the stuffing inside, covered with foil for part of the cooking time, and they'll become soft and tender in the process.

Do you cut peppers in half for stuffed peppers?

You don't need to cut peppers in half for stuffing, but you certainly can. This may be a good idea if you have very large peppers or want to extend the number of servings.

How do you make stuffed peppers not watery?

You can avoid watery bell peppers by cooking the filling long enough (before filling the peppers) until it has the texture of a thick sauce.

Which way do you cut peppers for stuffed peppers?

For stuffed peppers, you can cut the top off of the pepper by slicing across the width of the pepper. However, if you have longer rather than wider peppers, you can cut them lengthwise and fill each half.