Rice Stuffed Peppers
Rice stuffed peppers is my ultimate comfort food and one of those recipes I knew I wanted to share when we canned a bunch of tomatoes a few weeks ago. It’s Mexican fare so that shouldn’t surprise you. But this was one of my favorite dishes growing up.
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Rice Stuffed Peppers
At the time, I just thought it was delicious. Little did I realize that my mom so readily made it for us because of how good it was at using up leftovers (namely rice and meat) and was a good place to sneak a lot of veggies in us. And there’s melted cheese on top. End of story.
These stuffed bell peppers with rice are my take on the recipe with a few twists I’ve picked up over the years…
Ingredients for Rice Stuffed Peppers
This is oftentimes a vegetarian dinner in our house, but below the recipe, I included tips for making this a turkey stuffed peppers recipe.
Bell Peppers
You can’t have stuffed peppers without the bell peppers. You can use any color of bell pepper. My family prefers the red to the green because they aren’t as strong in flavor. And the yellow or orange peppers would be even sweeter.
Rice
Besides being great at using up leftovers (READ: How to Make Perfect Rice/Quinoa in Rice Cooker), this recipe is so flexible. Here I used wild rice, but I often use brown rice (or white rice or quinoa). I like the bite the wild rice added this time around.
Veggies
And for veggies… My favorites are onions, mushrooms, corn, carrots, and zucchini. I also have used bell peppers because sometimes I just have that many! Use whatever veggies are in season or that you need to use up in your kitchen.
Ground Meat
If you want to make this with meat, a ground meat is ideal because you get a little in every bite! I use ground turkey and ground beef, depending on what we have and what sounds good. I go a bit heavier on the seasoning with ground turkey (and I add in the Worcestershire sauce to add flavor depth with the turkey – it’s not as necessary with ground beef).
Seasonings
The seasonings in the recipe are all around the most used seasonings in my kitchen. This recipe calls for chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. You can also add dried herbs (I love dried oregano in recipes like these) and garlic.
And you can absolutely use a taco seasoning in place of the seasonings. The recipe below calls for a total of 3.5 teaspoons of spices, so just use that amount of pre-made seasoning.
Beans
And I’ve used refried beans instead of black beans and actually love the thicker consistency it offers. So really, whatever you have will do in these turkey stuffed peppers with rice!
Canned Tomatoes
Any cut or grind of canned tomatoes is fine. I’d skip tomato sauce, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Chopped and crushed tomatoes are my pic, so you still get some hunk consistency from the tomatoes.
Shredded Cheese
The recipe below calls for medium or sharp cheddar. With the other ingredients, a cheese with a bit more flavor is really great. You can easily use a white cheddar, colby jack, or monterey jack if you like. My husband would also tell me that pepper jack would be good with that hint of spice!
How to Make Rice Stuffed Peppers
Soften Bell Peppers
I prefer softer bell peppers when I’m making rice stuffed bell peppers, so I precook them a bit in the beginning. Then the broiling at the end to melt the cheese is a fast process! I do this in the broiler. You could also do this in the microwave or in a pot with a lid to steam them.
Sauté Turkey & Veggies
My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can cook a bunch of it in just one pot. So get a big pot and start to cooking the meat and veggies. you get them cooked, softened, and seasoned.
Combine it all
Once ht meat and vegetables are cooked, add in the rice, tomatoes, and beans. You’ll need to let it all heat up and marry together. Just stir occasionally to keep it from burning on the bottom!
Stuff Pepper Halves
And then you stuff the rice stuffed peppers! I like to top it all with cheese to melt under the broiler. If you used the broiler to soften the peppers, then just stick the peppers back in the same pan.
Everything is cooked, so you can squash as many peppers as possible in your dish and then top with cheese. The less space between the peppers, the less mess created by the broiled cheese.
Can You Make Rice Stuffed Peppers Ahead of Time?
Yep! Ok. a few options, depending on what you want.
First, you can absolutely cook up the entire rice, meat, and vegetable filling ahead of time. Then just let it cool and store it until you’re ready to use. I often do this and then reheat it on the stovetop and prep/stuff the peppers just as the recipe calls for.
If you want, you can follow the whole recipe (except broiling/melting the cheese on top). Place the peppers in the dish and cover until you’re ready.
To reheat them this way, preheat the oven to 350° and cook the dish for 30-40 minutes. Then top with shredded cheese and broil until browned!
Vegan/Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Rice
This rice stuffed pepper recipe can easily be made vegetarian by just skipping the ground meat (I do it all the time)! If you want to make vegan stuffed peppers, skip the meat and the cheese. I’d add a plant-based cheese on top for a perfect dish! So yummy!
Red Pepper Recipes
We eat A LOT of red bell pepper in our house. It’s most often mixed into my homemade fajita seasoning for tacos, but we also love bell pepper quiche and in this easy veggie hummus wrap.
If you haven’t tried roasting bell peppers, you absolutely must – it’s so easy! They’re scrumptious on this red pepper toast – a quick appetizer that everyone will gobble down!
And if you want to kick up this recipe a bit, try adding diced jalapeños or serrano peppers in with the onions and peppers. If you love some kicky dishes, see more serrano pepper recipes!
Mexican Recipes
Want more Mexican-inspired recipes? Mexican fruit cups are always an unexpected and very popular serving! Looking for Mexican appetizers? These rollups are a fun appetizer that’s actually very simple and easy to make!
Homemade fajita seasoning is a must-have no brainer in our world, something we use regularly in my carnitas nachos, my one pot Mexican rice casserole (a fabulous dinner for a small crowd), and my 7 layer sweet potato dip (vegan)!
This Mexican Chocolate Cake is simple and yet so deliciously amazing – same goes for my Iced Mexican Mocha.
Need a drink? These mango margaritas are quite fab but then so are these raspberry margaritas?
RICE STUFFED PEPPERS
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 bell peppers halved vertically – stem to stern, seeded
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes not too spicy but optional
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 3 cups cooked rice (wild, white, brown, or mixed)
- 1 15oz. can black beans drained
- 1 quart homemade canned tomatoes or 2-15 oz cans
- ½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1½ cups medium or sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to broil.
- To cook pepper halves in oven, place peppers in baking dish. Cover bottom with water. Cover with foil, let cook 15-20 minutes, or until slightly tender. Dish will be very hot when stuffing peppers, but there’s only the one dish! Alternatively, you can soften the peppers in the microwave. Place peppers in microwave safe bowl with 1-inch water. Cover. Cook 7-8 minutes. Continue to cook in 1-2 minute intervals until slightly tender.
- Heat large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and ground turkey. Let cook 5-7 minutes until mostly cooked. Add onions, 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining seasonings. Sauté 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add rice, beans, and tomatoes. Add remaining one teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until warm throughout (5-8 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place bell pepper halves cut side up in baking dish. Scoop rice mixture into peppers, mounding slightly. Sprinkle with desired amount of cheddar cheese.
- Melt and brown cheese under broiler 5-7 minutes.
Notes
Made this recipe?
I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment and rating below.
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Such an easy and incredibly delicious meal. My family loved it. Thanks!
These were so satisfying! I Ioved how each bite had a little bit of everything.
When I came across this recipe I felt as if you read my mind. I have been looking for a recipe something like this and i must say that these stiffed peppers were the best. OS flavorful and so satisfying.
Oh I loved the wild rice in these stuffed peppers! I also loved having these for lunch the next day! Thank you!
Love these peppers. Easy to make and so much flavor – just what I love! 😉