You can enjoy all the flavors of stuffed peppers without going through all the worked of making stuffed peppers by whipping together this easy, hearty lightened up stuffed pepper casserole!
With the passing of Labor Day weekend, people seem to be in two different groups. One group is hanging on to all things summer as hard as they can and one group is charging into all things fall! Whatever group you’re in, I think we can agree on one thing. Comfort food is good.
Quick and easy comfort food is better. Quick and easy comfort food that is healthy (while still tasting good!) is best! One dish that fits all of those requirements is this lightened up stuffed pepper casserole.
Warm, hearty comfort food is always a favorite around here, so I figured it was about time that I lightened up one of our favorites. Stuffed pepper casserole is super easy is to make, can be made ahead of time, and can be switched up to meet everyone’s tastes.
What’s not to like?! It wasn’t hard to give this dish a nutritious makeover while keeping the taste we loved.
Lean ground beef or turkey breast keeps the protein light. Using fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic gives the casserole a boost of nutrients.
And for the rice? Make the simple swap of brown rice for white rice. No one will even notice and you’ll get all of the benefits of whole grains instead of refined white rice.
A dish that can be a favorite for both summer and fall lovers!
Lightened Up Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey breast
- 1 ½ C green bell pepper, chopped
- ½ C onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 C cooked long grain brown rice
- 1 C tomatoes, chopped
- 1 (24 oz) jar reduced-sodium, no sugar added spaghetti sauce (or your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce)
- 1 ½ C reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese blend, divided
Instructions
- Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium until no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Add pepper, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until onions turn translucent and peppers become tender.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large bowl, carefully stir together beef mixture, rice, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ¾ cup shredded cheese.
- Spread mixture into a 2 ½ quart casserole. Sprinkle with remaining ¾ cup shredded cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
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Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos says
YUM! I need to add this to my menu plan!!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
We love stuffed peppers in our house, so this lightened up version will most definitely be a hit!!
Megan {Country Cleaver} says
Talk about comfort food!! And so glad comfort doesn’t have to be heavy!
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
I love having casseroles like this in my back pocket. Great comfort food for this winter!
Lexi @ lexi's clean kitchen says
This is a great idea. Love casseroles all Fall and Winter!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
I love this recipe, Jessica! The perfect lightened comfort food. My husband loves stuffed peppers, so I know he will adore this. Pinned!
Tonia says
Sounds like the perfect casserole for crisp fall nights! Pinned!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
Stuffed peppers are a classic. Funny enough I don’t have a stand-by recipe. I always trying a new one. Well here we go!
Annie @Maebells says
Comfort food is good! It is still very hot and very much summer here but I am ready for some comfort food! I love the food that comes with fall!
sarah k @ the pajama chef says
mmm, sounds great! my husband doesn’t like stuffed peppers but i bet he’d do a casserole sub 🙂
Kelly says
This sounds amazing! Nothing beats comfort food any time of year and love that this casserole is lightened up. Pinning – we love stuffed peppers so this would definitely be a winner at our house!
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
This looks so delicious! I welcome good comfort food any time of the year.
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
I’m definitely ready for fall comfort foods! This casserole sounds amazing. Going to vote now 🙂
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
I love how hearty and filling this casserole looks even though it’s healthy! My kinda food, in any season. 🙂
Mallory @ Chocolate with Grace says
Love this casserole! It looks so much easier than the traditional version!
Anna (Hidden Ponies) says
I love the idea of turning stuffed peppers into casseroles! I love all things fall 🙂
Taylor @ greens & chocolate says
I feel a little bipolar – one second I’m SO excited for fall weather and food and the next I get incredibly sad that summer is over. Either way, I’m excited about all of the cozy comfort foods like casseroles and this one looks perfect for a chilly fall evening!
Ashley says
Oh I love this! I really really like stuffed peppers but for whatever reason they annoy me to make haha This seems like a much easier way to make it happen!
Kathleen @ Brownie and Bites says
Jessica, you have such a beautiful site! I love this recipe. It looks so comforting and perfect for the cooler months.
Russell from Chasing Delicious says
What a fantastic recipe! This is my kind of dinner.
Chelsea @chelseasmessyapron says
Casseroles this time of the year are my FAVORITE! Love that this is lightened up and all the peppers – yum!! Pinned 🙂
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Pass the casserole dish! This recipe is genius.
Julie says
Per serving what is the calorie count?
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction says
I do not have the nutrition information for this recipe, but you could stick the recipe into this nutrition calculator for an idea of what the calories would be per serving: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
Stuffed peppers are my favorite. I love that this is in casserole form and that you’ve lightened it up a bit!
am's favorite says
This recipe is one of my absolute fav! I can eat this everyday that’s how much I love this! Thank you for sharing this. Keep the recipes coming! 🙂
lyssiepoo says
We’ve made this multiple time, we use less cheese and beef up the veggies. We use ground chicken and top with panko breadcrumbs.
This is a winner for even the pickiest eaters. So filling! Very good recipe and super easy to make!
Elicea says
I wanted to make this for my dad, but he is on a liquid restriction plan. Is there something I can do that will use less liquid than pasta sauce? Would tomato paste work as well? I figure that the moisture will cook out of that quite a bit…
Cara says
So happy I found this recipe – I’ll definitely make again.
I swapped the brown rice for cauliflower rice and added Italian seasoning.
Next time I may add mushrooms and some fresh herbs.
Easy, healthy & delicious!