(This recipe has been given an update here –> Lightened Up Stuffed Pepper Casserole.)
Stuffed peppers without the work of carving out the peppers, stuffing them, trying to get them to stay upright, etc.?? Sounds great to me!
That is exactly what this recipe gives you. The taste is that of a stuffed pepper, but the work is that of an easy casserole. Plus, the leftovers store and reheat a lot easier this way!
Next time I think I will try adding in black beans and corn to up the veggies in the dish!
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Adapted from: Kraft Recipes
Yield: 7 – 1 Cup Servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb pound extra-lean ground beef
- 2 small green peppers, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp onion powder
- salt to taste, optional
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 C long grain brown rice, cooked
- 1 24oz jar of low-sodium spaghetti sauce (If you are using a plain spaghetti sauce, you will want to add in 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, 2 tsp season salt, 2 tsp onion powder, and 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder to give more flavor.)
- 1 1/2 C reduced-fat mozzarella cheese blend, divided
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cook meat in frying pan until almost completely browned. Drain and rinse. Place beef back in pan and add peppers, onion powder, salt, and garlic cloves. Cook over medium-low heat until beef in completely cooked and peppers begin to turn tender.
- In a 2 1/2 qt casserole, stir together the rice, spaghetti sauce (and added spices if using), and 3/4 C cheese.
- Add in the beef mixture and stir until combined. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese begins to brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
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Sounds great to me too. It’s always a process trying to stuff those things. This is a great idea. Looks yummy!
Oh wow – this sounds to die for! And much less of a hassle to make 🙂
what a great way to get all the flavors with half the work!
I love stuffed peppers but I find them frustrating to make for all of the reason you listed above. Great recipe!
That is genius! That is totally why I don’t make stuffed peppers most of the time – it’s the laziness factor!
Awesome idea, and so easy to make it vegetarian by using the morning star beef crumbles. I can’t wait to make this.
This looks delicious and so much easier than making stuffed peppers! Thanks for sharing!
This looks great-I bet you could sneak some more veggies in there and no one would notice will all the yummy cheese! 🙂
This sounds good I usually cut the peppers in half lengthwise and lay in bottom of dish so bottom is covered with pepper and then dump all the other stuff on top, good with a little chorizo added to the meat
Oh, I blanch the peppers in the microwave before putting in the pan
I will have to try making a casserole next time I want to make stuffed peppers. My boys never eat the peppers anyway.
Do you measure the rice before or after you cook it?
Measure the rice after you cook it. Let me know if you give it a try!
I made it 2 nights ago and it was delish! My fiancee thought it was great 🙂 Big bonus – the leftovers taste even better! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Oh, I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know!
I wonder how this would taste with mashed potaotes on top? I am not a big fan of stuffed peppers but love the insides and I usually spoon them over mashed potatoes….hmmm…maybe I’ll make it this way first and put the potaotes on the side. It’s on the menu for tomorrow.
Oh, that sounds good! Let me know if you try it, I’d love to hear what you think!
I make this once a week! It’s delicious and easy to make. I subbed white rice for brown as that is all I had, but will try with brown rice next time!
This sounds so good but I wonder how much sodium is in it. I need low sodium recipes for my mom.
If you omit the salt and use low-sodium spaghetti sauce, there is very little sodium in this recipe.
I am not able to have rice because it is a cross-reactant for my Celiac disease. I would think this would work well with quinoa. What do you think?
That sounds like a good substitution. I’m not sure if you would need to use a little more than the amount of rice that is called for otherwise it may have more liquid than the original recipe? I’d love to know how it turned out if you give it a try!
My daughter found this recipe and had me over for dinner. Gotta tell you it was excellent. The recipe seemed so effortless and tasty that I’m trying it tonight with a slight twist; going to use spicy Italian sausage instead of ground beef. My daughter and I both agreed that we would like the dish slightly spicier, thus the change. Thanks.
Making this tonight! Looks wonderful!
I’m wondering if this could be made ahead of time or frozen……..when we go on vacation, I like to take some meals that are already to be thrown in oven or crockpot????? Thank for any input!
I’d like to follow your blog, but to not believe in the social media outlets.
How many servings does this recipe make?
It makes 7 (1 Cup) servings. Hope this helps!
Just mad this and ready to go into the oven in a couple hours after I return from the gym. But, I digress! I hope you don’t mind that I made some minor adjustments. I sued a brown & wild rice mix in lieu of the plain brown rice, added a little frozen corn and lots of onions. But since I had all red, yellow and orange mini peppers, I cut them into quarters and lined the bottom of the pan and then put the beef/rice mixture on top. The mixture is already amazing tasting, since I sued a combination of roasted pepper pasta sauce left over from last night’s dinner. I then had to augment it with some tomato sauce with I seasoned with some Itialian seasoning, garlic powder, garlic, toasted onion flakes, and ground pepper. Thanks for the idea for the mozzarella cheese. Can’t wait for dinner.
Man, so sorry for the typos! Typing in my kitchen and the glare off the screen, etc. Oh, well, “Just MADE, and sued=used.
Going to try this tommorrow, but add homemade mash potatoes on top. This receipe looks yummy!
Oh, love the idea of mashed potatoes on top!
I made it tonight and it was very good!! 🙂
Stuffed peppers in one of my favorite, so I was happy to find this receipe. I made some minor additions and loved, loved, it. I added a yellow and red pepper along with the green. I cut the peppers more thicker. I also added chopped onions and minced, fresh garlic. In addition to the spagetti sauce, I added one can of petite cut tomatoes. Lastly, I added only a 1/2 cup of cheese to the mixture and topped the casserole with homemade mashed potatoes and sprinkled with a little bit of cheese. It was so yummy!! I will make this again and again!
Made this tonight and substituted quinoa for the brown rice and it was amazing! Can’t wait to eat leftovers!
Oh, I’m going to have to try this with quinoa! Thanks for letting me know!
This is my husbands favorite dish. He asks me to make it all the time. Hunk you for this recipe!
This has become my husbands favorite dish. He always asks me to make it. Thank you for this recipe!
So glad to hear it! 🙂
I’ve been making this casserole for a while (making it again tonight actually) and just wanted to leave a quick note letting you know how much we like it! I usually throw diced onions in with the peppers in place of the onion powder, but other than that make it exactly as written. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks so much for letting me know, Amy! I’m so glad that you like it!
Can this be made as a freezer meal?
This dish is amazing as written. I have made this several times. the last few times I have been using half ground beef and half Italian sausage instead of 1 pound ground beef and Spanish rice(knorr brand.) in place of the brown rice. sooo good!
Love the sound of the substitutions that you made! Thanks for letting me know!