Stuffed Pepper Casserole • Two Purple Figs

This Stuffed Pepper Casserole is a one pot meal for busy days. So tasty, delicious and pure comfort food, yet so easy and quick! Forget stuffing the peppers one by one and make this luscious version of stuffed peppers casserole in one pan. Full step by step and video below–make sure to watch it 🙂

Stuffed peppers are so versatile, and our family LOVES them! My grandma made stuffed peppers recipe the really old fashioned way. The rice was raw, meat was raw and cooking it was a perfect balance of liquids, spices, seasoning and temperature control.

While I absolutely devoured her dish, I think this stuffed pepper casserole is just as satisfying. If you want a bit of spice, try our Stuffed Poblano Peppers. Mexican inspired and made using cooked rice so it’s SO quick, tasty and seriously WORTH making!!

Another HIT and viral recipe is our Feta Stuffed Peppers! This is a recipe straight from the Mediterranean and it’s a burst of freshness, zest, and flavor! The best appetizer you’ll ever make using peppers!

Now back to our stuffed pepper casserole recipe, we know you’ll love this too and here’s why.

Why You’ll LOVE Stuffed Pepper Casserole

• It tastes exactly like stuffed peppers! So many flavors in this dish!
• You need only one pan to make this recipe.
• You can make this with our without the meat entirely, so it can be a purely vegetarian dish.
• It’s a hearty and filling meal when made with meat, rice, peppers, tomatoes, seasoning and cheese.
• This recipe is SO versatile! Add in some beans, swap spices, use brown rice, and many more options work great here.
• If you love deconstructed recipes, this is a great way to start! It has the exact taste, but much simpler process.
• Stuffed Peppers casserole is naturally gluten free as it has rice, and you can make it vegan by using vegan cheese and meat.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Peppers. We use a variety of colored peppers, the tri colored ones. Don’t be alarmed that the recipe needs three large peppers, it’s a stuffed pepper recipe after all 🙂
• Meat. To make this recipe as close and authentic as possible to a stuffed pepper recipe, we used ground beef. I mean we would have LOVED ground lamb, but that would be another post.
• Tomatoes. We used canned cherry tomatoes for this recipe as they’re sweeter, and richer in taste than others.
• Rice. Any type of long grain basmati rice works here.
• Cheese. You can use your favorite, we used cheddar cheese which we grated at home.
• Seasoning. A variety of oregano, paprika, granulated onion and garlic, some thyme and chilli flakes You can also use store bought Italian seasoning. For a zesty variety, use the same Mexican inspired spices as we used in our Stuffed Poblano Peppers.
• Aromatics. Mainly onions and garlic here. They are the base of flavor to the dish.
• Broth/Stock. You can use beef or chicken or vegetarian. Of course ideally since this is a meat dish, we prefer a beef stock or broth. This is the liquid which will primarily cook the rice.
• Herbs. A variety of fresh thyme or oregano to flavor the casserole and add freshness, plus parsley for garnish.

How to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole

This is a step by step to make the best stuffed pepper casserole recipe ever!

Cook the Meat and Peppers

1. The first step is to stuffed pepper casserole is to cook the meat. If you have cooked ground beef already, you can add it here as well. Our favorite mixture is used in this Ground Beef Tacos.
2. Make sure to use an oven safe skillet as you will finish cooking the casserole in the oven.
3. Cook the onions in olive oil for 3 minutes and then add in the ground beef.
   
4. Along with the beef you’ll add in the minced garlic and seasoning. Cook until brown.
5. As soon as the beef is cooked and no longer any pink is shown, you’ll add in your diced peppers. We love a variety of colored peppers.
   

   Cook the Rice

   

6. Cook the peppers for a few minutes and then add in the basmati rice. Depending on the type of rice you use, you may need to rinse the rice and maybe even soak it for 15 minutes before using. We always rinse the rice but never soak it.
7. Once the rice is sautéed for a few minutes, we add in the liquid to cook the rice.
   
8. This includes the tomatoes and stock or broth you’re using.
9. With this step, it’s best to start preheating the oven.
10. To cook the rice, you’ll need to bring the liquid to a boil and then cover the pot. At that point you will drop the heat to the lowest setting and keep the skillet covered until the rice is cooked.
    
11. Our best guide to cooking rice is in this Coconut Rice recipe. If we can master the art of fluffy rice cooked in coconut milk, then any other rice is a BREEZE!!!
    

    Finish With Cheese

    

12. Now that the rice is cooked and fluffy, you’ll add in a layer of cheese. You can make this stuffed pepper casserole as cheesy or not as you prefer.
13. Bake the casserole until the cheese has melted. Remember everything else is already cooked. You can alternatively broil the casserole only.
    
14. Once out of the oven, add some fresh parsley for garnish, and chilli flakes if you want to spice it up.
15. Serve it after 2-3 minutes at least, as the cheese is piping hot!
    SO GOOD!

Stuffed Pepper Casserole Tips

1. It’s best to use multi-colored peppers for a visual appeal and difference in pepper taste. However if you love red peppers only for example, you can make this casserole with only red peppers.
2. You can make this recipe using vegan meat, ground chicken or ground lamb.
3. Use store bought spice blends if you have one you trust, taco blend or Italian blend are great!
4. We love canned cherry tomatoes for their rich taste and sweetness. You can use crushed or diced tomatoes too.
5. As for the stock, likewise use your favorite. However beef is best to compliment this dish.
6. We always make this casserole with long grain basmati rice. To get rid of excess starch and for extra fluffy rice, we rinse the rice before cooking. Add the rice into a sieve and run warm water over it until the water looks clear.
7. Be sure to cook the rice on low heat after it comes to a boil. Read our Coconut Rice recipe and guidelines for the best tips on cooking rice.
8. When making this stuffed pepper casserole, use an oven safe skillet to start with. The skillet will go in the oven for the cheese to melt so it needs to be oven safe.
9. For a spicier version, add lots of chilli flakes or use Rotel tomatoes.

How to Store, Reheat and Freeze Stuffed Peppers casserole?

This recipe is so make ahead friendly and super forgiving.

• Storage: To store leftovers, keep them in an air tight container in the fridge for 5 days.
• Freezing: To freeze the cooked and cooled casserole, make sure you let it cool first. Wrap and freeze for 3 months.
• Make Ahead: To make ahead this recipe, you can prepare the whole step and cook the rice. Freeze the cooled casserole at that point for up to 3 months. Then remove from the freezer, thaw, sprinkle cheese and reheat with the cheese.
• Reheating: You can reheat the casserole in the microwave but we don’t recommend it. It’s best to cover the casserole with a lid or foil, and reheat in a 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Can I make this with Brown Rice?

YES of course! Even make it with Quinoa if you’d like for a protein packed version. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the amount of liquid and cooking times.