When I was a kid, Mom often turned to her stuffed bell peppers recipe for an easy and tasty meal. I've not made them for many years because hubby's not a fan of bell peppers. But with memories of Mom and childhood at the forefront of my brain, I needed to make them anyway.

And in the end, hubby loved it.

There are like a thousand+ variations on the stuffed bell peppers recipe, but This classic stuffed bell peppers recipe is the original using only the basic ingredients. It's also very easy!

I had all the ingredients except tomato sauce, so I opted to use a small can of tomato paste and dilute it with water. This small change adds a depth of flavor that tomato sauce doesn't.

How to make Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe

Ingredients

Bell peppers
Long grain rice

Ground Beef Mixture

75-80% ground beef
Salt
Onion
Garlic
Tomato paste
Beef stock or low-sodium beef broth

Instructions for Stuffed Bell Peppers

Cut the tops of the peppers off, then core and seed the insides. In a large pot, bring enough water to boil to submerge the peppers. Add the peppers, submerging them so they don't float. Cook until almost tender; depending on the thickness of the pepper, this will take 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the pan, draining the water from inside them, and set aside.
Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan (try this ground beef chopper - I wish I'd invented this!). Add the salt and onion and continue cooking until the onion is translucent. Clear a space in the pan and add the garlic, cooking until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Add the tomato paste/broth mixture and continue cooking until heated through. Now the filling of this stuffed peppers recipe is complete.
While cooking the ground beef mixture, in a separate pan cook the rice according to instructions.
Add the cooked rice to the beef mixture and mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare a baking dish with cooking spray oil. Add some rice mixture to the bottom of the dish to help prop the peppers in place.
Place the peppers in the dish upright, then spoon and lightly pack the rice and beef mixture into the peppers. Use the remaining rice mixture to create a nest around the peppers. Place the pepper tops back on the stuffed peppers, if desired.
Bake, cool the stuffed peppers for about 5 minutes, and serve.

zulay ground beef chopper — Zulay Ground Beef Chopper (sponsored)

More Ground Beef recipes you may like...

If you like this Classic Stuff Bell Peppers recipe, here are more memories that might take you back to childhood.

Rich and Creamy Beef Stroganoff - A classic comfort food
Beef Noodle Casserole - This one will remind you of recipes from those old cookbooks
Salisbury Steak - So much better than the frozen dinner variety!
Cajun Meatloaf - A rich, always moist meatloaf recipe with just the right amount of Cajun seasoning

A fan favorite recipe here at The Unfussy Cook is The Best Guacamole - give it a whirl, I just know you're going to love it!

📖 Recipe

Mom's Classic Stuffed Bell Peppers

A classic recipe you'll remember from childhood

Print Pin

5 from 2 votes

Rate and Comment

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Resting time: 5

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings

Calories: 473kcal

Ingredients

4 bell peppers
2 cups cooked long grain rice

Ground Beef Mixture

1 pound 75-80% ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
6 ounces tomato paste
1 cup beef stock or low-sodium beef broth

Instructions

Cut the tops of the peppers off and set aside; core and seed the insides. In a large pot, bring enough water to boil to submerge the peppers. Once the water boils, add the peppers, submerging them so they don't float. Cook until almost tender; depending on the thickness of the pepper, this will take 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the pan, draining the water from inside them, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan and drain excess fat, leaving a little (try this ground beef chopper - I wish I'd invented this!). Add the salt and onion and continue cooking until the onion is translucent. Clear a space in the pan and add the garlic, cooking until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Add the tomato paste/broth mixture and continue cooking until heated through.
While cooking the ground beef mixture, in a separate pan cook the rice according to instructions. Generally, the rice-to-water ratio is 1 part rice to 2 parts water. Adding salt and a fat (butter or olive oil) is optional, but for this recipe it's not recommended. Set aside.
Add the cooked rice to the beef mixture and mix thoroughly. Test for flavor and add salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare an 8"x8" baking dish with cooking spray oil to prevent the rice from sticking. Add some rice to the bottom of the dish to help prop the peppers in place.
Place the peppers in the baking dish upright and spoon and lightly pack the rice and beef mixture into the peppers. Use the remaining rice mixture to create a nest around the peppers. Place the pepper tops back on the peppers, if desired.
Bake uncovered on a middle rack for 30 minutes at 350°. Cool for about 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!