This recipe comes from my mom. Weekly suppers consisted of these classic stuffed peppers when I was a child. They were simple to make and back then, I just loved eating the filling. As I grew older, I also grew to love peppers. This meal was very popular back in the 1970’s and my mom would usually serve them with potatoes or fresh corn on the cob in the summertime.

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Ingredients

Grass-fed ground beef, turkey or venison

Bell peppers

Small onion, diced

Mushrooms, chopped

Jasmine or Basmati rice

Fresh or canned diced tomatoes

Tomato sauce or strained tomatoes (optional)

Chicken bone broth

Cheddar cheese, grated

Worcester sauce

Italian seasoning

Fresh garlic, minced

Parsley, chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

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Directions

Prepare the peppers.
Cut the peppers in half (longways) removing the seeds and white ribs. Place them in a pot of boiling water and parboil for about 5 minutes. Drain.
Make the filling. Cook the rice (or use leftover cooked rice). Meanwhile, on medium heat, cook the ground meat, onions, mushrooms and garlic (cook the last 30 seconds so it doesn’t burn) together. Once that is done, combine the rest of the ingredients with the rice and meat mixture. Mix thoroughly. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Fill the peppers. Place the pepper halves in a buttered baking dish. Spoon the filling into each pepper. Top with the freshly grated cheese. It’s ok if you have extra filling fall to the bottom of the dish. If using the tomato sauce or strained tomatoes, add it to the bottom of the dish at this time.
Bake. Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the filling is cooked through.
Enjoy. Top with chopped fresh parsley and serve.

Tips

Use whatever bell pepper you like. I love having a mixture of the red, orange and yellow ones. You can certainly use just all green peppers as well.
Cook your rice a few days before or use leftover rice from a previous meal.
I parboil my peppers using my electric skillet. It works just as fine as stock pot and I’m not cleaning multiple pans.
If you want a “sauce” with your peppers, add 1/2 cup of either tomato sauce or strained tomatoes to the bottom of the dish. When the stuffed peppers are finished cooking, just spoon the hot sauce over the peppers.

Storage

Store any leftover stuffed peppers in the fridge for 1-2 days. To reheat: Place in an oven safe dish and bake at 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. If needed, add some water in the bottom of the dish (not on top of the peppers). Add additional cheese, if needed.

Freezer: These freeze very well. Wrap the peppers up in a freezer safe container with a lid. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months). To reheat frozen, bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Add additional cheese, if needed.

Pin For Later

From Scratch Cast Iron Mac ‘n Cheese

This is the perfect side dish to go with these stuffed peppers. It’s creamy and so cozy!

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Simple Living Note

I aim to buy and consume organic food whether I’m growing it, supporting a local farmer or grabbing items from a local market. Eating things that have been sprayed with chemicals, herbicides or toxins should not be consumed. Our bodies were never designed to tolerate them which is one of the main causes of disease. In saying all of this, I still eat out and it’s really hard to find restaurants that offer organic food. That’s why I keep with an 80/20 rule for myself. I eat clean 80% of the time and then I allow that 20% for when I travel or go out to restaurants.

More Dinner Ideas

Beef Pot Roast

Creamy Parmesan Chicken

Sunday Dutch Oven Chicken

Chicken Enchiladas

Variations of Classic Stuffed Peppers

Instead of rice, use quinoa or barley.
Change up the veggies inside the filling. Use chopped zucchini or carrots. Simply, add 1 tbsp butter to a skillet. Cook the veggies until they are soft. Combine them in the meat and rice mixture when done cooking. If you have picky eaters, they will never know haha.
For a dairy free option, omit the cheese.

Items Used in This Recipe

Baking dish (PFAS/toxin free)

Electric skillet (PFAS/toxin free)

Spatula

Organic strained tomatoes (from Italy)

Organic crushed tomatoes (from Italy)

Pretty brown floral plates

Classic Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is a vintage classic meal you can have on the table pretty quickly. They can even be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer. It’s a cozy comfort meal that’s good anytime of the year.

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Servings: 6 stuffed peppers

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 lb Grass-fed ground beef turkey or venison
3-4 Bell peppers
1 Small onion (diced)
1/2 cup Mushrooms (chopped)
1 cup Jasmine or Basmati rice
14 oz Fresh or canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup Tomato sauce or strained tomatoes (optional)
1 cup Chicken bone broth
1 cup Cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
3 Cloves garlic (minced)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Method

Cut the peppers in half (longways) removing the seeds and white ribs. Place them in a pot of boiling water and parboil for about 5 minutes. Drain.
Cook the rice (or use leftover cooked rice). Meanwhile, on medium heat, cook the ground meat, onions, mushrooms and garlic (cook the last 30 seconds so it doesn't burn) together. Once that is done, combine the rest of the ingredients with the rice and meat mixture. Mix thoroughly. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Place the pepper halves in a buttered baking dish. Spoon the filling into each pepper. Top with the freshly grated cheese. It's ok if you have extra filling fall to the bottom of the dish. If using the tomato sauce or strained tomatoes, add it to the bottom of the dish at this time.
Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot and cooked through.
Top with chopped fresh parsley and serve.

Notes

Use whatever bell pepper you like. I love having a mixture of the red, orange and yellow ones. You can certainly use just all green peppers as well.
Cook your rice a few days before or use leftover rice from a previous meal.
I parboil my peppers using my electric skillet. It works just as fine as stock pot and I’m not cleaning multiple pans.
If you want a “sauce” with your peppers, add 1/2 cup of either tomato sauce or strained tomatoes to the bottom of the dish. When the stuffed peppers are finished cooking, just spoon the sauce over the peppers.

I hope you enjoy making this recipe for you and your family all year long. Please share this post over on Pinterest and tag me on Instagram.

Wendy Lea Walker, NTP

Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

I’m Wendy. A wife, empty-nester mama, homemaker, homebaker, gardener and small-time farmer. I love sharing wisdom and knowledge I’ve learned along the way. Anyone can garden or homestead, no matter where you live. It’s a mindset. You just have to start somewhere. I believe food is medicine. Feed the body real whole foods and healing will begin. I’m an advocate for eating real food and enjoy sharing all my fresh-milled flour recipes. I’ve learned to slow down over the years from all the noise that came with life and enjoy creating a simple cottage home.

Classic Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients