Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

By
Derek Jacobson
·

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These slow cooker stuffed peppers are classic comfort food with almost no effort. Tender bell peppers are packed with seasoned ground beef, rice, tomatoes, onion, and garlic, then cooked low and slow in a simple tomato sauce. A layer of melted cheese goes on at the end.

Prep takes about 20 minutes. After that, the slow cooker does the work, so dinner is ready and waiting at the end of a busy day.

Why These Stuffed Peppers Work

Making stuffed peppers in the oven usually means precooking the meat, blanching the peppers, and watching the clock. In the slow cooker, the raw beef cooks right inside the peppers. It stays juicy and soaks up the flavor of the tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning as it cooks.

The tomato sauce and water in the bottom of the crock create gentle steam. That steam softens the peppers until they are tender but still hold their shape. By the end, the sauce has picked up flavor from the peppers and filling, so you can spoon it over the top when serving.

Using cooked rice in the filling keeps things simple. It just needs to warm through, and it helps hold the filling together so each pepper slices neatly.

Leftover rice from takeout or last night’s dinner is perfect here. If you need to cook rice just for this recipe, about 1/3 cup of uncooked rice makes 1 cup cooked.

Ingredients and Easy Swaps

  • Bell peppers: 4 large, any color. Red, yellow, and orange peppers are sweeter. Green peppers have a more savory flavor. Pick ones with flat bottoms so they stand up.
  • Ground beef or turkey: 1 pound. Lean beef (85/15 or 90/10) keeps the sauce from getting greasy.
  • Cooked rice: 1 cup. White or brown rice both work. Cauliflower rice makes it low carb.
  • Diced tomatoes: One 14.5 ounce can, drained. Fire roasted tomatoes add a smoky flavor.
  • Onion, garlic, and seasonings: Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning flavor the filling. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat.
  • Tomato sauce and water: These make the cooking liquid. Marinara works in place of the tomato sauce.
  • Shredded cheese: 1 cup cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend.

How to Make It at a Glance

  1. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes.
  2. Mix the beef, rice, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, and seasonings. Pack the mixture into the peppers.
  3. Pour the tomato sauce and water into the slow cooker. Stand the peppers upright, snug together.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours, until the filling reaches 160°F (165°F if using turkey).
  5. Top with cheese for the last 15 minutes. Serve with sauce spooned over the top.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Peppers tipping over. Choose peppers that fit snugly in your crock. A 6 quart oval slow cooker usually fits 4 large peppers. If one wobbles, trim a thin slice off the bottom, but do not cut a hole.
  • Skipping the drain. Undrained tomatoes make the filling wet and mushy.
  • Adding cheese too early. Cheese added at the start can burn on the sides of the crock and turn oily.
  • Guessing on doneness. Since the meat goes in raw, check the center with a thermometer before serving.

Do not throw away the pepper tops. Chop the pepper around the stem and add it to the filling, or save it for a salad or omelet the next day.

Variations

  • Tex Mex: Use taco seasoning, add black beans and corn, and top with pepper jack.
  • Italian sausage: Swap half the beef for Italian sausage and top with mozzarella and Parmesan.
  • Cheesy filling: Stir 1/2 cup of the cheese into the filling and use the rest on top.
  • Low carb: Use cauliflower rice in place of white rice.

What to Serve With It

Each pepper is a full meal in itself, with meat, rice, and vegetables. A simple green salad, garlic bread, or warm dinner rolls round it out nicely. For a heartier plate, serve the peppers with mashed potatoes or a side of buttered corn. Extra sauce from the crock is great for dunking bread.

Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Stuff the peppers up to 24 hours ahead. Cover them and keep them in the fridge, then place them in the slow cooker with the sauce in the morning. Do not leave the slow cooker insert full of food in the fridge overnight and then turn it on, since a cold insert can heat too slowly.

Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes or in a covered dish at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until hot in the center. To freeze, wrap each cooked pepper and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

FAQ

Do I need to cook the beef first?
No. The raw beef cooks inside the peppers in the slow cooker. Just make sure it reaches 160°F.

Can I use uncooked rice?
It is not recommended. There is not enough liquid in the filling to cook raw rice evenly.

Can I cut the peppers in half?
Yes. Halved peppers lie flat and cook a little faster. Start checking at 5 hours on low.

What size slow cooker do I need?
A 6 quart slow cooker fits 4 large peppers. Use a bigger one if you double the recipe.

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Pin
Print

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

Servings

4

servings

There’s something so comforting about a classic stuffed pepper, tender bell peppers filled with a hearty, flavorful mixture of meat, rice, and seasonings. This recipe is perfect for busy days when you want a satisfying dinner waiting for you at the end of the day.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

  • 4 large bell peppers (any color)

  • 1 pound ground beef (or turkey)

  • 1 cup cooked rice

  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

  • 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend)

  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

  • 1/2 cup water

Directions

  • Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes.
  • In a bowl, mix the ground beef, cooked rice, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning until well combined.
  • Stuff each pepper with the meat mixture, pressing down slightly to pack them full.
  • Pour the tomato sauce and water into the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Place the stuffed peppers upright in the slow cooker, ensuring they fit snugly.
  • Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the peppers are tender and the meat is fully cooked.
  • Sprinkle cheese over the tops of the peppers in the last 15 minutes of cooking, then cover until melted.
  • Serve warm with extra sauce from the slow cooker spooned over the top.
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Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

These slow cooker stuffed peppers are classic comfort food with almost no effort. Tender bell peppers are packed with seasoned ground beef, rice, tomatoes, onion, and garlic, then cooked low and slow in a simple tomato sauce. A layer of melted cheese goes on at the end.

Prep takes about 20 minutes. After that, the slow cooker does the work, so dinner is ready and waiting at the end of a busy day.

Why These Stuffed Peppers Work

Making stuffed peppers in the oven usually means precooking the meat, blanching the peppers, and watching the clock. In the slow cooker, the raw beef cooks right inside the peppers. It stays juicy and soaks up the flavor of the tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning as it cooks.

The tomato sauce and water in the bottom of the crock create gentle steam. That steam softens the peppers until they are tender but still hold their shape. By the end, the sauce has picked up flavor from the peppers and filling, so you can spoon it over the top when serving.

Using cooked rice in the filling keeps things simple. It just needs to warm through, and it helps hold the filling together so each pepper slices neatly.

Leftover rice from takeout or last night’s dinner is perfect here. If you need to cook rice just for this recipe, about 1/3 cup of uncooked rice makes 1 cup cooked.

Ingredients and Easy Swaps

  • Bell peppers: 4 large, any color. Red, yellow, and orange peppers are sweeter. Green peppers have a more savory flavor. Pick ones with flat bottoms so they stand up.
  • Ground beef or turkey: 1 pound. Lean beef (85/15 or 90/10) keeps the sauce from getting greasy.
  • Cooked rice: 1 cup. White or brown rice both work. Cauliflower rice makes it low carb.
  • Diced tomatoes: One 14.5 ounce can, drained. Fire roasted tomatoes add a smoky flavor.
  • Onion, garlic, and seasonings: Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning flavor the filling. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat.
  • Tomato sauce and water: These make the cooking liquid. Marinara works in place of the tomato sauce.
  • Shredded cheese: 1 cup cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend.

How to Make It at a Glance

  1. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes.
  2. Mix the beef, rice, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, and seasonings. Pack the mixture into the peppers.
  3. Pour the tomato sauce and water into the slow cooker. Stand the peppers upright, snug together.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours, until the filling reaches 160°F (165°F if using turkey).
  5. Top with cheese for the last 15 minutes. Serve with sauce spooned over the top.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Peppers tipping over. Choose peppers that fit snugly in your crock. A 6 quart oval slow cooker usually fits 4 large peppers. If one wobbles, trim a thin slice off the bottom, but do not cut a hole.
  • Skipping the drain. Undrained tomatoes make the filling wet and mushy.
  • Adding cheese too early. Cheese added at the start can burn on the sides of the crock and turn oily.
  • Guessing on doneness. Since the meat goes in raw, check the center with a thermometer before serving.

Do not throw away the pepper tops. Chop the pepper around the stem and add it to the filling, or save it for a salad or omelet the next day.

Variations

  • Tex Mex: Use taco seasoning, add black beans and corn, and top with pepper jack.
  • Italian sausage: Swap half the beef for Italian sausage and top with mozzarella and Parmesan.
  • Cheesy filling: Stir 1/2 cup of the cheese into the filling and use the rest on top.
  • Low carb: Use cauliflower rice in place of white rice.

What to Serve With It

Each pepper is a full meal in itself, with meat, rice, and vegetables. A simple green salad, garlic bread, or warm dinner rolls round it out nicely. For a heartier plate, serve the peppers with mashed potatoes or a side of buttered corn. Extra sauce from the crock is great for dunking bread.

Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Stuff the peppers up to 24 hours ahead. Cover them and keep them in the fridge, then place them in the slow cooker with the sauce in the morning. Do not leave the slow cooker insert full of food in the fridge overnight and then turn it on, since a cold insert can heat too slowly.

Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes or in a covered dish at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until hot in the center. To freeze, wrap each cooked pepper and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

FAQ

Do I need to cook the beef first?
No. The raw beef cooks inside the peppers in the slow cooker. Just make sure it reaches 160°F.

Can I use uncooked rice?
It is not recommended. There is not enough liquid in the filling to cook raw rice evenly.

Can I cut the peppers in half?
Yes. Halved peppers lie flat and cook a little faster. Start checking at 5 hours on low.

What size slow cooker do I need?
A 6 quart slow cooker fits 4 large peppers. Use a bigger one if you double the recipe.

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Pin
Print

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

Servings

4

servings

There’s something so comforting about a classic stuffed pepper, tender bell peppers filled with a hearty, flavorful mixture of meat, rice, and seasonings. This recipe is perfect for busy days when you want a satisfying dinner waiting for you at the end of the day.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

  • 4 large bell peppers (any color)

  • 1 pound ground beef (or turkey)

  • 1 cup cooked rice

  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

  • 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend)

  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

  • 1/2 cup water

Directions

  • Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes.
  • In a bowl, mix the ground beef, cooked rice, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning until well combined.
  • Stuff each pepper with the meat mixture, pressing down slightly to pack them full.
  • Pour the tomato sauce and water into the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Place the stuffed peppers upright in the slow cooker, ensuring they fit snugly.
  • Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the peppers are tender and the meat is fully cooked.
  • Sprinkle cheese over the tops of the peppers in the last 15 minutes of cooking, then cover until melted.
  • Serve warm with extra sauce from the slow cooker spooned over the top.
Pinterest

Like this recipe?

Follow @dinnerendeavor on Pinterest