One Pot Unstuffed Peppers With Rice is an easy and quick way to have your stuffed peppers without all the fuss! Ground beef, rice, bell peppers and seasonings cook together in one pot in less than 30 minutes.
Get your tastebuds ready for all the flavors of traditional stuffed peppers cooked in one skillet.
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Unstuffed Peppers
If you know me well, then you know that I am absolutely in love with my one pot recipes.
Having four sons, who were always hungry, and now eight grandchildren, who are just as hungry, I always need to get dinner on the table asap!
So although I have mastered one pot cooking out of necessity, it really is my favorite way to cook.
Stuffed Peppers were a favorite recipe of my Grandma Bum Bum’s (yes, we called her Bum Bum, long story) and we always looked forward to when she made them.
But it always seemed like she was in the kitchen for the longest time making them.
It was such a production for my grandma when she was cooking the filling, stuffing the peppers, baking the peppers.
I needed to come up with an easier and quicker way to make this recipe that brings me right back to my childhood and that’s how this unstuffed peppers skillet recipe was born.
Now the same ingredients of ground beef, rice, bell peppers and seasonings, come together in one skillet and dinner is on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Our deconstructed stuffed peppers is bursting with all the flavors of a traditional stuffed pepper recipe without all the fuss.
Just like an unstuffed bell peppers casserole but made on the stovetop! Hands down, my favorite kind of recipe!
Be sure to give my butter bean stew recipe, that also cooks in one pot, a try too!
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Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
You can change up the recipe with the following substitutions and/or additions:
- Make It Healthy: Substitute ground turkey for the ground beef
- Make it Mexican: Substitute dried oregano for the Italian seasoning and add chili powder and cumin. Top with salsa and cheddar cheese.
- Make It Greek: Substitute dried oregano for the Italian seasoning and top with feta cheese and fresh dill.
- Change Up The Flavor: Use diced tomatoes with seasonings added for additional flavor
Substitutions
- You can use any color bell peppers, however, I find that green bell peppers have a strong harsh flavor compared to red, orange and yellow bell peppers
- Ground turkey or ground chicken can replace ground beef
- Garlic powder can be used instead of fresh garlic cloves
Storage
- Store any leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Stuffed peppers will stay fresh for 2-3 days.
- You can reheat your leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Ingredients
Ingredients for deconstructed stuffed peppers:
- oil
- ground beef
- onion
- garlic
- dried Italian seasoning
- kosher salt
- bell peppers
- canned diced tomatoes
- tomato sauce
- instant brown rice
- water
- shredded mozzarella
Related Recipes
If you love peppers, then you need to try more of our pepper recipes including those cute little sweet peppers that are readily available in the produce section of your grocery store.
Spicy Nacho Stuffed Peppers is an easy appetizer recipe seasoned with taco seasoning and brimming with salsa, black beans, corn, avocado, jalapeno and cheesy goodness!
Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers are an easy recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner and beautiful enough to serve to guests. Quinoa stuffed peppers take on a Mexican flair, bursting with a filling of quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes and salsa.
Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Poppers are filled with a creamy jalapeno filling bursting with cheesiness and spice! Perfect as an appetizer and for your Cinco de Mayo celebration!
Buttery Sautéed Peppers & Onions are the perfect accompaniment to any dinnertime menu and they cook up in just minutes! An easy side dish that is both delicious and bursting with beautiful colors, these caramelized peppers and onions will be the perfect side kick to many meals.
One Pot Unstuffed Peppers With Rice Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large red and/or orange bell peppers , seeded and cut in 1-inch pieces, 2 cups
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with their juices
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- ½ cup uncooked instant brown rice
- 1/3 cup water
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
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Instructions
- Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook ground beef, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and kosher salt until beef is browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Add peppers and cook until tender-crisp, 5 minutes.
- Stir in diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, brown rice and water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Top with shredded mozzarella.
juanbautista
cual condimento italiano utilizan ustedes
Kathleen
Looks yummy!! I rarely make stuffed peppers for the very reasons you stated!! Thanks for sharing on Meal Plan Monday!
GG
Thank you Kathleen. I hope you enjoy making this fuss free recipe! And thank you so much for stopping by Swirls and taking the time to leave me a comment. Happy cooking, Gwynn
GG
I usually use McCormick or Badia brand herbs and spices.
Jean M Stewart
This isn't meant as a complaint about your cooking, everything looks very tasty.
almost every dish includes tomatoes of some kind, doesn't your family get tired of them? Maybe it's just me, I hate them. When I was 12 my mother was pregnant and hated it so much, I'm surprised we all survived lol. Supper time was always the same thing, macaroni with canned tomatoes. My father didn't believe in both tomatoes and cheese. He was brought up on a farm and then moved to the city and never really caught up lol omg then he bought her a presseure cooker - imagine this: unb- rowned spare ribs with fresh sauerekraut ocoked for hours but we all loved them
GG
Hi Jean, thank you for your comments. With almost 700 recipes currently on Swirls of Flavor there are many more recipes without tomatoes than with. I'm thinking that you haven't seen the majority of the recipes that are published here. While I do put tomatoes in recipes when they enhance the flavor and make it more delicious and pleasing, they are only in a handful of the recipes compared to the total recipes. I invite you to take a look around and hopefully you'll find lots more recipes without tomatoes. Oh, and the spare ribs recipe you mention sounds fabulous. I just might have to try making that! Savor the Moments, GG
Stacie
Thank you for posting this! Stuffed bell peppers are one of my favorites and I’ve forgotten all about it. My mom used to make this for dinner on a busy school night for us growing up. This was one that I constantly requested. I just happened to look for quick cheap meals with ground beef and the came up. Thank you again for helping me remember one of my favorite dishes. This came out just like moms! I did add a dash of Worcestershire sauce to it bc she always did.
GG
Hi Stacie, I'm so happy that you enjoyed this recipe and that it brought back delicious memories. Childhood food memories are the best! Oh, Worcestershre sauce, sounds like a flavorful addition!