American · Lunch · Dinner
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Sweet bell peppers filled with lean beef, brown rice, zucchini and herby tomato, then baked until tender under a light layer of melted mozzarella. A comforting, balanced one-dish dinner.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 80 min
- Total
- 100 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 40% · Fat 30% · Protein 30%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1/2 cup100 gbrown rice, dry
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp250 gwater, for cooking rice
- 4 large720 glarge bell peppers, mixed colours
- 1 tsp5 golive oil
- 1 medium110 gonion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves6 ggarlic, minced
- 14 oz400 glean ground beef (93% lean)
- 1 small150 gzucchini, diced small
- 1 can (14 oz)400 gcanned diced tomatoes
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 1/4 tspblack pepper
- 1/4 cup60 gwater, for the baking dish
- 2/3 cup60 gpart-skim mozzarella, shredded
- 2 tbsp8 gfresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Steps
- 1
Rinse the brown rice, then bring it to a boil with the 250 ml (1 cup + 1 tbsp) of water.
- 2
Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes until the water is absorbed; rest 5 minutes, then fluff.
- 3
While the rice cooks, heat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F.
- 4
Slice the tops off the peppers, remove the seeds and ribs, and trim the bases slightly so they stand upright if needed.
- 5
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 4 minutes until soft.
- 6
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- 7
Add the ground beef, breaking it up, and cook for 7-8 minutes until browned with no pink remaining (71 °C / 160 °F).
- 8
Stir in the zucchini and cook for 3 minutes.
- 9
Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 10
Fold the cooked rice into the filling.
- 11
Stand the peppers in a baking dish and pack them with the filling.
- 12
Pour the 60 ml (1/4 cup) of water into the bottom of the dish and cover tightly with foil.
- 13
Bake for 30 minutes until the peppers are tender.
- 14
Uncover, sprinkle the mozzarella over the peppers and bake for 10 more minutes until melted and lightly golden.
- 15
Scatter with parsley, if using, and serve.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Replace the ground beef with 2 cups of cooked lentils or black beans and skip the mozzarella for a vegan version.
- Use cooked quinoa instead of brown rice to save time, since it cooks in about 15 minutes.
- Swap the part-skim mozzarella for a dairy-free shredded cheese, choosing one labelled gluten-free if you need the dish to stay gluten-free.
- Use lean ground turkey instead of beef, cooking it to 74 °C / 165 °F.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot all the way through. Cooked stuffed peppers can be frozen for up to 3 months, though the peppers will soften after thawing.
Make ahead
Cook the rice and the beef filling up to 2 days ahead and keep them chilled; you can also stuff the peppers a day ahead, cover and refrigerate, then add a few extra minutes to the covered bake.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Milk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (567 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 386 kcal | 68 kcal |
| Protein | 29.8 g | 5.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 39.4 g | 6.9 g |
| of which sugars | 12.8 g | 2.3 g |
| Fiber | 7.8 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 13 g | 2.3 g |
| of which saturated | 5.1 g | 0.9 g |
| Sodium | 591 mg | 104 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
