Crockpot stuffed peppers

Name: Crockpot stuffed peppers
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 370 min
Total time: 390 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 green bell peppers; 1 package microwave rice pouches; 1 lb 85/15 ground beef; ½ yellow onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 2 cans tomato sauce, divided; 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided; ½ cup water

Whole bell peppers packed with a cheesy beef and rice filling and slow-cooked in tomato sauce until tender, no oven or pre-cooking needed.

390 min total
20 min hands-on
Follow-a-recipe easy
Serves 4
About $3.68 a serving
500 calories
Good the next day
Gluten-free

Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

4 green bell peppers
1 package microwave rice pouches
1 lb 85/15 ground beef
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans tomato sauce, divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided

From your pantry

1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup water

Each serving has about 500 calories, 33 g protein, 38 g carbs and 25 g fat, and costs about $3.68 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
No tomato sauce? Crushed tomatoes work.
No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

Cut the tops off the peppers and pull out the seeds and white ribs. If one won’t stand up, shave a thin slice off the bottom without cutting through.
Squeeze the rice pouch to break up the grains.
Dolly’s tip: The rice is already cooked. It just needs to be loose so it mixes in evenly.
Mix the beef, rice, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, 1 can tomato sauce and ½ cup mozzarella with your hands.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Pack the filling into the peppers, mounding it a little on top.
Pour the water into the slow cooker, stand the peppers upright in it, and pour the second can of tomato sauce over the tops.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 to 4, until the peppers are tender and the filling reads 160°F in the middle.
Timer: 360 min
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Scatter the rest of the mozzarella over the peppers, cover, and let it 10 minutes. Serve with the sauce spooned over.
Timer: 10 min