Stuffed Bell Peppers With Spanish Beef

These tender stuffed bell peppers are filled with cheese, Spanish beef, and rice, topped with even more cheese. A classic comfort food favorite!

This stuffed bell pepper recipe is adapted from my mama’s recipe. She made these a few times when I was growing up. She didn’t make it often because my daddy didn’t really care for stuffed peppers. Although he’d eat them and just about anything, she sat before him. He didn’t like to waste food and always cleaned up his plate.

I didn’t like stuffed bell peppers, but I enjoyed the delicious stuffing she put inside the peppers. Over the years, I fell in love with bell peppers and adapted my mother’s recipe by adding more seasoning and gooey cheese.

The Best Bell Peppers For Taste And Stuffing

The most common colors are green, yellow, orange, and red bell peppers. However, we found pale yellow, white, and purple bell peppers a few summers ago at our favorite farmers’ market. They are quite unusual looking, but I think they are just as tasty as the rest of the bell pepper varieties.

Green peppers are not as sweet and slightly more bitter than yellow and orange peppers because they are not fully ripened except for the Permagreen variety, which maintains its green color when fully ripened.

Red-ripened peppers are the sweetest because they can ripen fully on the plant in the sunshine.

A bell pepper’s taste can also be affected by the growing conditions and if they are allowed to ripen after harvest in storage.

Read more: [Bell Pepper Facts and Tips]

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe

Rice: Any variety of cooked rice (brown rice, wild rice) will work, but I prefer long-grain white rice. Use leftover rice if you have some. You can also substitute the rice with cooked quinoa or couscous.

Meat: ground chuck will give you the most flavor. You could also substitute with lean ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey if you what healthier options.

Onion: yellow or white chopped to create a base of flavor.

Taco Seasoning: This is an addition to mama’s recipe. I make my own with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, Mexican oregano, sweet paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper using THIS RECIPE.

Tomato Sauce: This is what brings the stuffing mixture together. If you are watching your sodium, use no-salt options.

Water: water helps thin out the sauce and gives you time to simmer the stuffing mixture without becoming too thick.

Bell Peppers: Use whatever variety you like best. Check the bottom of the pepper before you buy it. Try to select peppers with flat bottoms to stand up better when stuffed.

Cheese: use any variety of cheese you like. I prefer extra-sharp cheddar cheese for stuffing and topping. Sometimes I’ll lay a slice of American cheese on top just because it melts so well. The cheese is optional.

How To Make Stuffed Bell Peppers With Spanish Beef

Step #1 Prepare the rice

Make the rice according to package instructions and set it aside.

Step #2 Prepare the Stuffing Mixture

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, brown hamburger with chopped onions, herbs, and spices, until cooked through, over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess grease from the hamburger mixture, return to the heat and add tomato sauce, water, and rice to the hamburger mixture. Simmer over low heat until warmed through, taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. – Be careful to stir often to ensure the rice does not stick.

Step #3 Prepare the Peppers for Stuffing

Blanching (boiling) the peppers helps them cook more evenly, improving the texture and appearance of the pepper. It also removes any bitterness the pepper may have. Use the following steps to blanch the peppers before stuffing them.

1. Bring a pot of water with enough water inside to submerge the peppers.
2. Cut the tops off the peppers as if you were carving into a pumpkin. Scoop out seeds and membranes and discard. Carefully place the prepared peppers into the boiling water. Boil for approximately 5 minutes. – Make sure they are completely submerged; they tend to float if the water does not enter the pepper cavity. 
3. Carefully remove the peppers from the water and allow them to drain.

Step #4 Stuff the Peppers

Place some cheese into the bottom of each pepper, if desired. Ladle the stuffing mixture into the peppers and place them inside a Dutch oven with a lid or deep baking dish.

Step #5 Bake the Stuffed Peppers & Serve

Cover with the lid or foil and place into the preheated oven. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender.

If desired, top with cheese and melt during the last five minutes of baking.

Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

• If the peppers don’t stand up, you can take a thin slice off the bottom to even the pepper up. You can also wad up foil rings and sit the peppers down inside so they do not spill over.
• This recipe makes enough stuffing for about six or more peppers, depending on the size. David and I cannot possibly eat that many peppers at one time, so I freeze the extra stuffing. To freeze the stuffing, cool and freeze extra stuffing for up to 6 months, sealed tightly in a freezer bag or airtight container.

Recipe FAQs

So, do you like peppers? I hope this recipe will win you over.

Comment below to tell me what you think!