Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers
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You can make deconstructed stuffed peppers in 30 minutes! Our recipe for unstuffed peppers makes a delicious and healthy meal with the same flavors as the classic comfort food recipe.
This Unstuffed Bell Pepper Skillet will be your new favorite weeknight dinner!
This is one of our favorite ground beef and rice recipes, with a zesty tomato sauce, rice, and bright bell peppers, all covered with cheese.
Naturally gluten free and easy to adapt, with just a couple of substitutions, you can make it dairy free or try unstuffed pepper bowls if you need Whole 30 or low carb.
This skillet recipe is so quick and easy, you can have dinner on the table in less than an hour, and because it’s made in one pan, there are fewer dishes to wash at the end of the meal!
liz’s tips for creating the best flavor
- Drain any excess grease from the skillet before adding seasonings.
- Wait to add the garlic so it doesn’t burn. It can take 5 to 7 minutes for the onion to soften, but garlic needs no longer than a minute.
- Taste for flavor as the skillet meal cooks. Deconstructed bell peppers are full of flavor, and the longer the seasonings simmer with the ground beef, rice, and tomato sauce, the deeper the flavor will be. Note: Depending on how much salt is in the tomato sauce, you may not need to add any salt.
ingredients
substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Ground Beef: We like 85/15 ground beef. Feel free to use leaner ground beef depending on what you like. To make vegetarian you can use cooked lentils or ground beef substitute. You’ll need to adjust your cooking time. I haven’t tried making this with ground turkey, sausage, ground pork, or ground chicken but I think it would work. We love Butcherbox ground beef!
Bell Peppers: We use red because their flavor is milder than green peppers, but keep in mind that red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are higher in carbs than green. Any variety will work with this unstuffed peppers recipe.
Tomato Sauce: Canned sauce is fine, but we love the flavors in our homemade, crockpot tomato sauce. Note that canned tomato sauce and jarred pasta sauce are very different. Pasta sauce is much thicker and usually has seasonings added to it. If you can’t find tomato sauce, look for plain pureed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes!
Broth: Store-bought or homemade Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. We always use low or no-salt broth.
White rice: Brown rice should work as a white rice substitute in this recipe, but it will take much longer to cook, and you will need to use more broth. We don’t recommend subbing cauliflower rice because it can be very soggy.
Cheese: Use freshly shredded cheese because it melts better. Cheese is optional on top. We like freshly grated mozzarella, but provolone, cheddar cheese, or any other mild shredded cheese should work. Or, you can totally omit the cheese to make this dairy free!
How to Make deconstructed stuffed peppers
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil. Brown ground beef for 10 minutes until no longer pink. Add onions and garlic and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add spices, tomato sauce, white rice, beef broth and bell peppers to the pot. Stir together, cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until rice is cooked.
- Once rice is cooked, top with mozzarella cheese, cover and let the cheese melt.
If you like the convenience of one pan dinner recipes like unstuffed peppers, check out our taco skillet recipe!
serving suggestions
We like to serve this skillet meal as-is because it has a healthy blend of protein, vegetables, and starches. You can serve your dinner in bowls or lettuce wraps. Or, for a fun twist on tacos, serve the filling in tortillas or pita bread.
Storage
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge, and use them up within 4 days.
Reheating: Unlike traditional stuffed bell peppers, this dish is a snap to reheat for a second meal later in the week! You can reheat individual portions at 80% power in the microwave until heated through, or in a baking dish in a 350°F. oven for about 20 minutes. Be sure to cover the pan with foil to keep the moisture in.
Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cups diced red bell pepper orange or yellow work too!
- 2 cup low sodium beef broth
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 cup dry white rice
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, using a spatula to break apart the ground beef as it cooks.
- Once the ground beef has browned and cooked through, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers, beef broth, tomato sauce, white rice, basil, oregano, parsley, and black pepper to the pan. Stir together well. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. It will take about 5 minutes to come to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook covered for 20-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is thoroughly cooked.
- Once the rice has cooked, top with the mozzarella. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the cheese melts.
Greatest A big hit with everyone