Ground Meats
$1.50per plate
Prep
15 min
Ground Meats · Stuffed Peppers
Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers
A stuffed pepper is a whole dinner served in an edible bowl. Bell peppers are hollowed out and packed with a savory mix of ground beef, rice, and tomato, then baked until the pepper is tender and the cheese on top is bubbling. Stretching half a pound of beef with rice keeps four peppers under two dollars a plate, and the peppers themselves do double duty as both vegetable and vessel. It looks like you fussed, but it is mostly hands-off time in the oven.
$1.80per plate
Estimated recipe total
$7.20 · serves 4
Cook
45 min
Total
1 hr
Serves
4
1 How to make it
1
Par-cook the peppers
Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds, then boil or microwave them for a few minutes to soften. Giving them a head start means they turn fully tender in the oven without the filling overcooking.
2
Make the filling
Brown the beef with the onion, drain, then stir in the cooked rice, most of the tomato sauce, garlic, and seasoning. Stretching the beef with rice is what keeps the dish cheap and filling.
3
Stuff and top
Stand the peppers in a baking dish, pack them with the filling, spoon the rest of the tomato sauce over, and top with cheese.
4
Bake until tender
Cover and bake at 375 F for about 30 minutes, then uncover for 10 more until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted and golden.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey or sausage. Either swaps in for the beef; sausage brings its own seasoning, so ease off the added spices.
- More rice, less meat. Shift the ratio toward rice, or add a handful of beans, to stretch it further and lower the cost.
- Any color pepper. Green peppers are usually cheapest; red, yellow, and orange are sweeter. Use whatever is on sale.
- Quinoa or cauliflower rice. Swap the rice for cooked quinoa or riced cauliflower for a different texture or a lighter filling.
3 Budget tips
- Stretching half a pound of beef with rice fills four whole peppers, so a little meat goes a long way.
- Green bell peppers are usually the cheapest of the bunch and work perfectly as the vessel.
- The pepper is both the vegetable and the bowl, so there is no separate side to buy or cook.
- Use up leftover cooked rice from another night to make the filling nearly free to throw together.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Baked peppers keep, covered, for 4 days and reheat well, making them a solid make-ahead or meal-prep dinner.
Freezer
Freeze cooled stuffed peppers for up to 3 months; wrap them individually so you can reheat one at a time.
Reheating
Warm them, covered, in a 350 F oven until hot through, or microwave a single pepper with a spoon of sauce so it stays moist.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
300
Protein
17g
Fat
15g
Carbs
26g
Per-serving figures are estimated from standard ingredient data and are not medical or dietary advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Do I need to precook the peppers before stuffing them?
A short par-cook helps. Boiling or microwaving the hollowed peppers for a few minutes softens them so they finish fully tender in the oven, without having to bake so long that the filling overcooks. For firmer peppers, you can skip it and bake a little longer.
How do I make stuffed peppers cheaper?
Lean on rice and beans to stretch the meat. Half a pound of beef mixed with a cup of rice fills four peppers; shifting the ratio further toward rice, or adding a can of beans, lowers the cost even more.
What kind of rice works best?
Any cooked rice works, and leftover rice is ideal since it is already made. White rice is classic, but brown rice, quinoa, or even riced cauliflower all fill the peppers well.
How is the cost per plate calculated?
The estimated $7.20 total divided by 4 servings, one pepper each, comes to about $1.80 a plate. The peppers themselves are the biggest cost, so buy whichever color is on sale.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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- 9x13 baking dish. A 9x13 dish is the standard size for casseroles and baked pasta, so one dish feeds the whole table. Best for casseroles, baked pasta, stuffed peppers, and baked oatmeal.
- Mixing bowls set. A set of nesting bowls handles prep, mixing, and marinades without dirtying every dish in the house. Best for mixing meatball and patty mixtures, tossing ingredients, and holding prepped components.
- Measuring cups and spoons set. A basic set of measuring cups and spoons keeps amounts consistent, which keeps budget recipes reliable. Best for rice, liquids, and any recipe where the ratio matters.
- Instant-read meat thermometer. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of doneness, so lean or cheap cuts stay juicy instead of overcooking. Best for chicken, pork, and meatloaf, where a few degrees decides juicy or dry.
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