Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers {Beef and Rice}

Updated Feb 07, 2026

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These Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers feature seasoned beef and rice tucked inside tender peppers, all simmered in a rich sauce, and my recipe sticks to nostalgic, pantry-friendly ingredients you already love.

Recipe Highlights

Built-in portions: one pepper = one tidy serving, perfect for dividing up

Edible vessel: the pepper itself becomes a tender, flavorful bowl that you can cut up and eat as you go

A Complete meal: my crockpot stuffed peppers are a full meal – Meat, veggies and starch

Ingredients for stuffed peppers with text of what the ingredients are.

Key Ingredients

Bell peppers – Green Bell Peppers are classic for this. If your bell peppers are very large you may need to use less than five.
Ground beef – The meat is browned and crumbled. – Use can use leftover crockpot ground beef.
Rice – Leftover cooked rice works well in this stuffed peppers recipe.
Onion – Diced white onion adds flavor and heartiness to the crock pot stuffed peppers.
Marinara – I choose to use marinara instead of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes; you can use homemade marinara sauce if desired.
Seasonings – Salt, pepper, thyme and oregano are all you need!

Ingredients for stuffed peppers in a bowl

extra filling and marinara sauce in a slow cooker

How to Make Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers

Combine browned beef with diced pepper tops, rice, seasonings, and a splash of marinara.
Stuff the peppers, pour remaining sauce around them in the crockpot.
Cover and cook on low until the peppers collapse into tender, saucy goodness.

Variations

Here are my ideas for changing up this recipe:

If you’re going for a veggie option, swap the beef for soy crumbles or a can of pinto beans. You can also toss in extra veggies like chopped squash or asparagus to the rice mix.
Salsa works great as a replacement for marinara sauce, and you can use Italian seasoning instead of thyme and oregano for a different flavor.
Prefer something other than ground beef? Try ground chicken, turkey, pork, or Italian sausage instead.

beef stuffed peppers in a white slow cooker.

How to Serve Beef and Rice Stuffed Peppers

These peppers are very filling, so you don’t need many sides:

These can certainly be considered a full meal in one pepper, but you can serve with a green salad and garlic bread!
Stuffed peppers often come with cheese, but it’s totally optional. If you want some cheesy goodness, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella on each pepper about 10 minutes before they’re done cooking.
When it comes to other toppings, you can try a variety of ideas such as a dollop of sour cream, diced tomatoes, salsa, or bacon bits.

Featured Comment

I make this often and it always turns out great! I especially like it for the summer because it doesn’t heat up the house. Thanks for sharing!
– lisa

81 More Reviews

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers {Beef and Rice}

4.69 from 16 votes

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 5 20

Servings:

By: Sarah Olson

Classic stuffed peppers made with ground beef, rice in a savory marinara sauce.

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How to Video

Equipment

Slow Cooker – 5 quart or larger (I own and use this one from Crock-Pot)

Ingredients

▢ 1 lb. ground beef
▢ 5 bell peppers, tops cut off and diced for filling
▢ 1 ½ cups cooked rice, can be leftover rice
▢ 24 oz. jar marinara sauce, divided
▢ 1 small white onion diced
▢ ½ tsp. salt
▢ ¼ tsp. garlic powder
▢ ½ tsp. dried thyme
▢ ½ tsp. dried oregano, tarragon works well too

Instructions

Brown the ground beef in a skillet on the stove top. Drain.
Add the beef, cut up bell pepper tops, rice, 1 cup of the marinara sauce, onion, salt, garlic powder, thyme and oregano to a medium sized bowl. Stir.
Stuff the peppers with the filling you just made. If there is any leftover filling add it to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Add remaining marinara sauce to the slow cooker.
Add the stuffed peppers in the slow cooker. I try not to let them rest on the sides of the slow cooker, but most of the time they end up falling over later.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.

Sarah’s Notes

Tempted to use raw meat instead of browning? Raw meat in stuffed peppers does work well, but the texture will be more like a meatloaf than a crumbly filling.

Nutrition

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Made this recipe? Leave a comment below!

More recipes with bell peppers:

Tender strips of beef and peppers simmer in savory sauce for Slow Cooker Pepper Steak, while Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas bring bold, zesty flavor to taco night.
Slow Cooker Swiss Steak features beef slow-cooked with tomatoes and onions, and Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers delivers classic Italian flavor with minimal effort.
Try Taco Stuffed Peppers for a fun twist on a classic, or enjoy the same flavors in a cozy bowl of Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup.