These Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers are made with beef and rice in a savory marinara sauce. They are easily made in the slow cooker for a comforting dinner the whole family will enjoy.
Whether it be the classic stuffed pepper recipe, stuffed pepper soup or even a twist like taco meatloaf stuffed peppers, you can’t beat the flavor of peppers and beef!
Why this recipe works
For my Crockpot Stuffed Peppers Recipe, I use a marinara sauce. I’ve made them with a sweetened diced tomato sauce, salsa for the sauce, and a ketchup brown sugar topping. I really like the way these stuffed peppers are with the marinara sauce. The beef, rice, and bell peppers tasted great, making the perfect meal.
Not to mention, this cooking method takes the guesswork out of making stuffed peppers a healthy meal, especially when you need one of those easy weeknight meals on the fly.
Recipe Ingredients
- Bell peppers – I love green bell peppers in this recipe though any color will work. If your bell peppers are very large you may need to use less than five. Be sure to save and chop the bell pepper tops and stir them into the filling
- Ground beef – In this recipe, I brown and crumble the meat, this makes for a loose filling, not a meatloaf-style stuffed bell peppers.
- 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; marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce) already has a great flavor base to start with. You can use homemade marinara sauce if desired.
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper, thyme and oregano is all you need!
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on the stove top and drain.
Step Two – Add the savory ground 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.
Step Three – Stuff the peppers with the filling you just made.
Step Four – Add the remaining marinara sauce and remaining ingredients from the meat mixture to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Step Five – 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.
HowStep Six – Cover and cook stuffed peppers on LOW for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time. Serve with suggestions below and enjoy!
How to serve
- These can certainly be considered a full meal in one pepper, but if you’re looking to add a bit more to it, you can create a few appetizers like cauliflower bites, sauteed zucchini bites, or a chickpea salad.
- When it comes to toppings, you can try a variety of ideas such as a dollop of sour cream, diced tomatoes, salsa, bacon bits, or a dash of fresh parsley.
- As for seasonings, you can always add a dash of Italian seasoning and/or black pepper.
Recipe FAQs
Use soy crumbles instead of beef, or a can of pinto beans. Another option is adding extra veggies such as chopped squash or asparagus to the rice mixture.
Try one of these meat options instead of ground beef if you prefer: ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, or ground Italian sausage.
Stuffed peppers often have cheese on top. Though adding shredded cheese is optional. If you want a cheese fix, add about two tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese to each pepper 10 minutes before the cooking time is up. Pepper Jack also makes a great topping option (sounds yummy).
Add any remaining peppers to an airtight container or tupperware dish and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the oven until warm throughout.
Raw meat in stuffed peppers does work well, but you will end up with more of a meatloaf texture than a crumbly filling.
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Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers {Beef and Rice}
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 5 bell peppers tops cut off and diced for filling
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice can be leftover rice
- 24 oz. jar marinara sauce, divided
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 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.
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
- Stuffed peppers often have cheese on top, though adding cheese is optional.
- If you want a cheese fix, add about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese to each pepper 10 minutes before the cooking time is up.
- Ground turkey
- Ground chicken
- Ground Italian sausage
- Use soy crumbles instead of beef
- Or a can of pinto beans
- Or add extra veggies such as chopped squash or asparagus to the rice mixture.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Priscilla says
I cooked everything as per the instructions but also added a can of petite cut tomatoes to the marina sauce!! Turned out great!!
Roseann says
Why did my peppers get so bitter. Could not eat them.
Margarette Karasz says
I never use green peppers for stuffed peppers only red or yellow or orange. We find that the green ones tend to get bitter
Carol says
Can you shorten cooking time by putting on high for a bit
Sarah Olson says
Yes, will work fine for this recipe.
Sophie says
I read your recipe it sounds good but I replaced ground beef with ground turkey and used uncooked Persian rice and add more veggies to it . Turned out really delicious and my family loved it. Thank you
Elaine says
Please describe Persian rice. Thank you.
Jill says
I made your stuffed peppers according to the recipe, except I traded rice for well-drained microwaved cauliflower rice to make it low carb. It was delicious and I couldn’t taste the cauliflower, which was good. I would make this again. Thank you!
Anonymous says
Could I use this recipe but cook them in the oven? At what temp and how long would you recommend? Thanks!
Anonymous says
I have never used a crock pot to make stuffed peppers. I have always cooked them in a pot on the stove top. I usually boil the peppers to soften them a little. Would I need to boil them if I make them in a crock pot?
Sarah Olson says
If you really like them extra soft you can. Or you could extend the cooking time a bit.
Kathy Dooley says
I have made this recipe several times, and the best part is you do not have to parboil the peppers. They come out nice and soft in the slow cooker. Also, if you have leftover filling like I usually do adding to the sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker is a great idea. This is by far the easiest way to make fabulous stuffed peppers.
Toni says
I made your stuffed pepper recipe and it was delicious … I’m making it again
Sarah Olson says
So glad you liked it!
Linda Schwanz says
I didn’t read the recipe right and missed (browned beef) will it still work.
Sarah Olson says
Yes, should be fine.
Joe says
I want to make this for somebody who is unsure about green bell peppers due to their bitterness, would using a different color of bell pepper work also?
Sarah Olson says
yes, any color will work
Michelle Beam says
Choosing the right bell pepper is easy. Flip the pepper over. You will see either 3 humps or 4 humps. The pepper with 3 humps are the male pepper and the 4 hump peppers are female. The female peppers are sweeter and good for eating them raw. The make peppers are less sweet and are used in cooking.
DEBRA POLENZ says
Thanks for that info, I never knew this either.
Dolores Fowler says
Great tip! Thank you/
Peter Mickelson says
This must definitely be a Springfield recipe, as my wife use to prepare this meal a couple of times every year and she was raised in Springfield. Springfield H.S. class of ’67.
Jessica Murray says
I am a little confused with this recipe. The photos show you using browned beef, but the recipe says nothing about pre-browning and reads as if the beef is uncooked. Which is it?
Sarah Olson says
Thank you Jessica, it’s browned. I added that to the recipe.
Marie Czarnecki says
That is not the way in interpreted the recipe, When I make my stuffed peppers you do not brown the meat and you also can add a little sausage to the recipe for “flavor”!!!!!
Sarah Olson says
There are different ways to make them, I have both on my site. I’m sure yours is delicious. The video shows browned crumbled beef. Sorry for the confusion.
Marie Czarnecki says
Jessica, read the directions, it does not say brown the beef, it states add all those ingredients and stuff the peppers, any left over add to slow cooker.. In other words you do not brown the ground beef…
Sarah Olson says
In the ingredients it says browned beef, I added in the instructions that is browned. Sorry about the confusion.
Anonymous says
It says browned ground beef