Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers {Beef and Rice}
80 Comments Jun 05, 2023
Updated Apr 29, 2025
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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.
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.
Ingredients for Beef and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Here is what you need for easy stuffed peppers. See the recipe in the recipe card for full ingredient amounts.
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!
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.
- Stuffed peppers usually 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.
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.
Step 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!
My Serving Suggestions
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!
- 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 cheddar cheese.
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.
Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers {Beef and Rice}
How to Video
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.
- 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 or microwave until warm throughout.
- 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.
- Stuffed peppers usually 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.
- These can certainly be considered a full meal in one pepper, but you can serve with a green salad and garlic bread!
- 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 cheddar cheeese.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Can you shorten cooking time by putting on high for a bit
Yes, will work fine for this recipe.
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
Please describe Persian rice. Thank you.
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!
Could I use this recipe but cook them in the oven? At what temp and how long would you recommend? Thanks!
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?
If you really like them extra soft you can. Or you could extend the cooking time a bit.
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.
I made your stuffed pepper recipe and it was delicious … I’m making it again
So glad you liked it!
I didn’t read the recipe right and missed (browned beef) will it still work.
Yes, should be fine.
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?
yes, any color will work
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.
Thanks for that info, I never knew this either.
Great tip! Thank you/
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.
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?
Thank you Jessica, it’s browned. I added that to the recipe.
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”!!!!!
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.
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…
In the ingredients it says browned beef, I added in the instructions that is browned. Sorry about the confusion.
It says browned ground beef