Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers {Beef and Rice}
80 Comments Jun 05, 2023
Updated Jul 30, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
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!
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.
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
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
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
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.
I cooked this tonight and was disappointed because the green peppers were still crunchy and I made it according to the recipe. The meat stuffing was very good but the peppers were the problem and I only put 4 in the crockpot. Is there any suggestion you have for me. I would greatly appreciated any advise.
Cook them longer until the peppers are to your liking. Every slow cooker cooks differently.
I prep peppers before stuffing them by putting them (after cleaning out insides and removing the tops) into a large pot of boiling water with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. I live them there for 3 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat, cover and let stand for about 45 minutes.
I actually “par boiled” my peppers in the microwave. I cut the tops off, placed them cut side down on a plate with a little water and. Looked for a few minutes to soften them up.
I cook the peppers in the oven for a little while prior to adding the stuffing and cooking them. This keeps them from being too crunchy. I usually cook them 15 minutes prior to cookimg in the oven after being stuffed. You would have to work out pre-cook time
accordingly for the slow cooker.
Love it
I made these last night and hubby ate 3 of them! Flavor was great. Quick and easy to put together. Definitely a keeper! Thanks!
I wanted to love this but it was just so bland and needed to cook longer.
Sounds delicious. Can I use shrimp instead of the browned beef? Any change in seasoning?
Hi, that would take some major testing since shrimp only needs a little time to cook. Sorry, I’m no help!
What can I serve with these? Baked potatoes ? Mashed potato? Not sure what to pair with it
Mashed potatoes are probably your best bet if you want starch.
Scalloped potatoes are a favorite in my family!
since everything is in the peppers, rice, vegetables, meat, I serve it with a nice salad and maybe rolls or crusty bread.
I use garlic angel hair pasta
Rice is already a starch, so we simply opted to eat more filling rather than add anything as a “side”.
Can the stuffed peppers be frozen once cooled
Yes, they freeze and thaw well.
This is the recipe for stuffed peppers I’ve been searching for. Thank you!
I have 2 questions: First, can I use a slow cooker liner for this recipe? And second, can I cut the peppers in half before stuffing them, rather than cutting off the tops? TIA!
Thank you for the recipe. I lost my Mother in January this year and this dish is a childhood favorite. I’m delighted to make the dish. Mom always used raw beef, uncooked rice, all the veggies and seasoning in this recipe but she used tomato juice instead of marinara sauce. Baked in oven on 350° for 35 to 45 minutes. We would splith the pepper in half and pour more tomato juice. We always looked forward to this meal. Thank you for sharing. God bless!
My mom used raw beef and uncooked rice as well but used tomato soup