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Summer Kick Off Giveaway – May 20, 2013
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Slow Cooker Recipe
Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed Peppers was one of those recipes we kept avoiding. Not because they didn’t sound delicious, but because coring peppers seemed like a chore and we weren’t sure we had time to delicately spoon the meat mixture into each pepper shell.
It turns out that this recipe is rather easy, especially when coring the peppers with the handy-dandy Pepper Corer that we picked up at The Good Cooking Store. And the pepper shells are not as fragile as they appear. Using a spoon to fill each pepper is a cinch—so simple, in fact, we may hand this duty over to the kids next time.
But the best part about this recipe is that it makes you look like a champ in the kitchen. We’ll be the first to admit that stuffed anything is completely impressive—not to mention delicious. The combination of Spanish rice and ground beef makes a hearty filling for these peppers, and we like that the pepper adds an extra dose of vegetables to our diet.
Serve it with soup and an enticing dessert. We like Stuffed Peppers with Hamburger Vegetable Soup and Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake.
Stuffed Peppers
Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly Revised and Updated, pg. 86
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-5 hours
Ideal slow-cooker size: 5-qt.
Ingredients:
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
4 large green bell peppers, tops removed, cleaned of seeds and cored, but not cut in half
8-oz. can tomato sauce, divided
15-oz. can Spanish rice
1 large onion, chopped
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1. Combine all ingredients, except peppers and ½ can of tomato sauce.
2. Stuff green peppers full.
3. Stand peppers up in slow cooker. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers.
4. Cover. Cook on high 3 hours or on low 4-5 hours.
Per Serving:
340 calories (110 calories from fat), 12 g total fat (4.5g saturated, 0g trans), 40mg cholesterol, 470mg sodium, 31g total carbohydrate (5g fiber, 6g sugar), 27g protein, 30%DV vitamin A, 150%DV vitamin C, 6%DV calcium, 25%DV iron
I have never tried it with the spanish rice but I surely will next time.
Sounds very good
Many years ago my mom used to make stuffed peppers but she used ham and corn, rice and a white sauce. I loved them but have no idea what her recipe was. I only ate them and I was just a kid. None of my family has the recipe either. Any ideas? What about cooking, I would guess same as the other peppers?
Hello, this brings back memories of my mother’s stuffed peppers. I’m wondering if you think this recipe would be acceptable if I substituted beans for the ground beef? I am feeding a vegetarian and always looking for delicious high protein alternatives. Thank you!
Hi Carol! Yes, you may use pre-cooked beans in this recipe, but you may need to adjust the cooking time. If the filling begins to look too dry, add more tomato sauce for moisture. Thanks for your question!
This looks delish, and i do believe i am going to serve this with some spaghetti tonight. Thank you!!
Whoops, went to get Peppers, and theya re gone. hubbz must have used them in his lunches. Will try this next week after shopping. =)
i MADE UP MY OWN RECIPE USING SM AMOUNT OF BROWN RICE AND CAMPBELLS TOMATOE SOUP…YUM
THE WHITE SAUCE RECIPE MENTIONED SOUNDS INTERESTING?
> You are much better off to use the tomato sauce rather than tomato soup because the soup has tons of sodium which should be avoided.
Would a box of whole wheat rice work without any adjustments?
Hi Diane! Be sure to cook thw whole wheat rice before combining it with the other ingredients in Step 1. We recommend keeping an eye on the peppers while they cook. If they look dry, add more tomato sauce.
I use Zatarans dirty rice, shred up sone hot pepper cheese, can of diced tomatoes, gr. Beef, onion more cheese on top, pour tomato sauce on top and bake!!
> @ Robin sounds wonderful!
I’ve always thought green pappers to be too strong of a taste for me; much prefer yellow, red or orange peppers. Do cooking times vary if I substitute? Sounds like a silly question, but thought I’d ask!
Glad you asked, I forgot!>
Hi Rhonda! When adding the spices to this recipe, keep in mind that yellow, orange, and red peppers are sweeter than green peppers. Adjust the spices to your personal taste preference. Also, be sure to keep an eye on the peppers while they’re cooking. Yellow, orange, or red peppers may need a shorter or longer cooking time. Unfortunately we cannot give you an exact cooking time as we have only used green peppers in this recipe. Thanks for asking!
I’ve had vegetarian stuffed peppers: rice, black beans, corn, salsa and southwest seasonings were the stuffing ingredients. An italian version had italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, rice, tomato sauce and italian seasonings. I’ve also made them stuffed with meatloaf mixture.
You can stuff them with just about anything that is compatible with peppers. Red, Yellow, Orange, Green. They are easier to clean and stuff if you cut them in half top to bottom and lay them down. I usually stuff mine with a spanish or mexican rice (with beef or not) and put some shredded cheese on top and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. You can make the filling and clean the peppers the night before, then all you have to do is fill them and put them in a sprayed baking dish with a little bit of liquid cover with foil for about 20 minutes then uncover and let them finish cooking. About 350 degrees. Easy and yummy!
If you use spanish rice would the mexican cheese be a good topper? I am a novice when it comes to cooking
I’m going to try this with a box of Rice-a-roni Spanish Rice flavor. I’ll be making more than 4 though as I only have a 6 qt crock pot. Will be going to the store later so hopefully they have some good peppers. I’m also thinking of substituting a can of black beans for the meat. I’m not a vegetarian, but I’m on a veggie kick lately. So many possibilities with this recipe. The meatloaf mix sounds good for an Italian flare. So glad for the cooler weather! Lots of new recipes to try.
Where do you get canned Spanish rice?I have never seen it.
Hi Grace! The brand we bought was Goya. In our local grocery store, Goya products are grouped together. If this is not the case in your grocery store, look in the aisle for international foods or other canned food aisles. Thanks for you question!
My girlfriend use to add some peach juice too and they were delicious!!!
I have done them with spanish rice. But, we also love my trusty Better Homes & Gardens recipe that just uses the chopped up tops of the peppers, onion, canned tomatoes or fresh chopped tomatoes, ground beef, rice, worchestershire etc. Boil the ppers first (use the last ones left in your fall garden, they are small and make perfect size). You can top with cheese and bake. Or, put in crock pot and cover with spaghetti sauce. After it starts bubbling, move your crock pot lid a little off so the steam can escape. That way it doesn’t get all watery. I sometimes make extra filling and just put in in with the sauce for those who don’t want to eat the peppers, but still get the flavor. I love to freeze batches of the stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage for later in the winter.
Do these freeze well ? There are only 2 of us & I thought maybe I would make the recipe as is & freeze 2 for another meal. They would be cooked in the crock & when I am ready to use the other either microwave or bake to heat thru.
Do you brown the ground beef first???
I was thinking the same thing! Do u brown the meat first?
Hi Marcia! No, you do not need to brown the ground beef. It will cook nicely in the slow cooker. Thanks for asking!
Can’t wait to try. I’ve never made stuffed peppers and I love my crock pot….
I just tried out this recipe …my first time making stuffed peppers even though they are very easy! I couldnt find the can of rice like requested here, so I bought Fiesta Sides Spanish rice. I was unsure if it had to be pre-cooked prior to adding it to the meat mixture, so I cooked it, then let it cool and added it. I also added a little chili powder to make it a little more spicy, as my husband likes spice. I could only fit 4 large peppers into my crock pot…I had originally bought 6 but realized when I got home that it only held 4…oh well. My husband is very excited to try out this recipe and so am I! Thanks for the recipe!! I love using my crock pot whenever possible!!
I like this idea never used my slow cooker for them. What i do is cook the rice or use minute rice. I mix ground beef(lean) and the rice and onions or onion powder and a little salt and pepper in a bowl mix well. Make meat mixture into large meatballs and cook them on low in the microwave for about 2 and a half minutes or 3 depending on microwave watts. I parboil the peppers for about 8 minutes. i place a meatball in each one and cover them with sauce and cook. I also have a alternate which i call stuffed pepper casserole. I buy the pepper stir fry its green red and yellow pepper strips. I brown lean hamburg with onions and salt and pepper to taste. I make minute rice and add to the burger mix. then in a casserole pan i add the peppers and tomato sauce and bake. could be done in the crockpot too.
I have a recipe that calls for salsa rather than tomato sauce, onions, etc. I tried using poblano chiles rather than green peppers…I liked it much better.
I have made this recipe for years and its my daughters favorite meal, so tonight were having Spanish Stuffed Green Peppers!
Ilove bell peppers but alway in the so i will have try this
I made these a couple of times and shared with a friend (none of the boys in my house will eat them). My friend and I LOVE these. We eat a lot of rice in our family and I always make too much so any time I have left over rice I want to use, I make stuffed peppers.