This easy, stuffed peppers recipe is the ultimate, classic comfort food. But here's the twist - these are stuffed peppers without rice! These colorful peppers are stuffed with tiny pasta, along with all the other good stuff: juicy ground beef, melty cheese, tomato sauce, and vibrant seasonings. Stuffed sweet peppers have quickly become a family favorite and we think you'll love them too!
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👍🏽 Why Make Our Peppers
With so many other recipes to choose from...why make ours?
✔️ Faster but just as Juicy! On average, most stuffed pepper recipes take about an hour to make. Ours takes only 25 minutes. And even though we don't bake the peppers, our boiling/broiling technique yields the same tender, bubbly, stuffed pepper yumminess!
✔️ Pasta is Better than Rice - Pasta cooks faster and imparts a softer, juicier texture. Plus, we cook our pasta in beef broth instead of water, adding way more flavor to the stuffing.
✔️ Kid Appeal - This recipe is a hit with our kids! In our experience, they dig the tiny pasta so much. And kids love being encouraged to eat a food that doubles as a bowl. I mean, who wouldn't?!
🛒 Ingredients & Substitutions
Key notes on ingredients are provided below. Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Bell peppers - any color works! Just make sure they're roughly the same size.
- Beef broth- our fave is Better than Bouillon.
- Acini di pepe pasta - whatever pasta you use, it needs to be tiny. Orzo is another good option.
- Ground beef - lean ground beef is best for this recipe.
- Seasonings - we use salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. But the options are endless, really.
- Cheese - we like parmesan but you can pick your fave!
- Optional fresh herbs - rosemary is best. Oregano, chives and tarragon all work too.
Substitutions
The ingredients in this stuffed sweet peppers recipe are super customizable. There are loads of swaps. And don't be afraid to adjust amounts. Increase the sauce to make saucier or increase the cheese to make cheesier! Taste test to see if you need more or less salt. Use what you already have at home. Here are some substitutions:
- Beef broth - sub 🔁 water, vegetable broth, or any other broth
- Acini di pepe - sub 🔁 orzo pasta, couscous, Israeli/pearl couscous, rice, cauliflower rice, barley, or quinoa
- Ground beef - sub 🔁 ground turkey, chicken, chorizo, or Italian sausage
- Italian seasoning is just a combination of rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, and marjoram (and less often parsley, sage, garlic powder, and onion powder). If you don't have Italian seasoning, use any of those. Other spice options are paprika and red chili flakes.
- Crushed tomatoes - sub 🔁 tomato sauce, marinara/pasta sauce, diced/crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, or fresh tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese - sub 🔁 cheddar, pepper jack, colby jack, monterey jack, mozzarella, or cream cheese
🌱 Dietary Variations
To Make it Vegetarian...replace the beef with pea protein crumbles. I'm a huge fan of Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles, which also happen to be high in protein and gluten-free. Swap out beef broth for a veggie broth. Better than Bouillon makes several different kinds of broth, and it's my fave. We have some other awesome vegetarian recipes too! Or just throw any veggies you like into the stuffing and increase the pasta.
This recipe can easily be Gluten Free if you make 2 simple alterations. (1) Make sure the broth you're using doesn't contain traces of gluten. We recommend Vogue Cuisine's bases. Check out our other gluten free recipes. (2) Replace the pasta with rice. Minute rice would be the fastest to cook. You could even buy pre-cooked rice. OR (instead of swapping in rice), just increase the other ingredients in the filling and add extra veggies.
👩🏽🍳 How to Make Stuffed Peppers
Step 1 - PASTA! Cook pasta in beef broth, following package directions. Strain and set aside.
Step 2 - PEPPERS! Cut tops off peppers and de-seed. Boil peppers for 5-6 minutes. Remove and place in casserole dish.
Step 3 - FILLING! Cook onion and beef with seasonings. When beef is fully cooked, add in tomatoes, cheese and pasta.
Step 4 - STUFF & BROIL! Stuff peppers with the filling and top with cheese. Broil for 2-3 minutes.
Kids Steps
- For the pasta, kids can easily measure and pour the broth into the pot. A measuring tool like Pyrex makes it easy.
- To prep the peppers, kids cut tops off peppers using this awesome Opinel kids knife. Then use their hands to pull out the seeds, holding the peppers upside down and tapping the pepper butt (lol) to shake out the loose seeds.
- To help with cooking the peppers, use long tongs to carefully lower peppers into boiling water. Kids can be in charge of turning them as they cook [this may be a task for older kiddos].
- For the filling, kids can mash up the meat in the pan, using a potato masher. As you add ingredients to the pan to make the filling, give your kiddo a sturdy stirring device - like Thermoworks' silicone spatula - and let them take charge of stirring!
- Set a timer (check out these adorable animal shaped kitchen timers!) for the broiling time. If your kiddo wants to help take the dish out of the oven, these kid-sized Alselo oven mitts are perfect.
Note: these tasks require adult supervision and/or assistance (especially for toddlers), as items may be sharp, hot, or otherwise dangerous.
✔️ Expert Tips and Tricks
Tools to use!
- Fine mesh strainer to drain the pasta because it's small and might pour through the holes in a regular strainer
- Long tongs to reach the boiling peppers in the pot so the boiling water doesn't splatter on your hands
- Potato masher to break up the beef while cooking
- A sturdy stirring device, like Thermoworks' silicone spatula
- FOR KIDS - safe kitchen knife, fun kitchen timer and small oven mitts
Time-saving tips- Put lids on your pots to get the pasta broth and pepper water to a boil faster. Use pre-cooked rice instead of pasta. Swap fresh onion with onion powder (then, no chopping required).
Save the pepper tops- You can chop them up and refrigerate, so you have a ready ingredient for another meal. OR slice them into small strips for a snack.
If your peppers are a little wobbly in the casserole dish, cut bottoms flatter so they're not so tippy.
For healthier stuffed peppers, use leaner beef (or ground turkey) and be sure to drain the meat once cooked. You can also add more veggies to the stuffing.
Watch the broiler! 🔥🔥🔥 Put your dish on middle rack (not top!) and keep an eye on it. A couple minutes is all you need. The first time I made this I burnt the heck out of my peppers. Also, make sure to turn on the broiler after your peppers have boiled, so the oven has time to heat up.
🥗 Stuffed Peppers Sides
If you're wondering what to serve with stuffed peppers, the answer is: almost anything. I think the best stuffed peppers sides are more starchy, like any bread (especially garlic bread and cornbread), baked potatoes, or sweet potato fries. Because these are stuffed peppers without rice, you could have rice as a side instead! Or double down on veggies and have green beans or our Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan & Lemon as a side. And you can never go wrong with a salad, like a simple side salad or pasta salad.
👧🏽 Tips for Picky Eaters
For families, what makes this recipe easy is that you can change it however you need. No rules here!
🍅 Set aside some plain pasta! No matter what I make and how much they like it, my kids always want some plain pasta too.
🍅 Customize veggies! Our peppers' stuffing includes onion and tomatoes, but you can add or swap any other veggie of choice! Corn, mushrooms, and peas would be delicious.
🍅 Eat the stuffing by itself!
🍅 Don't cook all your peppers! Some kids may prefer raw peppers over cooked. You can save the pepper tops and cut some slices off, or cut up a separate pepper for the kids to eat on the side.
❓FAQ
No, you don't have to pre-cook stuffed peppers. BUT if the peppers go into the oven raw, the cook time needs to be 45 minutes to 1 hour (20 mins at the very least to soften the peppers). We recommend boiling the peppers for 5-6 minutes in water prior to hitting the oven.
Yes! You can cook the whole dish fully, and then refrigerate (covered in plastic wrap) for up to a couple days. Then, when you're ready to eat, reheat by either microwaving or baking briefly at a low temperature.
You can keep leftovers in the fridge for max of 5 days. If you'd like to freeze the peppers, I would wrap each pepper up individually with plastic wrap, foil and/or ziploc bags (whatever creates the best seal). Freeze for a couple months.
🎨 Pepper Crafts for the Kids!
We have two really fun crafts for your kids to do while you make our yummy stuffed sweet peppers recipe:
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🍽 If You Love Beef...
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🫑 Delicious Stuffed Peppers without Rice
Equipment
- 1 medium pot
- 1 large pot
- 1 large pan
- 1 square casserole dish
Ingredients
- 4 cups beef broth
- ⅔ cup acini di pepe or another small pasta, like orzo
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt divided
- 4 bell peppers any colors
- cooking spray
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese divided
- fresh herbs optional, i.e. rosemary, oregano, chives, tarragon, parsley, thyme
Instructions
- PASTA! Bring 4 cups of beef broth to a boil. Cook pasta in broth according to package instructions. Drain in a fine mesh strainer and set aside.
- PEPPERS! Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water, add 2 teaspoons of the salt, and heat to a boil. Cut tops off bell peppers and scoop out the seeds. Place peppers in the boiling water for 5-6 mins, turning occasionally using long handled tongs. Carefully remove peppers from water with tongs. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and place peppers (open-side up) into dish. *Now set oven to broil*
- FILLING! In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Next add beef, and after a couple minutes, sprinkle in the seasonings (garlic powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt). Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat chunks as you go. Once beef is until no longer pink, stir in crushed tomatoes, ¾ cup of the cheese, and cooked pasta. Stir together over heat for 1 minute.
- STUFF & BROIL! Remove pan from heat. Spoon the beef mix into the peppers, dividing it evenly, and top off with the remaining ¼ cup cheese. Place casserole dish in the middle rack of oven for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Careful not to burn the peppers, as every oven heats differently.Optional: sprinkle peppers with fresh herbs before serving.
Notes
- Tools- Use a fine mesh strainer to drain the pasta because it's so tiny. Long tongs will help you reach the boiling peppers in the pot so the boiling water doesn't splatter on your hands. And a potato masher helps break up the ground beef for the filling while cooking.
- Time-saving tips ⏰ (1) Water/broth will reach a boil faster if you cover your pot with a lid. (2) Use pre-cooked rice instead of pasta. (3) Swap fresh onion with onion powder.
- Save the pepper tops- You can chop them up and refrigerate, so you have a ready ingredient for another meal. OR slice them into small strips for a snack.
- If a pepper is a little wobbly in the casserole dish, slice the bottom a tiny bit so it sits flat 🫑
- For healthier stuffed peppers, use leaner beef (or ground turkey) and drain the cooked meat fully. You can also add more veggies to the stuffing.
- Watch the broiler! 🔥 Put your dish on middle rack (not top!) and keep an eye on it. A couple minutes is all you need. Also, make sure to turn on the broiler after your peppers have boiled, so the oven has time to heat up.
Nutrition
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. While we are not certified nutritionists, we work with a Wordpress-integrated nutrition API to calculate our recipes' ingredient values.
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