Mediterranean Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers

Why You will Love these Stuffed Peppers:

• Great for Meal-Prep: You can easily meal-prep these for the week! I like to make them on Sunday for the week and then when I heat them in the air fryer or the oven when I am ready to eat them.
• Protein Packed: The ground beef in these stuffed peppers offers so much protein! It will keep you feeling satisfied and full. They make a great option for a weeknight meal.
• Easy to Modify: The nice thing about the beef mixture is that it is easy to modify. You can add other spices, different vegetables, a variety of cheese options or fresh herbs.

Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need and Swaps

• Ground Beef: I like to use 80/20 ground beef in this recipe because the fat adds flavor and creates a juicy stuffing in the bell peppers. For a more lean stuffed pepper you can use a 90/10. Make sure to drain the fat from the ground beef before you add it to the rice. If you prefer you can use ground turkey or ground sausage.
• Bell Peppers: I really like to use red peppers for stuffed peppers because of the sweetness they add to the recipe. You could also try green, orange or yellow bell peppers. 
• Rice: I find the best rice to use in these peppers is a medium, long grain white rice, jasmine rice, or brown rice. You could also try cooked quinoa, farro or bulgur.
• Diced Tomatoes: Diced tomatoes are a great addition to the add to the ground beef and rice mixture. You can skip this if you want but personally I like it. 
• Spices: This recipes uses cinnamon, allspice, cayenne red pepper, paprika and cloves. I love the warm, rich spices mixed together with the beef. If those spices aren’t your favorite try Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, Greek seasoning or oregano. 
• Pine Nuts: I love adding pine nuts either into the rice mixture or sprinkling them over the finished stuffed peppers.  You can skip these if you want. 
• Feta Cheese: I like to sprinkle feta cheese on the stuffed peppers with about 5 to 10 minutes left and let it melt slightly before eating them. You can skip the feta or just add it as a garnish once the peppers are done baking. 

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

Step 1: Prepare the Peppers: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the peppers in half and remove seeds and the membrane. Lay them in a 9 by 13 baking dish {you might need two baking dishes depending on how big the peppers are}.

Add one cup of water or tomato sauce to the bottom of the dish (the bell peppers will steam and cook faster this way).

Step 2: Cook the Beef: In a large skillet heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, garlic and spices and cook until the beef is browned. Optional: you can add in the pine nuts at this step if you want.

Step 3: Mix in Rice and Tomatoes: Drain the beef and add to a large mixing bowl. Mix in the diced tomatoes and rice with the beef and stir well.

Step 4: Stuff Peppers: Spoon the stuffing mixture evenly into the bell peppers.

Step 5: Cook Peppers: Cover the baking dish with the foil tightly and place in the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Remove the foil and sprinkle the feta cheese {optional} and bake another 5 to 10 minutes or until the feta is starting to melt.

Serve warm with fresh parsley, fresh basil and fresh dill {and pine nuts if you didn’t add them into the mixture}.

Recipe Tips

• When I make stuffed peppers I like to cut them in half and stuff them that way. I find that they cook more evenly and are easier to eat this way. If you prefer the whole stuffed pepper you can do that too. 
• If you make a whole stuffed pepper you will want to cut the very bottom tip of each pepper off to help them stand straight up and down and make them easier to stuff. 
• Personally I like to stuff red, yellow or orange peppers because I find the flavors of the peppers to be sweeter. If you prefer a less sweet and more mild pepper try green peppers. 
• I like to cook the meat and the rice before stuffing the peppers and cooking them in the oven. I find that it works best this way and ensures everything cooks evenly. 
• This recipe uses warm, rich Mediterranean spices. If those spices aren’t your favorite try other spices like Italian seasoning, oregano, Greek seasoning or thyme. 

Storage Tips

Stuffed peppers will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air tight container. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat the frozen peppers make sure to thaw them overnight in the fridge before you heat them. 

Reheating Instructions

• Microwave: You can microwave stuffed peppers until heated through which usually takes about 2-3 minutes. Sometimes I find the center of the stuffing isn’t heated through so you might want to try a bite and heat another 1 to 2 minutes if you need to. 
• Oven: My favorite way to reheat the stuffed peppers is in the oven. This helps them reheat evenly and the peppers don’t get too soggy. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put the stuffed peppers in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake the peppers covered for about 20 minutes and then uncover and cook another 5 minutes. 
• Air Fryer: You can reheat your stuffed peppers in the air fryer. I find it best to quickly microwave the peppers for about 1 to 2 minutes and then air fry them for about 5 to 7 minutes at 350 degrees F.