Stuffed peppers with ground beef

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This stuffed peppers with ground beef recipe is such an easy to prepare dish full of Mediterranean flavours. It is the perfect comfort food everyone will love. The sweet and colourful bell peppers are filled with savoury ground beef, onions, zucchini and mix of Mediterranean herbs and spices. It is a tasty, family friendly, easy to make ahead and low carb recipe.

long stuffed peppers with ground beef and thyme on a plate

Classic stuffed peppers usually include, apart from beef, ingredients like tomatoes, rice and cheese. However, I decided to omit the latter ones to create a lighter version which nevertheless is delicious and packed with lots of flavour. Ground beef stuffed peppers without rice is a healthy and low carb version of this traditional dish. You can consider serving this spicy Mexican rice or Spanish rice with chorizo recipe as an alternative side dish.

Which ingredients to use

This stuffed pepper ingredients list contains basic everyday products and spices which are easy to source or which most people often already have at home.

ingredients for making stuffed bell peppers with mince

Bell peppers: I prefer to use red bell peppers for this recipe since they are nicer and sweeter than the green ones. The orange and yellow peppers are also fine and will create a nice rainbow of colours.
Beef: Use lean ground beef or minced beef which is then flavoured with your favourite spice mix.
Garlic and onion: For that extra depth of flavour.
Zucchini: Adding zucchini gives this dish extra vegetables and an additional Mediterranean flare. Fry the zucchini first together with the onions and garlic to bring out the delicious flavours.
Olive oil: Use olive oil for frying the meat and vegetables in the pan and to add extra flavour to the bell peppers while baking in the oven.
Seasonings: In addition to Mediterranean aromatics like oregano and thyme, use paprika and cumin powder as well as salt and pepper. Add chilli flakes or cayenne pepper if you want to make this dish extra spicy.

stuffed bell peppers in the oven on a plate with the rest in the oven dish

How to make stuffed peppers

Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Mince stuffed peppers is one of those recipes with seemingly countless variations on how to prepare it. Apart from the obvious bell peppers and minced meat, the other ingredients can vary. For instance, various other recipes add rice, cheese and tomatoes or different spice blends. I like to make stuffed bell peppers without rice inside but to rather serve the rice as a side dish. Anyway, here is how I prepare my baked stuffed peppers recipe in the oven with minced meat.

Prepare the bell peppers: Slice off the top of the bell peppers and keep the tops separate for later. Now remove all the seeds and the membranes from the inside and place each pepper upright in a baking or oven dish. Make sure the size of the dish is small enough so all the peppers can stay upright while in the oven.
Pre-bake the bell peppers: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (or 200 degrees C). Drizzle some olive oil over and in the peppers (not too much, about 2 tablespoons), put the tops back on the peppers and place in the middle of the oven. Leave to roast for 15 minutes.
Make the filling: While the peppers are pre-baking you can start preparing the filling. Mince the garlic and chop the onion and zucchini finely. No need to peel the zucchini. Heat some olive oil in a skillet or pan on medium heat and sauté the onions, garlic and zucchini for a few minutes. Add the minced meat to the pan and break it up while cooking with a fork or spatula. Keep doing this until the ground beef is browned and just cooked. Meanwhile season with cumin, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.

step by step how to make stuffed peppers with ground beef

Assemble and bake the peppers: Take the unfilled peppers out of the oven. If there is any liquid inside the peppers you can remove it by turning them upside down and placing them back in the dish with the cut side up. Fill each pepper to the rim with the filling and place the tops back on. Put the dish back in the oven and leave to roast for 30 to 45 minutes until the peppers are tender and soft. Check by slicing a sharp knife through one of the peppers then remove from the oven if they are to your liking.

baking peppers stuffed with mince in an oven dish

What to serve with stuffed peppers

This stuffed bell pepper recipe already contains meat and vegetables and can be served as a dish all on its own. However, since there is no rice added you can consider serving plain rice or any other rice dish as a side, like this Spanish rice with chorizo, Mexican rice or South African yellow rice. You can also add extra vegetables with this French ratatouille dish, shaved fennel salad or any green salad with honey mustard dressing. Serve with crunchy baguette, ciabatta or Spanish tomato bread.

Before serving, garnish with salt and pepper and fresh herbs like thyme, parsley, oregano or basil.

close up of ground beef stuffed peppers in the oven with fresh thyme

Frequently asked questions

Do I really need to pre-bake the bell peppers?

In principle you don’t have to pre-bake the peppers, especially not if you like the peppers to still to be slightly crunchy and not too soft. I would however recommend for this recipe to pre-bake them because they will come out of the oven nicely soft, sweet and tender. Also, as the filling is pre-cooked and not the peppers you will have to leave them in the oven longer and so the filling will become very dry.

Can I use any colour of bell pepper?

Any colour of bell pepper can be used for this recipe. I personally prefer the red, orange and yellow ones since they are sweet. You can use the green peppers but keep in mind that they have a slightly more bitter and zingy taste.

Can I make this dish in advance?

Yes, this dish can perfectly be made in advance. Just prepare according to the recipe, leave to cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Warm in the oven before serving.

How to store and freeze the stuffed peppers?

When you have leftovers or if you made a large batch you can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, or you can freeze this dish, either in a batch or individually for up to 3 months. Re-heat in the microwave or the oven.

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