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If you love stuffed peppers, you’re going to love the idea of these Unstuffed Peppers! They have all the flavor and texture of traditional stuffed peppers but require less mess and less time to make. It’s a convenient quick recipe to make that’s loaded with so much goodness!
Unsuffed bell peppers are not only fast to make but they’re really delicious, too! Everyone in the family will love having this be what’s for dinner!
Perfect for a fast and easy weeknight meal or a fun way to cut out some carbs and focus on putting some good nutrition into your body.
Unstuffed versus stuffed peppers
- Less steps – Traditionally with stuffed peppers, you have to prepare the peppers in one dish, making the rice or quinoa in another pot, then core the peppers. Finally you bring all the ingredients together by stuffing them and baking them. Some nights that’s too many steps, and you just want to minimize the steps for making dinner.
- Less time – Instead of a 60 minute recipe, this one literally takes half the time from start to finish.
- Less clean up – Less cookware and bakeware involved when they’re not stuffed.
- Same amazing flavor – yes all the way!
IngredieNts to make Ground Beef unstuffed peppers
- Bell peppers: You can use green or any other color. The closer to red, the sweeter the pepper.
- Beef: It’s best to use lean ground beef for this recipe.
- Rice: Use any type of rice to make the unstuffed peppers more filling and substantial.
- Onions and garlic: For flavoring the ground beef and adding texture to the unstuffed bell pepper bowls.
- Seasonings: Oregano, salt and pepper.
- Tomato paste and tomato sauce: Tomato sauce brings the dish altogether. You can use canned or jarred and your favorite brand.
- For serving: The unstuffed pepper mix is served in a bowl and you can add any toppings you want. I usually just add shredded cheese and chopped fresh parsley.
HOW to Make healthy Unstuffed Peppers
- Cook the ground beef and peppers in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add the tomato paste once the beef is browned.
- Put in the diced tomatoes, rice, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce.
- Make sure the mixture is stirred well so that the seasonings are dispersed.
- Let cool a bit to help the rice soak in the flavors.
- Fluff with a fork and serve!
Tips for making beef unstuffed peppers
- Use a different protein. You can easily make this with another ground meat like chicken, turkey, lamb or bison.
- Mix up your bowls. I love the flavor and texture of quinoa in these bowls, but you can easily swap it for rice or even pasta if you prefer.
- Add in other veggies. If you really want to load the veggies in, you can add in mushrooms, peas or beans when you cook the onions.
- Use spaghetti sauce. If you’re not a fan of tomato paste, you can easily use spaghetti saunce in its place.
- Leave out the meat. If you want to have a vegeterian unstuffed pepper, just leave out the meat and add in other peppers instead. Adding colored belll peppers can add a fun brightness to this dish!
how to store ground beef bell peppers
Leftoves of this healthy pepper recipe are the best! Just add them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge. They’ll stay good for 2-3 days and reheat to perfection.
How to reheat unstuffed peppers with beef
The fastest way to reheat healthy unstuffed peppers is to use the microwave. Reheat in 30 second intervals until it’s hot. Make sure that you store in between times so that the heat gets dispersed all the way through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! These unstuffed peppers are so great for meal prep. The beef and pepper mixture will keep well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. You can then quickly reheat it and add it to your bowl.
Yes! You can make up a big batch of the ground beef mix and it makes for a great freezer meal. It will keep well for around 3 to 4 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it to serve.
You can use whatever color peppers you like in this recipe. I like to use a mix of red and orange for a sweeter flavor, but green will work just as well for a slightly more bitter flavor if you prefer. You can even use the sweet mini peppers.
This Unstuffed Peppers recipe is such a fun creative take on traditional stuffed peppers. And, like the other 74 bowl recipes in Lindsay’s book, it’s packed with superfoods and flavorful combinations of grain, protein, and vegetables! This is a whole complete comforting meal in just one bowl.
For more stuffed peppers recipes:
- Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Stuffed Bell Peppers with Tuna
- Beef Stuffed Peppers
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Taco Stuffed Peppers
If you try this healthy-ish feel good Unstuffed Peppers recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
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Unstuffed Peppers
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 green bell peppers chopped
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 15 ounce canned diced tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef, green peppers, onions, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook until beef is browned, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and saute until well combined and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the rice, diced tomatoes and water and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove from heat but keep covered for an additional 5-10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork to separate.
- Serve in bowls garnished with shredded cheddar cheese and parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Video says to simmer for 20 minutes. Recipe says to simmer 45 minutes. Recipe is the right time, not the video.
We enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Toni!
This was a hit with the family! Everyone had seconds and was requested to be added to normal dinner rotation. Easy to prep and easy to cook. Loved it! Followed recipe to the “t” x 2. Soooo good!
Yay! So glad to hear.
OMGosh this is outstanding – house smells delicious!!! I used ground turkey because it’s what I had, plus added corn for color. A real wower!!!
Aww thanks so much!
This is a great one pan meal! I used quinoa and added a can of corn and sliced mushrooms plus some harissa & topped it with a dollop of plain yougurt- it was YUMMY!
Sounds delicious, thanks for sharing!
I used the kind of rice that the recipe calls for. It never softened even after adding extra liquid and cooking for nearly twice the directed time. Still has good flavor, but next time I will make the rice separately.
So sorry about that, I appreciate you feedback. For 1/2 cup of rice the cooking time listed in the recipe should be more than enough time. Plus, the water called for in the recipe combined with the other ingredients has been the perfect amount of liquid for me to get the rice tender and fluffy. Did you bring the mixture all the way to a boil before cooking it at a simmer?
Extremely easy and very good I did not change a thing! I will be making us again!
Yay, so happy to hear!
I love a good one pot meal! The only thing I had to change was adding probably a cup and a half to two cups of liquid to cover the mixture. The rice was perfectly cooked after 30 minutes with the extra liquid. It also needs more seasoning than you think it will, but that’s probably bc of all the extra broth I added.
Thanks for sharing!
This has quickly become a family favourite in my house. I used basmati rice and it worked just fine! I added a lot more garlic and used turkey instead of beef. Still great!
Great, so glad you like it!