Pizza Stuffed Peppers

Give your stuffed peppers a pizza-style upgrade.

By
Molly Allen
Molly Allen
Molly Allen
Molly Allen is a writer and editor with a focus on food, beverage, travel, adventure, and lifestyle content, A former bakery owner, her work spans kitchen guides, food and beverage round-ups, recipe development, etc. She's featured in Taste of Home, Good Housekeeping, Insider, Brides, Simply Recipes, and more.
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Updated November 03, 2024
Molly Allen
pizza stuffed peppers in a casserole dish (close-up)

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Pizza is high on my list of favorite foods, and the classic pairing of pepperoni and melty cheese is my go-to. I turn to these pizza stuffed peppers to incorporate those flavors into an easy weeknight dinner. These tender boats of bell pepper piled high with ground beef, rice, and onion are dressed up even further with pepperoni and cheese. They’re bursting with flavor and can be customized in various ways to match your go-to pizza order.

To make them even more weeknight-friendly, you don’t need to cook the peppers before stuffing. Plus, you can assemble the peppers up to 24 hours ahead of time and stash them in the fridge before baking.

Swaps and Flavor Possibilities 

Pizza equals creativity, and these stuffed peppers are no different. Try adding or swapping out ingredients for other pizza toppings you love.

  • Make it supreme: Swap the ground beef for cooked ground sausage, mushrooms, and black olives.
  • Your favorite sauce: Just like making a pizza, you get to choose your go-to red sauce. You can go with a store-bought pizza sauce or your favorite marinara (I love Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil) or use a homemade sauce.
  • Play with cheese: Mozzarella is a pizza classic for its taste and meltability. You can certainly make a cheddar-mozzarella blend for a bit more of a kick. Want even more cheese? Mix an additional 1/2 cup of cheese into the filling before stuffing the peppers.
  • Swap the rice: Jasmine rice is my go-to and what I use for these pizza stuffed peppers. It can easily be swapped with any other type of rice. Want more protein? Use cooked quinoa.  
pizza stuffed peppers in a casserole dish

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Make Pizza Stuffed Peppers Ahead

These stuffed peppers are a tasty make-ahead dinner. As a professional recipe developer, sometimes working in the kitchen all day, I’m not interested in putting together dinner. I’ll often make the rice, cook the ground beef and onion mixture, and stuff the peppers all at once. That way I can put aluminum foil over the baking dish and pop it in the fridge until I’m ready to bake it.

I also love to use leftover cooked rice I have on hand. You could even heat up frozen rice to make the process quicker.

More Tasty Stuffed Peppers

Pizza Stuffed Peppers

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Total Time 60 mins
Servings 6 servings
Yield 6 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked (1/2 cup dry) white rice

  • 3 red or green bell peppers

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or unsalted butter

  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 pound lean ground beef (90/10)

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 1/4 cups pizza or marinara sauce, divided

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

  • 9 slices pepperoni, cut into quarters, or about 36 mini pepperoni

  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

  • Chopped fresh basil, optional, for serving

Method

  1. Cook the rice:

    If you don’t have cooked rice on hand, cook the rice.

  2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  3. Prep the peppers:

    Wash the peppers and slice them in half from the stem to the base. Clean out the inside of each pepper, removing the membrane and seeds. Set aside.

  4. Make the filling:

    Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil or butter. Cook the onion and garlic until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.

    Add the ground beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until evenly browned. While cooking, season with the salt and pepper. Drain off excess grease, if desired.

    Remove from the heat. Stir in half of the sauce, the cooked rice, and Italian seasoning.

  5. Stuff the peppers:

    Spread the remaining sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place the prepared peppers open-side up in the dish. Use a measuring cup or spoon to divide the ground beef mixture evenly between the peppers.

  6. Bake the peppers:

    Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake the peppers for 25 minutes. Remove the foil. Top each stuffed pepper with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve warm, garnished with basil if desired.

    Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
220 Calories
11g Fat
16g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 220
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 39mg 13%
Sodium 764mg 33%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 16mg 80%
Calcium 140mg 11%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 405mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.