A Stuffed Pepper Bake is like a stuffed pepper on a grander scale! There’s still the fresh, bright flavor of the bell peppers, the tender rice, and the savory ground beef—all of the essentials of a stuffed pepper—just now in easily shareable casserole form! It even has vibrant salsa and some melty cheese to make the most of its new shape! You’ll want to stuff yourself full of Stuffed Pepper Bake the moment it comes out of the oven, but make sure you wait until it cools before you dig in!
Ingredients
For the rice:
- 3/4 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
- 1 1/2 cups water
- salt, to taste
- For the casserole:
- 1 pound ground beef
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large bell pepper
- 1/2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 cups cheddar or Colby cheese, shredded
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Place the rice, the water, and the salt in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
Step 3 –Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 4 –In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble the ground beef until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 5 –Season the meat with the salt and the pepper to taste.
Step 6 –Transfer the beef from the skillet.
Step 7 –Melt the butter in the now-empty skillet over medium heat.
Step 8 –Add the onions to the butter and cook until they are translucent, about 3 minutes.
Step 9 –Add the bell pepper and the zucchini to the onions and cook until they are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 10 –Add the carrots to the veggie mixture and cook until everything is tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 11 –Season the veggie mixture with the salt and the pepper to taste.
Step 12 –Stir the cooked rice, the cooked beef, and the salsa into the veggie mixture.
Step 13 –Transfer the meat and veggie mixture to a 9×13-inch pan.
Step 14 –Top the meat and veggie mixture with the shredded cheese.
Step 15 –Bake until the cheese has melted, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 16 –Serve.
