Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers
Tender bell peppers stuffed with an ultra-flavorful filling. The slow cooker does all the work for you—no browning beef or boiling rice required!
These crock pot stuffed peppers are a family favorite. They only take a minute of prep and make your house smell amazing. I grew up eating stuffed peppers on chilly evenings with mashed potatoes or fried potato cakes. I'm thankful the rice cooks right in the slower cooker. I'm famous for putting rice on the stove and stepping away for a minute. The next thing you know, I'm three months deep in Mrs. Nextdoor's Facebook feed, and my pan is scorched.
I also love making this in the summer with fresh peppers from my garden. Best of all, the crock pot doesn't heat up the house! Coming home to a dinner that smells like its been cooking for hours is the best feeling! You can also try them with a homemade biscuit. Love easy recipes? Try my crock pot Marry Me Chicken next.
Why This Recipe Is Unique
- No Prep: Seriously, the slow cooker takes care of it all! No more standing over a hot stove cooking rice or browning beef.
- Goodbye Tough Chewy Peppers: The oven version can be tough and chewy. The lid on the slow cooker ensures these bad boys steam perfectly.
- Easier: I hate lifting the heavy, water-filled casserole dish out of the oven because I'm always scared I'll drop it.
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Bell Peppers: I like using green for that classic look. However, you may actually find that yellow and red taste a bit sweeter.
- Beef: Use lean ground beef to avoid excess grease. I used 90% lean.
- Tomatoes with Green Chiles: If you don't like spice, you can use petite diced tomatoes instead.
- Tomato Paste: Use tomato paste, not tomato sauce. Tomato paste is thicker and has a richer flavor.
- Broth: Don't want to open a can of broth for just one cup? Use a bouillon cube or bullion base instead.
- Brown Sugar: Don't leave this out; it balances out the acid in the tomatoes. Think: Meatloaf with a tomato glaze.
This recipe is focused on being easy and has no prep. However, if you prefer less soft peppers, try boiling them for 2-3 minutes before placing them in the crock pot. While cooking more may sound counterintuitive, it actually helps remove extra moisture.
Readers have had success with stuffing them the day before and storing them in the fridge until ready to cook.
Krystle's Tips and Tricks
- Prep Hack: Having trouble removing the ribs and seeds? Try a spoon.
- Mixing: I like to mix these up the same way I mix meatloaf: with my hands. If this weirds you out, you can always wear gloves to protect your hands.
- Reserve The Can Liquid: Don't forget! I like to drain my tomatoes using a strainer over a glass measuring cup.
- No Peeking: The temperature will drop every time you open the Crockpot. Don't open it until the time is up.
- Per the FDA, ground beef should be cooked until it reaches 160 degrees.
More Crockpot Favorites
📖 Recipe
Easiest Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers
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Ingredients
- 6 Large Bell Peppers Any Color
- 1 ½ Pounds Lean Ground Beef
- ½ Cup White Rice Uncooked
- 1 Sweet Onion Finely Diced
- 2 teaspoon Garlic Minced
- 2 Cans Tomatoes with Green Chiles (Rotel) 10 Ounces Each
- 1 Can Tomato Paste 6 Ounces
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar Packed
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Cut off pepper tops and remove seeds/ribs.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, salt,and pepper. Stir in one DRAINED can of tomatoes with green chiles. (Reserve the liquid).
- Evenly stuff peppers and place in slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl mix reserved liquid, the 2nd can of tomatoes with green chiles, broth,tomato paste, and brown sugar. Pour over peppers.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
Notes
-
- Ground Beef: Use lean beef to avoid excess grease. I used 90% lean.
-
- Chicken Broth: Don't want to open a can of broth for just one cup? You could also use bouillon cubes per the directions on their package.
- Bell Pepper Hack: Having trouble removing the ribs and seeds? Try a spoon.
- Reserve The Can Liquid: Don't forget! I like to drain my tomatoes using a strainer over a glass measuring cup.
- No Peeking: The temperature will drop every time you open the Crockpot. Don't open it until the time is up.
- Per the FDA, ground beef should be cooked until it reaches 165 degrees.
Nutrition
I don't have tomato paste. What can I substitute?
Hi Nancy!
I would suggest using tomato paste if at all possible for the best flavor. You may able to use ketchup if you do not have access to the paste.
CAN I REPLACE THE WHITE RICE WITH BROWN OR CAULIFLOWER RICE? JUST TRYING TO BE A LITTLE HEALTHY LOL
Hi Ruth!
I haven't tried either so I can't say for sure, but I think it would work. Please report back if you do!
These were deliscious! Thank you!
Love that I don't have to fry the meat or parboil my peppers first.
But made the mistake of using tomato sauce in place of paste. Too runny. I topped mine with mozzarella cheese. Yum!
Yay so glad you enjoyed it, thanks for taking the time to let me know Joylene. Please stop back again!:)
Love that I don't have to parboil my peppers.
I'll be making this more often.
Yes such a time ssaver! Thanks for stopping by Joy and letting me know! 🙂
These were so good! Substituted ground chicken and brown rice and stirred in some frozen corn, turned out so great. The sauce keeps these moist and cooks the peppers perfectly! Did add some parsley and cilantro in the sauce as well! Will make again!
Yay so glad you loved them. Thanks for sharing your substitutions too, I'll try corn next time.
I used 1Lbs of beef and 1Lbs of sosage and I mix all ingredients together and pour the broth on top. I use the biggest bell peppers i can find and set them on top of a layer of potatoes (copped). And when done I have stuff bell peppers and mashed potatoes and gravy. When the bell peppers are done they rest while I'm makes the mashed potatoes and gravy.
Hi Cordelia,
This is GENIUS! Thanks for sharing with us, it sounds amazing.
Will definately try
Let me know how they turn out Candy! 🙂
This sounds amazing, so you think the rice could be replaced with quinoa? I’m super excited to try this out for date night! Thanks in advance!
Hi Brittany,
We have never tested this with Quinoa. If you do please let us know how it turns out.
We do crock pot stuffed peppers all year long. Only thing my family likes is (was out of rice one day) I cook 2 handfuls of macaroni, drain and add to meat mixture. Families favorite now!
Great idea, thanks for sharing Linda. Sounds yummy, I'll try it that way next time.
I would love to make these in the crockpot but one 1questions: My family does not like the rice in our stuffed peppers and would rather have the breadcrumbs, Have you ever done the recipe with this intead?
Hi Suzanne,
That's a great question. I've only tried the recipe as written, but I think breadcrumbs may work. Please let us know if you try it and how it turns out.
I had no issues using smashed crackers! So there will be no issues using bread crumbs! Just don't go overboard or it will be dry!
Hello fellow Kristal, thanks for jumping in and helping out in the comments.
Made this recipe today, excellent and easy!
I didn't have any rice so I used a box of couscous, seasonings as well. I also threw in 2 tsp of oregano and 1 tsp of basil, just to give it a more Italian vibe. Everybody said it was good, but I think they lie sometimes, there weren't any leftovers though!
Thanks!!!
Hi Rob,
Yay so glad you enjoyed. Using Couscous is such a great idea.
It is down right silly how happy these peppers made me. I'm going to be very honest, the "easy factor" had me the moment I read that I didn't have to blanch the peppers, cook the meat or boil the rice. If they had turned out "just ok" I would have been happy. They didn't turn out just ok, they turned out so SO so good! So much so that my "I don't do leftovers" picky husband asked for what was left to be packed in his Herman Munster lunchbox for the next day. That is high praise in this house. Like I said, the 10 minutes it took to slap them together had already won me over, but the flavor and the fact that they taste just as good as my grandmother's that took about an hour or more to make. (oh and the smell … when I came home from work and walked in the door my house smelled AMAZING - and the dogs were giving me stink eye like how dare you make the house smell like this all day and we had to smell it and not be able to get to it!)
I can't wait to see what recipe of yours I find that changes my exhausted weekday cooking world forever!
Hi Stacy,
Your comment made my day, I'm so glad you and your hubby liked them. Give your doggies a pat and a treat from me! HUGS!
What about the grease from the hamburger
Hi Suzette,
I use lean hamburger meat so grease isn't really a problem. You could also use super lean beef i.e. 96% or even ground turkey if desired.
Reading your stuffed pepper recipe and you don't say what to do with the chicken broth??????????
It is in step 4! 🙂
On the East Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers - recipe calls for 1 cup chicken broth, but the instructions do not tell you when to use the chicken broth?????
Hi Missy,
I just double checked the recipe and you add it here: In a medium bowl mix reserved liquid, the 2nd can of tomatoes with green chiles, broth,tomato paste, and brown sugar. Pour over peppers.
Great idea to use a slow cooker. My peppers are never quite cooked when I stuff them.
Thanks Choclette <3