Recipe: Steak, Brown Rice & Veggie Stuffed Peppers (2024)

would be a new interesting dish to escape from boring dinners. Healthy lean steak mixed with brown rice in a tasty “pepper bowl”! No need to clean up too much, great!

Recipe Description

Lately my friendly neighborhood Safeway has been surprising me with some of their sales. Of course, I can still beat most of their prices by going to different stores, but some of their weekly specials have been pretty amazing: blackberries at 10 boxes for $10; avocados for a buck a-piece or less; medium raw shrimp for just $4.99/lb; in short, they’re really stepping up their game when it comes to their Club Card specials, and it’s working because it makes me go there more often than I normally would. Over the nice weekend, I stopped by for cat provisions, inexpensive blackberries, and something I haven’t had in a long time: fresh red bell peppers, just $0.99/lb.

Now, I normally like to get most of my produce from the farmer’s market, but with the freaky weather (65 degrees & rainy at the end of MAY??? C’mon, Mother Nature!) two things have happened: stuff that should be growing in abundance right now is not, and I just refuse to go traipsing about in blustery weather if I don’t have to (I’m fairly certain I was a cat in a former life; hate being wet). My freezer’s been stocked with plenty of good frozen veggies & fruits so I’ve made due that way, but I have really missed getting the good, fresh stuff. True, the cheap bell peppers came from Mexico, but it was sure nice to enjoy the crisp sweetness of a fresh one once more. And the two that I got were so lovely, that I knew I couldn’t just hack them up into little pieces. Their aesthetics also had to be enjoyed, and the best way I felt I could do that was to use them as natural dishware and stuff ’em with something delicious.

Stuffed pepper recipes are all over the place and usually consist of a lot of ground beef, bread crumbs, and cheese. Not a bad combo taste-wise, but I do prefer to have color in my food and didn’t want something that heavy & rich. Instead, I used some brown rice, lean steak, and some nice red & green veggies for a nice contrast. The end result was a beautiful, completely satisfying meal with hardly any clean-up because I got to eat the “bowl”! 🙂 Seriously though, this is a wonderful dish to prepare for a nice twist on dinner, and though I made mine from scratch, this is a fabulous way to make use of leftover rice and meat, not to mention all those tiny bags of leftover veggies that may be lurking in your fridge or freezer. Paired with a nice salad and a glass of wine, this can also be a different, slightly elegant way to end a hard workday without having to break the bank.

Details Recipe Information

  • Serving: 2 people
  • Cost per serving: $
  • Nutrition: for each serving
  • Calories: 302.8
  • Fat: 11g
  • Cholesterol: 14.3mg
  • Sodium: 419.1mg
  • Potassium: 463.7mg
  • Carbohydrates: 33.7g
  • Protein: 11.1g

Save

Print

Ingredients

  • 2 large red bell peppers
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 6 oz. lean steak, diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1/2 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika (regular paprika is also fine)
  • 1/4 tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp salt

Method

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a small, shallow baking dish with a very light coating of cooking spray and set aside. Rinse the bell peppers and pat dry gently with a paper towel. Slice off just the very top of the pepper and remove the seeds & veins. Take the “lid” of the pepper and cut off the remaining flesh, dicing into small pieces. Set aside with the rest of the veggies.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the minced garlic and onion. Sauté over medium heat until fragrant, then add the diced steak and all the seasonings. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the steak begins to brown (don’t overcook as this will continue cooking in the oven!). Add the diced peppers, tomatoes, peas, broccoli and rice, and stir together until completely combined. Check for seasonings and adjust accordingly with salt & pepper. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spoon a generous amount of the rice, steak & veggie mixture into each pepper until completely full (go ahead, pack it in!). Place the stuffed peppers in the prepped baking dish, tent with foil, and place in the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes and remove it from the oven. Allow cooling for about 5 minutes. Serve with a nice salad, and enjoy!

Further Reading:

  • Recipe: Grilled Steak Tacos!

Feel free to share PGEW‘s post with your social networks.

Recipe: Steak, Brown Rice & Veggie Stuffed Peppers (2024)

FAQs

Should peppers be boiled before stuffing? ›

I definitely suggest par-cooking the bell peppers first, just a little bit before stuffing them. Not only does this help to soften the bell peppers, but it also cuts down on your cook time. As the bell peppers are cooking you can make the filling, shaving off about 20 minutes from your total cook time.

Why didn't my rice cook in my stuffed peppers? ›

If you find your rice didn't cook in your stuffed peppers, it's likely one of two reasons: It didn't have enough time to cook through. There wasn't enough moisture for the grains to absorb.

What are the ingredients for stuffed peppers? ›

How do you keep stuffed peppers from getting soggy? ›

To prevent it from happening, you should try to avoid or reduce excess moisture – here are three of the things you can do:
  1. Pre-cook Peppers. ...
  2. Use Leftover Rice. ...
  3. Save Cheese for the Topping.

Do you cook stuffing before you stuff? ›

Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.

Can I substitute brown rice for white rice in recipes? ›

While brown rice can be substituted in almost any dish where white rice is used, it's important to note that the cooking time will need to be adjusted since brown rice takes a little longer to cook. Brown rice is not a good choice for dishes like puddings or risotto, however.

Do you add seasoning to rice before or after cooking? ›

Do You Season Rice Before or After Cooking? Seasoning your rice before adding water or broth helps to deeply infuse the flavor into the recipe. When you season rice after cooking, the flavors don't have a chance to cook into the rice and will simply layer on top — similar to sprinkling a finished dish with salt.

Do you cook meat before putting in stuffed peppers? ›

A classic way to make stuffed peppers is a hybrid of precooked and uncooked fillings. You cook rice and mix it with raw ground beef seasonings and sometimes a sauce.

Why do my stuffed peppers taste bland? ›

The thing about most stuffed bell pepper recipes is 3that they call for salt in the filling, not for the peppers themselves. Without salt, the peppers are flabby and bland, merely a filling case. With a sprinkle of salt, they transform into a sweet and powerfully savory part of the dish.

Which color bell pepper is the healthiest? ›

Red peppers pack the most nutrition, because they've been on the vine longest. Bell peppers come in a range of colors, including red (the sweetest), orange, yellow, and green.

What seasonings are good on peppers? ›

I love to use thyme on my sautéed bell peppers. But there are other herbs that also compliment the sweetness of them that you can use, too. Try adding basil, chives, cilantro, coriander, cumin, curry, garlic, marjoram, or rosemary to you bell peppers when cooking for more amazing flavor combinations.

Do you have to boil peppers before stuffing them? ›

The peppers need to be par-cooked before filling so that they cook through. Many recipes call for boiling the peppers first, but I prefer to roast them – more flavor and less cleanup!

What is a fancy name for stuffed peppers? ›

The chile relleno, literally "stuffed pepper", consists of a roasted and peeled/skinned green pasilla or poblano pepper stuffed with cheese (traditionally queso fresco) and, occasionally, minced meat, covered in an egg batter, and fried.

What can I add to bell peppers for flavor? ›

14 Unique Ways To Flavor Red Bell Peppers
  1. Maple syrup and cheese offer added sweetness and umami. ...
  2. Add texture with herbed breadcrumbs. ...
  3. Marinate in salad dressing. ...
  4. Layer with pesto and cheese. ...
  5. Use your favorite chicken marinade. ...
  6. Dip raw strips into spicy peanut sauce. ...
  7. Pair with tzatziki for a Greek spin.
Jun 17, 2023

Do you have to cook peppers before canning? ›

Instructions for Canning Sweet Peppers: The skins of bell peppers or sweet peppers are more tender, so they generally do not need to be blistered and peeled (thank goodness). Simple quarter or roughly chop bell peppers and cover them with water in a pot. Boil for 3 minutes, then transfer to pint or half-pint jars.

Should you cook or raw bell peppers? ›

Bell peppers, whether raw or cooked, are packed with vitamin C and various antioxidants. Eating them raw provides maximum vitamin C content, but cooking bell peppers can increase the availability of other nutrients. Roasting or grilling bell peppers enhances their natural sweetness and offers a delightful flavor.

Why do people boil peppers? ›

Boiling bell peppers is a simple cooking method that involves immersing the peppers in boiling water until they become tender. This process helps enhance the flavors and textures of the peppers, making them versatile for various dishes.

Do you have to cook bell peppers before eating them? ›

Do You Need to Cook Bell Peppers? Bell peppers are safe to eat cooked or raw. They are crunchy and crisp with a very mild spicy bite when raw. Cooking tends to enhance the pepper's natural sweetness.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Pres. Lawanda Wiegand

Last Updated:

Views: 6006

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Pres. Lawanda Wiegand

Birthday: 1993-01-10

Address: Suite 391 6963 Ullrich Shore, Bellefort, WI 01350-7893

Phone: +6806610432415

Job: Dynamic Manufacturing Assistant

Hobby: amateur radio, Taekwondo, Wood carving, Parkour, Skateboarding, Running, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.