Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Stuffed Pepper Casserole is the perfect weeknight dinner, made with ground turkey mixed with onions, peppers, and rice in a savory tomato sauce topped with cheddar cheese, ready in under an hour! 

I love quick and easy recipes for busy weeknights. For more ideas, check out this Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, Loaded Baked Potato Casserole, and Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole!

Stuffed Pepper Casserole is an easy spin on a classic dish, perfect to throw together to feed a hungry family on a busy weeknight! It has the classic flavor of stuffed peppers, with minimal prep time. You can also add extra vegetables to this dish like mushrooms, corn, peas, spinach, zucchini, or carrots. This will easily become one of your favorite stuffed pepper recipes!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Olive Oil. We’re using a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to brown the meat and onions. You can also use butter for this step.

Ground Turkey. I like to use extra lean ground turkey for this recipe, because you’ll get less fat cooking off into the pan. You can also use regular ground turkey, or lean ground beef. 

Bell Peppers. Use any color of bell peppers, I like a mixture of red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and green bell peppers. You can also use something with more heat like poblano peppers, or add a jalapeno pepper into the mixture. 

Onion. You can use a yellow onion, white onion, or Vidalia onion for this recipe. This adds flavor, and helps bulk up the casserole with veggies. If you don’t have an onion, you can add some onion powder instead. 

Chicken Broth. This recipe is a really good way to use up extra chicken broth when you make Tuscan White Bean Soup the day before! You can also use vegetable broth. This adds a lot of flavor when it’s absorbed by the rice.   

Sharp Cheddar Cheese. I like to add shredded cheddar cheese both in the stuffed peppers mixture and on top. You can also use Monterey jack, pepper jack, Colby jack, or mozzarella cheese. Or a combination of your favorites. 

Crushed Tomatoes. This adds a really nice tomato base to the casserole, and again adding more veggies to the mixture. You can also use diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes. 

Tomato Paste. When you’re ready to add the tomato paste, push the veggies aside and cook the tomato paste for a few minutes. Then mix it all together. Tomato paste is basically condensed tomato sauce, which will create a really nice tomato base once the broth is added. 

Rice. Use regular uncooked white rice. Make sure to rinse the uncooked rice beforehand to remove some of the starch and clean the rice. 

You can also use brown rice for this recipe, but it might turn out a little more chewy than the white rice. 

Worcestershire Sauce. This is a really nice savory flavor. Just make sure it’s gluten free, as it can vary by brand with this ingredient. 

Spices. For this recipe we’re using a mixture of savory spices like cumin, granulated garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper. If you use garlic powder instead, add a little bit more, as granulated garlic is typically stronger. You can also mince a few cloves of fresh garlic, instead. 

Instead of adding ingredients individually, you can also use a pre-made spice mixture like Italian seasoning, or Homemade Ranch Seasoning. 

How to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium dutch oven, add the olive oil and onions over medium-high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the ground turkey and mix everything together, breaking up the meat as it browns, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the spices, Worcestershire sauce, and peppers, stirring everything together. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, until the peppers begin to soften. 
3. Push everything to the side and add the tomato paste, cooking the paste for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Mix everything together and add the crushed tomatoes, rice, cheese, and broth. Stir until everything is well-combined. 
4. Place the lid on the pot and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the rice is soft. Remove the lid from the pot and top with the remaining cheese. Broil for 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown. 

Frequently Asked Questions

More Peppers Recipes

• Easy Sausage and Peppers
• Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
• Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Storage

Refrigerate leftover casserole in an airtight container for 3-4 days. 

Freeze stuffed pepper casserole in an airtight freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. Defrost by placing in the refrigerator the night before. 

Recipe Variations

• Give this stuffed pepper casserole recipe a kick of heat with some cayenne pepper, hot sauce, chili powder, or red pepper flakes. You can also add some spicy jalapeno peppers at the same time as the onions in the recipe. 
• You can use other ground meat like ground chicken, ground beef, or ground sausage instead of turkey. If you switch to beef or sausage, you should also use beef broth instead of chicken. 
• Top with fresh parsley or fresh cilantro before serving for some fresh flavor. 
• Add more broth to make a stuffed pepper soup!
• You can use instant rice, which will require less baking time. Make sure to brown the meat well and soften the vegetables before baking. The instant rice will also be softer in the final dish. 

Cooking Tips

• If your pot is not oven-safe, transfer the rice mixture to a casserole dish before baking. Grease the dish with nonstick cooking spray first. 
• Try to cut the peppers to all be about the same size, so they cook at the same time. 

If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!

We are a participant in both the RewardStyle and Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which are affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and through RewardStyle.