Unstuffed Peppers - Easy Ground Beef & Peppers Recipe - Mantitlement (2024)

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Try these Unstuffed Peppers for an easy, healthy dinner! Our kids actually EAT the peppers when we cut them up and mix them in with the seasoned beef!

Who doesn’t love easy, 15 minute dinners like this? Be sure and try our equally easy Beefy Tomato Soup or this 8 minute air fryer or 15 minute oven dinner, Chinese Boneless Spareribs!

Unstuffed Peppers - Easy Ground Beef & Peppers Recipe - Mantitlement (1)

A Dinner Recipe Your Kids Will Love!

Do you love making stuffed peppers? I mean, yes, I do. But my kids will hungrily eat the filling out and leave that big pepper behind. Recently we’ve made more stuffed pepper recipes that I absolutely LOVE. And I have to say our kids actually do eat the pepper now, we’ve got ’em trained;)

I can’t say too much, I did that too for most of my life. We weren’t a big vegetable family growing up so the bowl of frozen peas and carrots was only on the table for special occasions or holidays.

Now we try and have fresh vegetables on the table every night, or at least a dinner that involves vegetables like stuffed peppers. So to prevent our kids from just eating the filling we created this Unstuffed Pepper recipe instead.

All you need to do is dice the peppers and cook them with the beef and onions when you make the “filling”, but the filling is the dinner.

Unstuffed Peppers - Easy Ground Beef & Peppers Recipe - Mantitlement (2)

Once you add the tomato sauce and let the beef simmer together with the vegetables…you won’t be able to stop eating it right from the pan.

How Do You Serve These Unstuffed Peppers?

We like to serve this recipe over rice or pasta like elbow macaroni (really any pasta will do, it’s almost like a meat sauce with peppers) but you can also serve it over cauliflower rice for a low carb dinner!

Piling this beef filling on buns like a peppery sloppy joe also works. A topping for nachos, add beans and make a quick chili…there’s so many things you can do with this Unstuffed Peppers recipe besides just eating it as is!

Unstuffed Peppers - Easy Ground Beef & Peppers Recipe - Mantitlement (3)

Do I Have To Make This Recipe With Beef?

Nope, you can use ground turkey or pork or even ground chicken or lamb. The peppers kind of have to stay or this wouldn’t be a twist on a stuffed pepper recipe but you can definitely swap out the type of meat.

On that note, you can absolutely sneak more vegetables into this recipe, too! We have teenage boys in our house now so we’re WAY past trying to get our kids to eat.

WAY past that. Now we just try and keep our refrigerators full of food. Going to the grocery store every 2 or 3 days is not unheard if. ALL THEY DO IS EAT.

But I do feel like we gave them a good food foundation, not making too many separate meals when they were young (I won’t say never, just not often) and introducing them to all sorts of different foods as much as we could. Dinner recipes like this one definitely helped when they were younger, they ate this up like rock stars, and still do!

Need More Easy Dinner Ideas?

  • EASY PENNE VODKA
  • HOT DOG CHILI
  • SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK
  • STOVE TOP SPLIT PEA AND HAM SOUP

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    Unstuffed Peppers - Easy Ground Beef & Peppers Recipe - Mantitlement (4)

    Unstuffed Peppers

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.4 from 16 reviews
    • Author: Dan
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 4 1x

    Print Recipe

    This super easy dinner recipe will help get the vegetables in your kids mouths instead of leaving them behind!

    Scale

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
    • 3 cups diced bell peppers (mixed colors)
    • 1 cup diced onion
    • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 cups of tomato sauce

    Instructions

    1. Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Brown the ground beef until cooked through and drain any excess grease form the pan.
    2. Add the peppers, onions and garlic to the beef. Stir and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
    3. Add in the cumin, salt and pepper, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and the tomato sauce. Stir well to combine and then taste for seasonings.
    4. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes and serve.
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Stove Top
    • Cuisine: American

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    Unstuffed Peppers - Easy Ground Beef & Peppers Recipe - Mantitlement (2024)

    FAQs

    How do you cook peppers so they are soft? ›

    To boil bell peppers: Cook peppers, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. To sauté bell peppers: Heat a skillet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add bell peppers and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes.

    Should you soften peppers before stuffing them? ›

    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.

    Do you cook peppers or ground beef first? ›

    Cook the whole green peppers, uncovered in boiling water for about 5 minutes; invert to drain well. Sprinkle insides of the peppers lightly with salt. In a skillet cook ground beef, onion and 1/4 cup chopped pepper till meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off excess fat.

    How do you get the most flavor out of peppers? ›

    Filleting a pepper is the best way to easily separate the seeds and pith from the flesh. Doing this allows you to get the most pepper flavor possible with the least amount of heat.

    How do you take the bitterness out of peppers? ›

    Salt mitigates bitterness as well as enhancing their flavor. If you are eating them raw, that's about your only option although a dab of vinegar or lemon juice may reduce some of the bitter aftertaste.

    What are the ingredients for stuffed peppers? ›

    Do you take the seeds out of peppers before cooking? ›

    Although the seeds of peppers can be eaten, most people choose to remove the seeds of sweet peppers, as they are hard and contain little flavour. The seeds of hot or chilli peppers contain high levels of capsaicin, so if you are looking to pack a punch, include the chilli seeds in the recipes.

    Can you cook raw meat and peppers together? ›

    Can I stuff peppers with raw meat? Yes, you can absolutely stuff peppers with raw meat. In fact, using raw meat allows for a longer cooking time, allowing the flavors to meld together and creating a delicious and moist filling inside the peppers.

    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.

    Do you have to boil peppers before stuffing them? ›

    You don't need to cook the peppers before stuffing them. Budget-Friendly. Stuffed peppers turn humble, affordable ingredients like rice and ground beef into a well-rounded meal (don't miss these other Ground Beef Dinner Ideas for more wallet-friendly meals).

    How do you soften peppers quickly? ›

    In large pot, fill peppers with water (to prevent floating), and fill pot around peppers with water until peppers are fully covered. Cover pot and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Bring the temperature down to medium-low and let peppers hard simmer for three minutes, or until tender.

    Does boiling bell peppers make them soft? ›

    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.

    How do you soften hot peppers? ›

    Soak Chiles in a Vinegar and Water Solution

    Submerge seeded, cooked whole jalapeños in a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water and let them soak for about an hour. If after that time they are still too hot for your taste, drain them, add more vinegar and water, and let them soak a little more.

    Should peppers be soft when cooked? ›

    Generally, peppers are cut into pieces or strips before being boiled or steamed. Boiled or steamed peppers should be tender, but not cooked long enough that they begin to lose their colour.

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