Healthy stuffed pepper casserole with ground turkey, brown rice, and cheddar cheese is a go-to meal for weeknights. It’s easy to make, hearty, and tastes great!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: All the flavor of stuffed peppers in one easy casserole makes this recipe a winner. I also have suggestions for vegan or vegetarian alternatives.
How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, one and a half hours to bake
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet, 9 x 13 inch baking dish, foil or cover for dish
Servings: 4 generous servings
This casserole is one of my go-to recipes. It’s a perfect meal: easy, nutritious, and satisfying.
We love stuffed peppers. Okay, actually we like stuffed anything. There’s just something kind of cool about stuffing all contained in a neat little package. I kind of go crazy over stuffed butternut squash. It’s so good!
But, I’ll admit, it can be a little bit of a hassle to stuff stuff (ha, get it?). There’s usually a fair amount of prep work involved. For stuffed peppers, you have to blanch the peppers first, drain them, prepare the stuffing, and then carefully put the stuffing into the peppers before you finally “stuff” them in the oven.
That’s the beauty of this stuffed pepper casserole: it’s a “deconstructed” stuffed pepper. The only prep work you have to do is brown the meat and onions. You don’t even have to cook the rice. Just dump everything in a baking dish, cover it and let it bake. You’ll get all the deliciousness of stuffed peppers hassle-free. And that’s why this recipe is one of my weekday go-to recipes. Because hassle-free is good, right?
Hearty, nutritious, low-calorie, gluten-free, and easy to make, stuffed pepper casserole is a winner for sure!
About This Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Mostly hands off time. This casserole can be prepped in about 15 minutes but it needs to bake for at least an hour and a half, mostly hands off.
That might sound like a long baking time but the beauty of it is you can do anything you want while it bakes. Make a side salad. Sit down, relax! Catch up on emails. Play with your kids. Do some yard work. Whatever you want. Dinner will be ready when you are.
You probably should stick around the house since the oven is on but other than that you can do whatever your heart desires.
I’ll get you started on the recipe here and talk about some variations you can make.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Turkey: I like ground turkey because it’s leaner than ground beef. If you prefer a more traditional stuffed pepper flavor, use lean ground beef instead. Bulk sausage (either pork or turkey) can be substituted as well.
- Onion: It doesn’t really matter what type of onion you choose. For casseroles, a regular yellow cooking onion is just fine.
- Bell Peppers: Use any color you like or happen to have. A combination of two or more colors makes a colorful casserole.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Look for a large can of crushed tomatoes. The juicy tomatoes provide the liquid needed to cook the rice. If you only have diced tomatoes, use a large can (28 oz.) or two small cans. For best results, chop them in a food processor to break up the chunks. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.
- Rice: You’ll need a half cup of uncooked rice. While the recipe calls for brown rice which is more nutritious, feel free to substitute white rice. The casserole won’t take quite as long to bake.
- Dried Oregano: If you happen to have fresh oregano, feel free to substitute that. You’ll need to add more, about a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon. Dried Italian seasoning is a good substitute too.
- Garlic Powder: Garlic powder (not garlic salt!) adds subtle garlic flavor. If you’re a big garlic fan, feel free to increase the amount or use a couple of cloves of minced fresh garlic. Add it to the pan for the last minute or so, when you brown the meat and onions.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar provides plenty of tangy bold flavor which allows you to use less cheese in your casserole (less cheese = less calories). Feel free to use whatever type of cheese you happen to have on hand.
- Fresh Parsley, optional: Freshly chopped parsley as a garnish adds fresh herbal flavor and a bright pop of color to the casserole.
How To Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Let’s get started! Turn your oven on to preheat and spray a large baking dish with non-stick spray.
In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey and onions with a little salt and pepper, breaking up the large chunks of meat so it browns evenly. It will take about ten minutes or so.
Meanwhile, cut a couple of bell peppers into one inch chunks, more or less. No fancy knife work here, just cut them up into bite-sized pieces, discarding the seeds and stems.
Measure out a half-cup of uncooked rice and open the can of crushed tomatoes. When the meat and onions are ready, put them into the prepared baking dish along with the rice, tomatoes, oregano, and garlic powder.
Stir well and cover the dish tightly with foil.
Recipe Tip
It’s important to cover the dish because you want to trap the steam inside so that the rice cooks. It’s just like steaming rice on the stovetop in a covered saucepan.
After an hour and fifteen minutes, remove the foil and stir the casserole. Carefully put the foil back on and bake for another fifteen minutes or until the rice is tender. Sometimes it takes a bit longer.
Remove the dish from the oven, uncover it, and sprinkle on the shredded cheese. Put it back in the oven for five minutes or so, or until the cheese melts. Let the casserole set for 10 minutes or so to settle before serving. Garnish it with fresh parsley.
Normally, bell peppers are blanched (immersed briefly in boiling water) before stuffing them so that they are tender enough to cut into easily. The beauty of this stuffed pepper casserole is that the peppers do not need to be blanched. Simply cut the bell peppers into bite-sized pieces and cook them along with everything else. They’ll be perfectly tender.
Yes! If you have an abundance of bell peppers, cut them into bite-sized pieces and freeze them in freezer safe containers for up to four months, to use later in casseroles, soups, stews, or other cooked recipes. This is a perfect idea if you’re wondering what to do with lots of peppers!
Make It Your Own
There are lots of ways to make this stuffed pepper casserole your very own creation. Use what you like best or what you happen to have in your fridge.
- Substitute long grain white rice for the brown rice.
- Use lean ground beef or bulk sausage (pork or turkey) instead of ground turkey. Mexican chorizo is a good option, too.
- Vegetarian/Vegan: Omit meat and substitute pinto or black beans. A vegan cheese can be subbed in for the cheddar, or the cheese can be omitted.
- Cheese: Use any type of shredded cheese or omit it if you want to make it non-dairy.
- Spicy: Poblano peppers can be substituted for the bell peppers.
- Don’t like bell peppers? Try vegetarian stuffed portobello mushrooms or caprese couscous stuffed tomatoes. Another favorite of ours is pizza stuffed spaghetti squash! We also love “unstuffed” zucchini casserole with rice! Another casserole favorite with rice is porcupine meatballs.
To get a head start on making this casserole, brown the meat and onions up to a day ahead of time. Prep the peppers and shred the cheese. You’ll save about 15 minutes prep time.
The casserole can also be baked, cooled, and frozen for up to one month. Cover tightly and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through.
Leftover casserole can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until heated through.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #4 or Meal Plan #68. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week!
More Pepper Recipes
Stuffed Pepper Casserole (with variations)
Ingredients
- 16 oz. ground turkey
- ½ cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large bell peppers (any color), chopped into approx. 1-inch pieces
- 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup long grain brown rice (long grain white rice may be substituted; see note)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or another cheese of your choice)
- Chopped flat leaf parsley for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large skillet, brown ground turkey and onions, seasoning with salt and pepper. (I use a nonstick skillet. If you don’t, you might want to add a teaspoon or two of olive oil.) Cook, breaking up ground turkey, until turkey is cooked through and onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
- Put into baking dish. Add chopped peppers, tomatoes, rice, oregano, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, remove from oven, uncover and stir. Replace foil, return to oven and bake 15 minutes more or until rice is tender. Remove foil, add cheese, and bake 5 minutes uncovered, or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
Variations
- Substitute long grain white rice: Prepare as directed. Bake covered for 45 minutes, stir, recover and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Top with cheese and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes.
- Use lean ground beef or bulk sausage (pork or turkey) instead of ground turkey. After browning, drain off excess grease.
- Vegetarian/Vegan: Omit meat and substitute a can (15.5 oz.) of pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained. Use vegan cheese instead of cheddar cheese, or omit cheese.
- Spicy: Replace the bell peppers with poblano peppers.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Can long grain brown rice be used?
Disregard that question
Did you try it?
I made this on Sunday night and I’ve eaten it every day this week for dinner. I live alone and I’m always seeking out recipes that will keep for 4-5 days. This was a complete success! It tastes so good reheated and is filling but still healthy. Also, I love stuffed peppers and this casserole is so much easier and more practical to make. Thanks for sharing, I’ll definitely be making this again!
I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, it means a lot to me!
Hi! I just made this and it’s currently in the oven! I added sautéd kale and hemp seeds into it for extra nutrition. Excited to try! Here’s my question though. Does the recipe taste better by doing it this way as opppsed to just sautéing all the ingredients in a pan and making rice on the side? I could cook 1/2 cup of rice in my rice cooker in less than 20 minutes, so I’m just wondering if waiting 1.5 hours is worth it for a better taste or if it changes it that much? Thanks!
You could definitely do that! It’s a hands off kind of thing for me, which I like…but I imagine the taste would be similar if you stirred cooked rice into the sauteed ingredients. :) Let me know if you try it!
My fiancé and I are in full pre-wedding diet mode, and we LOVE this casserole! Do you happen to know the nutrition stats by chance? Even just calorie count per serving would be super helpful for tracking purposes. Thanks!
Hi Jenny – congrats on the engagement! How exciting! I’m slowly adding nutrition information to all my recipes. It’s always a bit of an estimate, but I added it to the recipe card. I hope that helps! Good luck and congrats again!
Has anyone doubled this recipe? I want to double it to make more but not sure how that will affect cooking times. Any advice or suggestions would be great.
If you use a large enough pan (so that it’s not too deep), it should probably cook in a similar amount of time, maybe slightly longer. I haven’t tested it though, so let me know how it turns out if you try it!
How would you make it with the orzo?
Would you cook them first or no just dump in then bake?
I haven’t tested it with orzo – it would significantly change this recipe since the rice takes a long time to cook, and it soaks up a lot of the liquid. If you experiment with it, let me know how it turns out!
Easy and good. Thank you for a new go to
So happy to hear you liked this! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Can leftovers be frozen?
I think this would freeze really well! Let us know if you try it!
I will !! Thanks
Do you think you could use instant brown rice and just lessen the cook time?
It could work! I would give the peppers a quick saute with the meat, otherwise they might not cook through in the time the rice takes to cook. I haven’t tried it that way so I make no promises, but I’d love to hear back from you if you try it!
Just wondering, do you think the turkey could be swapped out for chicken? My husband and I are more into chicken than turkey. We aren’t wondering which one would be healthier, but if it would still taste good.
It would taste great! That would absolutely work. :) Enjoy!