Today's recipe shares Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper, a famous, fun weeknight dinner. This fresh spin on our much-loved classic stuffed pepper casserole recipe is also effortless and delicious, perfect anytime during the year.
There's no secret behind my deconstructed stuffed bell peppers recipe. Simply sauté peppers, onion, and ground turkey, then combine with rice and cheese. And Enjoy effortlessly!
I'm here to tell you there's no need to fuss with stuffing or baking the peppers. This easy recipe lets you enjoy the flavors without the extra work.
Plus, it's more convenient to customize by including our favorite ingredients.
Why You'll Love This Recipe?
⭐️It's quick to make compared to other classic stuffed pepper recipes.
⭐️This one-pot meal is highly customizable and adaptable.
⭐️A delicious weeknight dinner for the family.
The Ingredients
- Bell peppers: Any color of bell pepper would work great, but opting for more colors like red, green, yellow, or orange makes it look more pleasing.
- Ground meat: I chose ground turkey, but you can substitute ground beef, chicken, or a plant-based alternative.
- Onion and garlic: Add an irresistible depth of flavor.
- Cooked rice: You can use white or brown, depending on your preference.
- Diced tomatoes: I've canned diced tomatoes. For rich flavors, substitute fire-roasted crushed tomatoes.
- Italian seasoning: I've used the store-bought. However, you can make your own by combining dried oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary.
- Cheese: I've used cheddar, which works well in this recipe.
How To Make Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper?
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, sauté chopped peppers and onions until softened. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add olive oil and cook ground turkey/beef until browned, then stir in garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add diced tomatoes, cooked rice, salt, ground black pepper, Italian seasoning, and sautéed vegetables. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle cheese over the mixture, cover, and cook on low heat until melted. Enjoy hot!
♨️How To Adjust The Heat?
This deconstructed stuffed pepper recipe has mild heat, mainly from the ground black pepper(FYI, the bell peppers have zero heat level).
You can minimize the heat by adjusting the Ground black pepper. To make this dish spicier, add crushed red pepper flakes or chopped jalapeños.
Storage & Reheating
- The leftover deconstructed stuffed peppers can be repurposed to make soup, taco filling, or quesadilla stuffing.
- You can refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze them to use within three months.
- To reheat, use the stovetop or microwave. Sprinkle some water while reheating to retain moisture, and stir occasionally for even heating.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- For a vegan option, substitute ground turkey with crumbled tofu in this deconstructed stuffed pepper recipe.
- For an extra creamy, cheesy top, swap half of the cheddar for mozzarella cheese.
- Add vegetables like zucchini, corn, mushrooms, or turnips.
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes
FAQ
Deconstructed stuffed peppers are a simplified version of the classic dish. Instead of stuffing the peppers with the meat filling, the peppers are sliced and tossed directly into the meat mixture.
Serve with garden salad or roasted veggies(like this spicy roasted sweet potato), which make great sides. Coleslaw adds a crunchy contrast.
You can make this dish in bulk and store it in individual portions. Simply reheat whenever you're ready to enjoy!
For a vegan version, use crumbled tofu and dairy-free cheese. For a Tex-Mex twist, add black beans and corn and top with sour cream and tortilla chips.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know your thoughts in the 📝 comments section below the recipe.
📖 Recipe
Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil /divided
- 4 bell peppers any color, chopped
- 1 onion medium sized & diced
- 1 pound ground turkey /beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes canned
- 1 cup cooked rice white / brown
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped peppers and onion to the skillet, and sauté until they soften.
- And remove it from the pan. And set aside.
- Now to the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and ground turkey/beef to the skillet. Break it up as it cooks until no pink remains in the meat.
- Add minced garlic and cook for a minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juice, cooked rice, and the (set aside)sautéed peppers and onions. Add the salt, ground black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Stir well to combine. And let it simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce evenly coats the rice and meat.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the mixture. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for a few more minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Once the cheese is melted, remove the skillet from heat.
- Serve hot, and enjoy this deconstructed version of a classic stuffed pepper!
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days or freeze for up to three months.
- When reheating, add a splash of water to retain moisture.
- Make it in bulk and portion it into individual containers for easy meal prep.
- For more heat, add crushed red pepper or chopped jalapeño pepper.
Beth says
This is a great recipe. I made it last night, and it has all the flavor my family loves without all the extra effort of trying to get the peppers to stand up. It's a lot easier to eat, too!
Nancy E Wall says
very good recipe. I added some more Italian seasoning and garlic. one technicality was the instructions say after sauteing the peppers and onions and remove from pan...brown turkey and breakup then stir in minced garlic until fragrant..add diced tomatoes etc.
The recipe does not say to add back to pan back the onion/pepper mixture....just a technicality if someone had not made before.
Otherwise was very good and easy.
Sujatha Muralidhar says
Nancy, so happy you enjoyed it! Extra garlic and seasoning sound perfect. And thank you for catching that step — peppers and onions do go back in. I’ve updated it!
Andrea says
What a great way to have all the marvelous flavors of stuffed peppers. It's easy to make and I know my family are going to love it.
Justine says
I love stuffed peppers, but they're kind of a pain in the butt to eat. This was AMAZING - everything I loved about a stuffed pepper all done in one pan! It's a win!
Erik says
Very easy to make and everyone really enjoyed it. Going to make it again for family dinner next week, too!
Dottie says
The flavors were delicious together and easy to make. Mine was a little dry perhaps because I used more beef. I just added tomato sauce with a bit of Italian seasoning and sugar to adjust it. I'll make this again.
Sujatha Muralidhar says
Thank you Dottie, for trying the recipe! I'm so happy you enjoyed the flavors. Adding tomato sauce with Italian seasoning is a smart idea. Love how you made it your own!