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Home / Recipes / Dinner / Ground Beef / Unstuffed Pepper Skillet

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet

45 mins
| Leave a Comment |
5 from 9 votes
Jump to Recipe 01/10/21 | Updated: 02/07/21 | by Nora
Unstuffed Pepper Skillet Pin 1

Try this Unstuffed Pepper Skillet if you need a simple dinner for tonight! Made with rice, ground beef and peppers, this meal cooks in a single skillet for easy prep and a quick cleanup.

female hands holding skillet with unstuffed peppers

I love a quick skillet meal! My Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet is one of my most popular dinner recipes, so I’m thinking you’re going to love this Unstuffed Pepper Skillet just as much.

While I do enjoy a good stuffed pepper (especially my Crockpot Stuffed Peppers!), many days are just too hectic and I won’t think about dinner until it’s almost too late. And that’s when a quick prep, easy ingredient dinner like this one comes in handy!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for unstuffed peppers with text labels
Ingredients for Unstuffed Pepper Skillet: Olive oil, ground beef, onion, ground paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, bell peppers, rice, beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and shredded cheese.

Ingredient notes

  • Beef: I prefer extra-lean ground beef here. Feel free to use regular and then drain off the fat after browning. Ground turkey is also a good alternative, or use a plant-based substitute to make it vegetarian.
  • Ground paprika: Use chili powder in place (or in addition) of the ground paprika if you want to add some heat.
  • Bell peppers: I used one red and one yellow pepper. Feel free to use any color you enjoy. I personally do really love green pepper here, but my family won’t eat it… So red and yellow it is for us!
  • Rice: I use parboiled white rice here (NOT instant rice) and it cooks in around 20 minutes in this recipe. If you use regular white rice or brown rice, the cooking time and liquid required may increase. If you use instant rice, reduce the broth to ¼ cup and then add more as needed during cooking. Instant rice will cook in around 8-10 minutes.
  • Broth: If you don’t have beef broth on hand, chicken or vegetable broth can be used. The flavor will be a little different, but still good.
  • Cheese: I love parmesan and mozzarella cheese for this recipe. If you prefer cheddar or an Italian cheese blend, feel free to go for it!

How to make Unstuffed Peppers

1. Start by browning the ground beef in olive oil in a large skillet (mine is a deep 12 inch skillet). Feel free to drain off any extra grease.

photo collage to show how to brown beef and onions in a skillet

2. Add the onion and seasoning and cook until the onion has softened. Make sure to stir in the seasoning well to have it evenly distributed!

3. Next, you’ll want to stir in the uncooked rice. Make sure to use medium-low heat here, you do not want the rice to crisp up/brown!

photo collage to show how to stir rice and peppers into ground beef skillet

4. Add the sliced peppers to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often. The peppers don’t need to fully cook at this point, they just need to start softening up a little.

5. Now, pour the beef broth into the skillet. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan – this is where a lot of the flavor sits!

photo collage to show how to stir broth and tomato sauce into unstuffed pepper skillet

6. Stir the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes into the rice. Bring to a simmer.

7. Now close the lid and cook over medium-low heat for around 20 minutes, until the rice is done.

photo collage to show how to cook unstuffed pepper skillet

8. Once the rice is ready, stir in the cheese. I like to stir in parmesan cheese and then sprinkle mozzarella on top – close the lid and allow the cheese to melt a few minutes before serving!

close up photo of melted cheese on top of unstuffed peppers

Recipe tips

  • Make sure to cook the onion until softened, otherwise it will retain a raw onion taste.
  • Only use medium-low heat when you stir in the rice, you do not want it to brown/burn! Burnt rice stays crispy and will ruin the meal.
  • I prefer to slice the peppers into short strips, but feel free to dice them if you want.
  • The cooking time and liquid requirement will greatly depend on your exact rice used. Feel free to add more broth if the rice isn’s soft after 20 minutes and the skillet seems dry. Be careful not to add too much though, or you’ll have unstuffed pepper soup!
close up of wooden spoon in unstuffed pepper skillet

Serving ideas

I enjoy a sprinkling of fresh parsley and some sliced cherry tomatoes on top of the skillet. Just adds a pop of freshness and flavor!

If you’re looking for more side dish ideas, try one of these:

Salad sides

  • Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado Salad
  • Caprese Cherry Tomato Salad
  • Tossed salad greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Vegetable sides

  • Garlic Roasted Broccoli
  • Sautéed Green Beans
  • Roasted Asparagus

Bread sides

  • Honey Butter Cornbread
  • Homemade Dinner Rolls
  • Garlic Knots
bowl with unstuffed pepper skillet on light surface

More ground beef recipes

  • Easy Lasagna Soup
  • One Pot Rigatoni Bolognese
  • Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
  • Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Printable Recipe Card
female hands holding skillet with unstuffed peppers
Save Recipe Saved!

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet

Try this Unstuffed Pepper Skillet if you need a simple dinner for tonight! Made with rice, ground beef and peppers, this meal cooks in a single skillet for easy prep and a quick cleanup.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 9 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 15 mins
Cook 30 mins
Total 45 mins
Servings 6 servings
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon ground paprika
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 cup long grain white rice I used parboiled; my rice says it cooks in 15 minutes on the package
  • 2 bell peppers seeded and sliced into short strips
  • 1 cup beef broth I used low sodium
  • 23 ounces tomato sauce I used one 8-oz can and one 15-oz can
  • ⅓ cup diced tomatoes I used cherry tomatoes, but regular OR drained from a can work, too
  • 1 cup shredded cheese I used ½ cup parmesan and ½ cup mozzarella

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and brown, crumbling beef as it cooks.
  • Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic and all seasoning to the skillet with the beef. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until onion has softened.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir through uncooked rice, then stir through sliced peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until peppers are starting to soften.
  • Stir through beef broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low, making sure liquids are still gently simmering. Cover skillet with a lid and cook until rice is done, around 20 minutes for par-boiled white rice.
  • Once rice is done, take off the heat and stir well. Add cheese (I stir in ½ cup grated parmesan, then top with ½ cup shredded mozzarella). Cover with a lid again for 2 minutes, until cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
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Notes

Ingredient notes

  • Beef: I prefer extra-lean ground beef here. Feel free to use regular and then drain off the fat after browning. Ground turkey is also a good alternative, or use a plant-based substitute to make it vegetarian.
  • Ground paprika: Use chili powder in place (or in addition) of the ground paprika if you want to add some heat.
  • Bell peppers: I used one red and one yellow pepper. Feel free to use any color you enjoy. I personally do really love green pepper here, but my family won’t eat it… So red and yellow it is for us!
  • Rice: I use parboiled white rice here (NOT instant rice) and it cooks in around 20 minutes in this recipe. If you use regular white rice or brown rice, the cooking time and liquid required may increase. If you use instant rice, reduce the broth to ¼ cup and then add more as needed during cooking. Instant rice will cook in around 8-10 minutes.
  • Broth: If you don’t have beef broth on hand, chicken or vegetable broth can be used. The flavor will be a little different, but still good.
  • Cheese: I love parmesan and mozzarella cheese for this recipe. If you prefer cheddar or an Italian cheese blend, feel free to go for it!

Recipe tips

  • Make sure to cook the onion until softened, otherwise it will retain a raw onion taste.
  • Only use medium-low heat when you stir in the rice, you do not want it to brown/burn! Burnt rice stays crispy and will ruin the meal.
  • I prefer to slice the peppers into short strips, but feel free to dice them if you want.
  • The cooking time and liquid requirement will greatly depend on your exact rice used. Feel free to add more broth if the rice isn’s soft after 20 minutes and the skillet seems dry. Be careful not to add too much though, or you’ll have unstuffed pepper soup!
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Suitable for: Gluten Free
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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