Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Hearty, protein/fiber loaded peppers packed with so much flavor – and it’s all made in the crockpot. Easy and effortless!
I really want to say that Fall is right around the corner, pumpkin season has been set, and we’re all about to wear our cute knitted sweater cardigans. Except it’s 90+ degrees here in Southern California. And I have no intention of walking into pumpkin season in this summer heat.
But I can still dust off that crockpot with balls and balls of baby corgi fur and stuff my face with these, well, stuffed peppers.
Yes, stuffed with brown rice, ground beef, beans, corn, salsa and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.
You can also swap out the brown rice for white rice or even quinoa for a healthy kick. Or ground turkey instead of the ground beef. It’s all up to you.
And then you can finish these off with a sour cream drizzle. And maybe some extra salsa. And guacamole. The guacamole is a must.
Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef*
- 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice*
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- 1 cup salsa, homemade or store-bought
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 bell peppers, tops cut, stemmed and seeded
- 2 tablespoons sour cream, optional
Instructions
- Lightly coat the inside of a 6-qt slow cooker with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine beef, rice, 1 cup cheese, black beans, corn, salsa, cilantro, cumin and chili powder; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the filling into each bell pepper cavity.
- Place peppers into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or until the peppers are tender and the beef is cooked through.
- Uncover and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with sour cream, if desired.
Notes
*White rice or quinoa can be substituted.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
We make this all the time and it’s SO good!
So good! I used minute brown rice and this was so easy to make. I’ll never bake stuffed peppers again; I never realized these could cook so nicely in the crock pot. Thanks for the recipe!
Truly delicious and not the usual “big meatball in a pepper”!
It was a very nice version of the usual stuffed pepper. I (we) will definitely make again with a few additions (e.g. diced black olives).
The leftover stuffing we put in the refrigerator and will use up on a few tostadas.
Question… you don’t mention if the rice needs to be cooked prior to mixing it with the meat, cheese, beans, etc. Regarding the meat, you did say it does not need to be cooked prior. Which is better though… raw meat mixed in or cooked first?
thx,
jeff
Delicious how should I store my leftover peppers ?
Love this recipe and have made numerous times! However, I am wondering what the recommended cook time would be if I substitute ground chicken? Thanks so much!
This is a easy, delicious recipe! I used kidney beans (store was sold out of black beans) and served it with torillas. I think next time I’ll make a mole sauce to add some heat and juice. We loved it. Thanks!
Delicious recipe! I substituted cauliflower rice for regular rice; turned out great!
Do you need to have a 6qt crock pot for all the pot recipes?
I would most likely halve some of them (i.e. chicken garlic parm with potatoes) since it’s only 2 of us so I require less space.
We only have a 4-qt crock pot.
Thanks,
Lorin
Fantastic recipe! My picky kids loved it.
Hello!
Just wanted to share how much I enjoyed this recipe! As a busy college student approaching finals week, I have zero time to make continuous meals for myself. Perfect grab and heat up meal! I used ground turkey instead, and if you choose to do that, I didn’t cook the meat first and it is done on high at about 2 1/2 hours!
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Does the rice have to be cooked first??
Yes. 🙂
I’m making these as we speak. I added chorizo to the beef and used cilantro lime rice rather than brown with fresh cilantro. We’ll see how they turn out!
Amazing! My mom, who is not a pepper fan, ate TWO! The leftover filling will be used for lunch today in a tortilla!
Do you cook tje rice before putting in slow cooker??
I love the Baja Latin twist on stuffed peppers in this recipe and have made it many times. This time I found 6 HUGE peppers, and while the recipe made plenty of stuffing, there’s no way just my husband and I could eat all of them. But that’s good, because the extras freeze great!
Whenever I make stuffed peppers I anticipate extra peppers and maybe even extra stuffing that won’t fit in the peppers. Double wrap any extra filled peppers (raw) in aluminum foil, put them in big ziplocks, and freeze. Next time you feel like peppers, just put them in the slow cooker. You don’t even have to thaw them, if you increase the cook time, although you certainly could thaw them overnight in the fridge.
And if there’s even more stuffing that doesn’t fit in the peppers, just load it in a ziploc bag, and be sure to label it. Next time you want stuffed peppers, no mixing! Just thaw, stuff, and go!
I love the Baja Latin twist in this recipe
Hello I’m just trying the stuffed peppers today. I used Jimmy dean sausage instead of ground beef. I had to put one stuffed pepper on top.luckily the cover went on no problem. I hope this will turn out ok. Thank you for sharing. I definitely loved all the ingredients of the stuffing. Ellie
Let us know how it turns out, Ellie!
It turned out delicious I was worried with putting that pepper on top but it turned out great. Definitely will make it again and no need for a side dish it was plenty but itself.
That’s so great! And I agree, it doesn’t really need a side dish! 🙂
Hi it’s me Ellie going to be making these stuffed peppers again. Just a question what do I do with the tops? Silly me I don’t remember what I did with the tops.
Hi Ellie! The tops are discarded. 🙂
You could also remove the stem and chop up the pieces to go in the filling!
I have leftover raw meat mixture. Should I freeze as is for later use or should I cook it in a skillet then freeze?
Hi Elizabeth, I would cook and then freeze but please use your best judgement when it comes to optimal food storage and shelf life. Hope that helps!
Going to make these tonight. The video says cook on low for 5-6 hours and the recipe page says low for 3-4 or high for 2-3… which means I’m confused. Help please!:)
Hayley, you can cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or high for 2-3 hours, or until the peppers are tender and the beef is cooked through.
These are fantastic! Not bland at all! I was distracted by my crazy toddlers while I was doing the prep work and completely forgot the cheese in the filling. I just threw cheese on the top when they were done. They were still great, as are all your recipes!
Can you cook these in an instant pot?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, we cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications. But if you try it, let us know how it goes!
Awesome recipe!
Curious – could you sub lentils (green) for the meat to make this vegetarian? How much do you think would be needed?
I’m sure you can Shauna, but since we haven’t tried this ourselves I can’t answer with certainty, especially on the amount. Please use your best judgement when making modifications!
Hi thank you for the reply about the tops of the peppers,silly me you do throw them away. As for the left over stuffing ,I think will cook it up in a skillet and make a dip out of it. What do you think?
What would go with these?
Mine are in the oven now and smell delish.
My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.