Ness's Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 10/3/21
Stuffed Green Peppers With Ground Beef

The Spruce 
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 6 hrs
Total: 6 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Ness's tasty slow cooker stuffed peppers are made with a classic filling mixture of ground beef and rice. A jar of prepared spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce makes this dish particularly easy.

Prepare the dish and put everything in the slow cooker before you leave for work and you'll have dinner ready when you get home! Add a salad and mashed potatoes for a fabulous everyday meal.

Readers and people who have used this recipe had a number of suggestions for changes, including different types and flavors of rice, other sauces, and some excellent seasoning ideas. See the tips and variations below the recipe instructions for some possible substitutions and flavor ideas.

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Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Stuffed green peppers with rice ingredients
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  2. In a bowl, combine ground beef, finely chopped onion, cooked rice, and seasonings until well blended.

    Ground beef and rice in a bowl
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  3. Cut tops off of peppers and remove seeds and fibers.

    Cleaned out bell peppers
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  4. Stuff peppers with equal portions of ground beef and rice mixture.

    Uncooked stuffed peppers
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  5. Place stuffed peppers in a crock pot; cover with spaghetti sauce.

    Stuffed peppers and tomato sauce
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  6. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Or until ground beef is thoroughly cooked and peppers are tender.

    Stuffed peppers in the slow cooker
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  7. To check for doneness, insert an instant-read food thermometer into the center of the filling. It should read at least 160 F.

    Slow cooker stuffed peppers with salad
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Tip

  • Since the ground beef is not browned ahead of time, use a lean ratio of ground beef in this recipe.

Recipe Variations

  • Substitute 1 cup of uncooked white or brown Minute Rice for the cooked rice.
  • Instead of ground beef, use ground turkey in the filling.
  • Substitute a 14 1/2-ounce can of diced tomatoes and a 10 3/4-ounce can of condensed tomato soup for the spaghetti sauce. Combine the two in a bowl and pour over the peppers.
  • Chop the tops of the peppers finely and add them to the filling or to the sauce mixture.
  • Instead of plain white rice, add cooked Mexican or Spanish rice to the beef mixture. Use Uncle Ben's Ready Rice or Rice-a-Roni brand.
  • For Tex-Mex or Mexican flavors, substitute two 14 1/2-ounce cans of chili-style or Mexican style tomatoes for the spaghetti sauce.