Stuffed Pepper Skillet (aka Unstuffed Pepper Skillet)

A one-pan wonder that gives you all the cozy, home-cooked flavor of stuffed peppers — without actually stuffing a thing.

If you love stuffed peppers but don’t love stuffing them, you’re in the right place.

This easy Stuffed Pepper Skillet — sometimes called an Unstuffed Pepper Skillet or Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Skillet — brings all that hearty, peppery goodness together in one pan. No parboiling, no baking, no extra dishes. Just the same familiar flavors you love… made simpler, faster, and weeknight-friendly.

Think of it as your favorite stuffed pepper casserole, but in skillet form. It’s full of tender ground beef, rice, peppers, and tomatoes — the kind of cozy dinner that fills bellies without draining your energy.

Whether you call it unstuffed, deconstructed, or just plain delicious, this skillet dinner tastes like something Grandma made, minus the extra steps she never told you about.

If you’re a stuffed pepper fan, don’t miss my taco stuffed peppers. They’re a fun Tex-Mex spin on the classic flavors!

If your family loves skillet dinners, skillet lasagna is another easy one-pan meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights.

Ingredients

Healthy and wholesome are the name of the game here!

• bell peppers: I use a combination of red and green bell peppers. You can use any color of pepper that appeals to you. 
• white rice
• ground beef
• herbs and spices: Dried minced onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper
• Worcestershire sauce: I can’t pronounce it, but we’re gonna use it. It gives a nice flavor to our recipe.
• tomato sauce: because you can’t have stuffed peppers without tomatoes!

Substitutions

• Rice - I use long grain white rice, but you can also use jasmine rice.
• Meat - Use that type of ground meat you have on hand. Ground pork, ground bison or ground turkey both work well.
• Tamari or soy sauce can be used in place of the Worcestershire sauce.

How to make deconstructed stuffed peppers

This recipe couldn’t be much easier.

First, get out your big skillet (this skillet is my very favorite, I use it all the time!) and heat it over medium heat. Cook the ground beef and break it up with a spoon as it cooks.

Then, drain the fat.

Tip: I like to drain the beef into a strainer set in a bowl. Once the fat solidifies it’s easy to wipe into the garbage.

Place the beef back inside the skillet, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on low. Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice is tender.

Then let it sit, covered for 5 minutes. How easy is that??

If you love easy ground beef dinners, try my homemade sloppy joes, too.

Variations

• Increase servings - Add drained and rinsed black beans to increase the fiber content and stretch the recipe, feeding more people for less money.
• Veg out - Add an extra bell pepper to increase your veggie intake.
• Get cheesy - add a cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the finished stuffed pepper skillet.
• Italian unstuffed peppers - use bulk Italian sausage instead of the ground beef and marinara sauce in place of the spaghetti sauce. Use shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Cajun version - use andouille sausage crumbles and pepper jack cheese.
• kid-pleasing - add a cup of frozen corn kernels or drained, canned corn.
• low carb - swap out the rice for cauliflower rice. Omit the water and reduce the cook time to 13-15 minutes.

You might also like my buffalo chicken stuffed peppers for a fun twist!

How to save time with this recipe

You can shave some precious minutes off your dinner time by doing some of the prep ahead. Things like:

• Brown and drain the ground beef ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until you're ready to use.
• Seed and chop the peppers in advance. Or, use pre-chopped veggies from the grocery store.

How to store leftovers

Leftovers keep well for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can refrigerate them for later or portion out into individual containers for your own easy meals.

How to freeze leftovers

Deconstructed stuffed peppers freeze great! I like these containers to store them. Be sure to label with the recipe name and date.

I hope you’ll give this healthy stuffed pepper skillet a try! If you do, be sure to leave a recipe rating below so I know what you think!

FAQS

What to serve with stuffed peppers

This really is a meal in itself, but if you'd like to round out this main dish, here are a few ideas for you!

Air Fryer Smashed Brussels Sprouts

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Simple green salad with healthy ranch dressing

More one pan dinners

• Low Carb Crustless Sausage Quiche
• One Pan Sausage and Cabbage
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
• One Skillet Pork Tenderloin with Apples

Recipe

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Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers

Deanne Frieders

Deconstructed stuffed peppers provide all the same flavors you love in a traditional stuffed pepper while being much easier (and faster) to make.

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4.63 from 29 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Dish Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 276 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 15 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 large bell peppers seeds removed and chopped into ½ inch pieces

Instructions

 

• Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until meat is cooked through, breaking up with a spoon. Drain fat and return to the pan.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on low. Cover and cook 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peppers are cooked through and rice is tender.
• Remove from the heat and allow to sit, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1grams | Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 844mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g

This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. Calories and other nutritional values vary depending on which brands were used.

💌 Did you love this recipe?Find more family friendly recipes on Pinterest @ifeedfarmers!

This post was originally published April 2019. New photos and step-by-step instructions were added April 2023. Enjoy!