Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers

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My Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers not only taste delicious, but with only 6 ingredients they are super simple to make too!

Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers

These Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers are so simple and easy to make, but they are packed full of flavor.

These Easy Stuffed Peppers are the dish that my teenage boys love to prepare when it’s their turn to help make dinner. I love straight forward dishes like this that help our kids become more confident in the kitchen.

In this Best Stuffed Pepper Recipe, ground beef is mixed with rice, tomatoes and herbs before being stuffed into fresh tasting bell peppers and baked in the oven.

We are lucky as we can get delicious fresh peppers from our local farmer’s market. They are ideal in this Stuffed Peppers with Rice recipe, simply wash them, slice them, remove the seeds and membranes, then stuff, bake, and serve!

Where do stuffed peppers originate?

Stuffed peppers are Spanish in origin so are also popular in Mexican cuisine too. They are really versatile and can be filled with a whole host of difference fillings.

How to make Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers:

• Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
• Look out all your ingredients ready to start cooking.

• Cut the top off of each bell peppers about 1-inch down from top. Discard the top and stem.
• Slice each bell pepper in half and clean out any seeds and the membrane, then set aside.

• Place the ground beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, tomato sauce and rice into a bowl.

• Season to taste with salt and black pepper then give everything a really good mix to combine.

• Stuff each bell pepper half with the beef and rice stuffing mixture.

• Place the pepper halves into a baking dish with the filling facing upwards.
• Place the dish into the hot oven and bake for an hour or until the peppers have softened.

• Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle over some shredded Parmesan Cheese and allow the cheese to melt over the top.
• Allow 2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese for each cooked pepper half.

• Place the dish back into the hot oven and bake for a further 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
• Serve immediately whilst still warm.

Do you have to pre cook peppers before stuffing them?

No you don’t need to pre cook peppers before stuffing them. I do not boil or pre cook my peppers, instead I allow a little extra cooking time, if needed, to soften up crispier peppers.

Recipe ingredients & substitutions:

• BELL PEPPERS I use large bell peppers and you can use any color of pepper, whichever is your preference.
• GROUND BEEF in this recipe I use 1 pound extra lean ground beef 97%. You could also swap the ground beef for ground chicken or ground turkey as both would work great in this dish.
• ONION adds flavor to the ground beef, you can use yellow or red onion, whatever you have in your store at home.
• MINCED GARLIC adds great flavor to the beef and rice mixture.
• TOMATO SAUCE I use a 9 oz can of Tomato Sauce, my preference is Hunt’s with Basil, Oregano, and Garlic. However, you could use regular tomato sauce and just add in some dried herbs and a little extra minced garlic instead.
• RICE I use 1 pack of Uncle Ben’s Garlic Butter Rice uncooked in this dish as it has great flavor. But you can use any variety of rice, brown rice or a wild rice blend. You can even swap regular rice for cauliflower rice for a great low carb option.
• PARMESAN CHEESE is added to the top of the peppers for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Parmesan cheese has such a great, sharp flavor that you don’t need to use so much. A little goes a long way.
• CHILI HEAT my boys like to add a dash of hot sauce and some extra red pepper flakes to their stuffed peppers. Some chopped jalapenos would work here too.

Can I make Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers without rice?

Yes! You can use cauliflower rice, orzo pasta, or just omit the rice entirely. 

Can I make Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice?

Yes absolutely. Cauliflower rice is a great substitute, particularly for those follow a Keto or low-carb diet!

Serving suggestion:

For a proper Weight Watchers serving I serve half of a pepper per person. However I also like to add a simple side salad or some additional steamed veggies of your choice.

How to store leftover stuffed peppers?

Should you be fortunate to have leftovers, I rarely do, then they are really easily stored. Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Then when you are ready to enjoy, pop into a hot oven to warm through.

Can I freeze stuffed peppers?

These stuffed pepper freeze really well. Once they have been stuffed, I freeze them, before cooking then in the oven. This stops the peppers from becoming too soft when it comes to reheating them. These peppers will store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to enjoy, just defrost the peppers the day you want to use them and cook in the oven as instructed.

Recipe tips:

• These stuffed peppers can be stuffed earlier in the day then popped in the oven to bake just before you are ready to sit down for dinner.
• As my boys grown and I need to increase the quantity, it’s very easy to multiply the ingredients.
• Get ahead by doubling the recipe. Cook half now for dinner and freeze the other half for a quick dinner another night.

Don’t miss these additional Stuffed Recipes here at When Is Dinner:

• Taco Stuffed Avocados
• Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken
• Chorizo Rice Stuffed Tomatoes
• Keto Bell Pepper Meatball Subs
• Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats

These are a few items I find helpful when preparing this Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers Recipe in my own home: