With a little prep work, these Freezer Stuffed Peppers make an amazing weeknight dinner! Have dinner on the table in 30 minutes without the fuss!

Who else hates the hassle of making stuffed peppers?

I mean, I honestly don’t have a ton of patience when it comes to cooking dinner. I have ADHD and have been cooking for a long time, and I’ve realized I don’t like making complicated recipes.

Here’s the truth:

I like just plain old cooking something- and if I have to cook something and THEN bake it… well, we have a problem.

We like 30 minute dinners- how about you? Luckily, these stuffed peppers CAN only take 30 minutes… if you turn them into a freezer meal!

See, making food ahead of time saves SO much time and sanity. It’s so easy to pull a meal out of the freezer and cook it the next day. No extra prep work required!

And these stuffed peppers are no different. You can make one batch just to put in the freezer, or do a double batch so you can eat some first.

Do a little bit of work now so you don’t have to panic when you’re low on time for cooking. This is an EXCELLENT meal prep recipe you can make on a Sunday afternoon!

Made with green peppers and a blend of Italian seasoning, you’re going to LOVE this Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe!

What do you need to make stuffed peppers?

The ingredients are simple:

• Lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
• Rice (Instant rice works well, or you can cook regular rice quickly in a rice cooker!)
• Onion
• Bell peppers
• Garlic
• Diced tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Lots of yummy spices!

I use a lot of these same ingredients in my Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup!

• Cheese: Replace with mozzarella cheese, or a dairy-free cheese if needed
• Rice: Use already cooked rice to save a little time. I like the small containers you can buy at the store!

How to Make

To prepare these stuffed peppers, start by cutting off the tops of six bell peppers. They can be any color- I prefer green most times because they’re cheaper.

Next, cook onion and ground meat in a large skillet. Usually my meat is frozen ahead of time- and you can definitely freeze ground turkey and ground beef after you buy it!

While that’s cooking, prepare some instant rice.

Can you use regular rice? Sure, but that takes upwards of an hour while instant rice takes minutes. Sometimes convenience wins out!

When the ground beef is fully cooked, add the rest of the ingredients and combine, saving a little bit of cheese for later.

Now it’s time to stuff the peppers! If you have any leftover rice mix (Which I did, maybe a half cup), you can freeze it for later or use as a topping for pasta. Or get creative!

How to Freeze Stuffed Peppers

The best way to freeze your stuffed peppers is to wait until they cool to room temperature. Then place them in a single layer, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and carefully put them in the freezer.

After about 2-3 hours of freezing time, you can store them in a few different ways:

• Store in a large airtight container
• Wrap each pepper in plastic wrap, then place in a gallon-size freezer bag

These will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. They’re still safe to eat after that, but then you risk freezer burn!

How to Reheat Stuffed Peppers

First thing in the reheating process: I highly recommend thawing the peppers in the fridge overnight. They heat more evenly, and you won’t risk having weird cold spots after you reheat them.

It’s also a good idea to use a food thermometer to test the middle. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees F.

Here are a few reheating methods for stuffed peppers. Some take a longer time, while others are faster methods:

How to reheat in the oven

I think this is the best method if you want your stuffed peppers to have about the same quality as when they were first baked.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then place the peppers on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes until the peppers are heated through.

How to reheat in the toaster oven

Carefully place peppers in the toaster oven (Use a small tray if you have one). Heat at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes, checking them every so often to make sure they don’t burn.

How to reheat in the microwave

This is the easy way, but may not be the best way if you want your peppers to be a little crispy. Heat in 30-second increments until the pepper is heated through.

What can you serve with this?

A nice big salad would work nicely with these stuffed peppers! Or if you think you’ve got enough veggies, you can serve with dinner rolls or even some fruit.

Do you have to freeze the stuffed peppers?

Nope! You can go ahead and bake them as normal, in a baking dish, per the instructions. I’ve done it both ways and they’re both perfectly delicious.

This was so easy to make, I think I’ll do this more often! Stuffed peppers are a rarity over here, and that’s about to change.

Can you cook these in a slow cooker instead?

I haven’t tried it with this bell pepper recipe- but you probably could. The cooking time would be 4-5 hours on LOW if they’re frozen.

What kind of substitutions can I make?

I have a few substitution ideas that you can use to tweak your meal to fit your needs:

• Use ground turkey instead of ground beef for fewer calories and fat.
• Use brown rice instead of white rice. It’s a great way to get in whole grains and extra fiber.
• Use garlic powder instead of garlic if you don’t have any.
• Add a can of black beans and only half the meat if you want to save money or add extra fiber.
• To make this low carb, omit the rice. Cauliflower rice might work instead, but I don’t know if it’ll be liquidous after baking.
• Cheese: Replace with mozzarella cheese, or a dairy-free cheese if needed
• Peppers: Traditionally this is made with green bell peppers, but you can use red bell peppers instead for a tiny bit of sweetness.
• Rice: Use already cooked rice to save a little time. I like the small containers you can buy at the store!

Print the Recipe

This is a great recipe with delicious flavors from the seasonings and meat. Print the recipe for these Freezer Stuffed Bell Peppers now!