Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
2 hours
This old-school stuffed peppers recipe was inspired by BA video host Brad Leone’s Italian American grandmother. For her, the filling mixture is sacrosanct: a combination of ground beef and pork, cooked white rice, spices including cumin and smoked paprika, walnuts for added texture, and raisins for a touch of sweetness. Meanwhile, Parmesan plays double duty: It adds a savory note to the filling and is sprinkled on top to create a nice browned and cheesy crust. Nonna Leone braised her peppers in tomato juice, not marinara or canned diced tomatoes, both to keep costs down and because those chunkier ingredients would reduce too much in the oven, burning out before the peppers are fully cooked.
If it’s your first time filling vegetables, this simple recipe (or this vegetarian one) is an excellent place to start. Red, yellow, or green bell peppers will do—just make sure they are free of soft spots or blemishes. To help them stay upright, sliver a bit off the bottom of each so the peppers sit flat in the baking dish. Fill the peppers with the meat and rice mixture to the top (and even a bit over it) since the filling will shrink as it cooks.
These stuffed bell peppers are even better made ahead of time. Invest a bit of prep time, assembling and cooking the stuffed peppers up to 2 days ahead, then refrigerate and reheat in a baking dish before serving at a Sunday supper or weeknight meal.
Ingredients
4 servings
3
1
¼
6
1
½
½
½
½
¼
1
½
½
1
¼
2
4
4
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook onion, stirring often, until translucent and starting to brown, 10–15 minutes. Add walnuts, garlic, tomato paste, cayenne, cumin, turmeric, and paprika and cook, stirring constantly, until combined and garlic is softened, 2–3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until just slightly reduced, 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Mix beef, pork, and remaining 1 tsp. salt with your hands in a large bowl. Fold in rice, raisins, and ¼ cup cheese with a wooden spoon and mix well to combine. Add onion mixture and mix with wooden spoon until incorporated.
Step 3
Cut off bottom bumps of bell peppers to create a flat end so they can stand upright. (Don’t shave off too much or the filling will leak out.) Cut a thin slice off of stem ends of peppers to remove tops, then scoop out seeds and membranes; discard. Spoon meat mixture into peppers, pressing down on mixture to pack filling all the way to the top.
Step 4
Arrange peppers in a small Dutch oven or baking dish. Pour tomato juice around them, leaving about 1" of pepper exposed.
Step 5
Top stuffed peppers with remaining ¼ cup cheese; season with pepper. Cover with foil and bake 1 hour. Uncover and continue to bake until peppers are tender and cheese is browned, about 30 minutes more.
Do Ahead: Stuffed peppers can be made 2 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill. Reheat in a 350° oven, covered, until heated through, about 20 minutes.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in February 2018. For more of our favorite bell pepper recipes, head over here →
Leave a Review
Reviews (28)
Back to TopSome negativity here, but when I made this it was absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe exactly (other than halving it) and I really enjoyed it.
Cooking in Silver Spring
Maryland
2/8/2024
Only thing lacking is the seasoning. Follow all ingredients but save yourself some time and just use taco seasoning. I found it bland. Substituted raisins with apricots and walnuts with cashews and it worked well.
Jackson
Memphis, TN
8/4/2023
In my humble opinion, I always try to make a dish note by note per the recipe. Unless of course I dislike a specific ingredient. The next tie I prepare a dish I am likely to make it my own. Either way, if I do not care for a dish I do not blame the recipe.
Tortoise Tim
Boise, Idaho
8/17/2022
Loving the reviews! I learn so much from reviews - how crucial to follow a recipe exactly for the same results AND how many options for adjusting the recipe, often with great results! I have so many allergies that I am required to adjust many recipes and really appreciate learning what worked and what didn’t from others. I wish politics were like cooking, wherein we all have our opinions, share them with what passion we feel and allow others their opinions with an attitude of tolerance or respect. No doubt we could have arguments if we were cooking a meal together, but with so many options, we’d get to a good result together or switch up the dish as needed.
Kate Meyers
San Francisco, CA
8/16/2022
This was the best dinner I ever made. I can see from the comments that some people get quite up in arms about adjustments but I made loads. The thing that made it work was the cooking techniques. I used farro instead of rice which also added a nuttiness so I omitted the nuts, we omitted the raisins but I bet they would’ve been good, used ground Turkey to keep the calories low, plus we don’t eat red meat these days, added some oregano and used feta for the cheese. It was dynamite. The seasonings Brad suggests here were wonderful and the white wine added something that really elevated the dish. We are still gushing about it hours later :)
Anonymous
SoCal
6/15/2022
This recipe is the best stuffed pepper recipe I've ever made! Absolutely delicious and very interesting! I will definitely keep this one in the books for future use. Thank you!
Terri Wark
Maine
11/29/2021
I thought these were flavorless. I made them for company after reviewing the reviews and have to say I was embarrassed. They had so little flavor. Needed more cheese in the meat mixture and perhaps some chili powder and/or a small amount of stewed tomato. It was like a bland meatloaf inside a pepper. I will NOT make this again!!
Paula Asbra
Boise ifaho
3/11/2021
People please, STOP reviewing if you haven't followed the recipe exactly! The chefs at bon appetit no doubt know a bit more about cooking than the average reviewer. These are the best peppers ever. The unique blend of spices adds a depth of flavor that you won't get if you change or omit them, and the mix of two meats makes is so tender. I have never been a stuffed pepper fan, they are generally bland and too full of rice, but these were a wonderful surprise to both myself and the gourmet cook I made them for. Delicious!
Nancy
Los Angeles
1/21/2021
Really good! I made last night for a crowd not familiar with traditional stuffed peppers and they loved. I followed recipe minus the raisins and used parmesan and gruyere as that is what I had on hand.. Great flavors in the meat and the tomato juice thickened with the cooking. I recommend good smoked paprika otherwise it will overtake the profile. Can't wait for the leftovers.
Anonymous
Granite Bay, Ca
6/3/2020
Sooo good! I actually used a can of tomatoe sauce instead of paste and I used sauce+water+tsp of sugar in the bath. Very flavorful!! Idk what happened w that one reviewer below... My boyfriend loved these.
Candieee13
Los Angeles
4/13/2020
These were delicious!! I made a few adjustments based on what I had in the house. I added a half a can of corn niblets (leftover!) and added a tablespoon of bbq sauce (end of a bottle) in place of the tomato paste. I used V-8 juice in place of tomato juice, again because it was already open in the fridge. It made enough for nine medium red peppers, which is dinner for two nights. Yum!
Anonymous
Brandon, Manitoba
4/5/2020
I made it with a savory tofu instead of the meat and it was p good but also kinda strange. I tried to create replacement umami with msg, mushrooms, caramelized onions and a tiny bit of soy. Resulting flavor made roomates go "hm..." but the rice/pepper parts were very solid. I think I would recommend against vegetarianism (or at least against soy sauce) with this one, but top scores on the parts of the recipe I did not butcher (pun intended).
NatWat
Austin, TX
3/18/2020
Unfortunately, not delicious... very bland. We spooned the tomato sauce from the pot onto our plates, and because the tomato sauce was not seasoned in any way, it was very very bland. I felt like, in hindsight, some of the tomato sauce might have been good mixed in with the meat mixture. The red peppers themselves were very bland too. I didn't have turmeric, but I didn't think that would make a huge difference. Also, I will say that I did use a can of crushed tomatoes, instead of tomato juice... Not sure if that would have made a big difference either. Disappointing.
CatCatCat
grand rapids, MI
10/9/2019
Good recipe but didn’t add the full slate of spices, cumin, smoked paprika, chili flakes. Used beef only as no pork within reach. Used cotilla cheese rather than parmesan which melts much better. Overall a very good recipe that i will use again. No tomato juice (really, tomato juice? Who has that lying around?). Used jar sauce, calm down, it was Valencia brand (best jar sauce on the shelf) thinned 50/50 with water. Walnuts were good for texture but have a no-nut person sometimes and i don’t think the loss will be evident. No sultanas but regular raisins provided a nice sweetness. I liked it. Good meat to rice ratio. Careful with the smoked paprika as it is quick to overpower, used a quarter maybe.
Anonymous
PVD RI
6/19/2019
These were lovely. I thought the cayenne might be too much but it was not. I did forget to add the chopped walnuts -- I discovered them in my FP just as I'd put the stuffed peppers into the oven. So I just added them in at the top when serving. I didn't really miss them although I don't doubt that I'll notice the difference next time. I had thought the cooking time seemed far too much, but they came out perfectly as directed.
Anonymous
Brooklyn, NY
5/24/2019