Name: Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 pound lean ground turkey; 1 yellow onion, diced; 3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced; 2 bell peppers, diced; 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional); Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste; 15 ounce can diced tomatoes; 8 ounce can tomato sauce; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 2 cups cooked brown rice; 1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese or cheese of choice

Switch up traditional stuffed peppers and make this easy stuffed casserole instead! All the flavors you love about stuffed peppers, but made in one pan and on the table in 30 minutes.

This recipe and photos have been updated since the original post on 9/26/2014

Stuffed peppers are one of my go-to dinners when I can’t decide what to make. I love that you can stuff them with almost any combination of flavors and ingredients that you like. One of my favorite stuffed pepper recipes are these Mexican quinoa stuffed peppers.

My only complaint about stuffed peppers is that they do take a while to bake since you’re roasting a whole pepper. On days where you’re short on time or when you’re looking to change up the stuffed pepper routine, try making this stuffed pepper casserole instead! It’s all made in one pan and primarily cooks on the stove top.

Ingredients Needed to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Lean ground turkey
Yellow onion
Garlic
Bell peppers
Italian seasoning, dried oregano, smoked paprika
Canned diced tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Cooked brown rice
Colby Jack or cheese of choice

How to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Unless you want to transfer this casserole into a casserole dish, you can make it entirely in an oven safe skillet. Start by sauté the onion, garlic, peppers and ground turkey together with some olive oil. Season the mixture with all of the spices and cook everything until the turkey is crumbled and no longer pink.

Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar and rice, then stir everything together. At this point you can top the casserole with the shredded cheese and a piece of foil or a lid and bake it in the oven until for about 15 minutes. Remove the foil or lid and broil for a few minutes so that the cheese gets lightly browned and crisp.

Tips and FAQ

Time Saving Tip – If you don’t have any leftover cooked rice and don’t have the time to cook any, I recommend buying a couple packages par-cooked rice that you heat up in the microwave for a couple minutes. I use these frequently and they’re a great time saver. This Seeds of Change brand is my favorite.

Can I Use Ground Beef? Yes, lean ground beef will work great in place of the ground turkey. You can also use ground chicken or even a mixture of Italian turkey/chicken sausage along with ground turkey.

What Can I Use Instead of Brown Rice? White rice, quinoa, farro or pretty much whatever whole grain you like can be used.

Does the Stuffed Pepper Casserole Need to be Baked? No. If you want to skip the baking, cover the pan with a lid and simmer on low for about 15 minutes or until it thickens. Add the cheese on top and cook for another 5 minutes or until it melts. The only difference between baking and not will be that you won’t have the crisp cheese on top from broiling.