This website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my disclosure policy.
Slow cooker stuffed bell peppers are packed with ground beef, wild rice, diced tomatoes, soft black beans, and melty cheese. They cook to perfection in the slow cooker and make a healthy, delicious dinner your whole family will love!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy: This is a great meal to add more fiber to your diet and get your vegetables in. It tastes amazing and it’s good for you! Winning!
- Easy to Make: This recipe comes together so quickly. The best part is, you only need 10 minutes of prep time, then you can set it and forget it! Dinner will be ready for you, thanks to your slow cooker!
- Meal Prep: Looking to get more veggie and protein into your diet? These are a great snack to reheat during the week and are very hearty and filling!
Ingredients For Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers
This list of ingredients isn’t long, and it isn’t complicated. You should have most of these in your kitchen already. You’re going to love how healthy and tasty this recipe is!
- Lean Ground Beef: Gives this recipe a hearty beef flavor.
- Bell Peppers: The larger, the better. All colors work great for this recipe.
- Yellow Onion: Adds a nice savory flavor and a bit of crunch.
- Can Diced Tomatoes: Adds moisture and a tangy tomato acidity.
- Cooked Wild Rice: Just make sure you cook it ahead of time.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds a bold umami flavor you can’t get anywhere else!
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
- Colby Jack Cheese: Gives the perfect amount of salty, cheesy goodness!
- Water: This helps soften the peppers and ensure they don’t burn.
How You Make Stuffed Bell Peppers
This stuffed pepper recipe is so easy to make! You only need 10 minutes of prep time (not including cooking your rice), and then you can throw them into your slow cooker and forget it!
- Prep Peppers: Cut off each top of the bell peppers and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Set aside.
- Combine: In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, rice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of cheese.
- Stuff: Stuff each bell pepper with the mixture. Pour the water into the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the stuffed peppers in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours until peppers are tender and the ground beef is cooked throughout.
- Sprinkle: About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle on the remaining ½ cup cheese. Replace the lid and allow the cheese to melt before serving.
Stuffed Bell Pepper Variations and Tips
- Rice Variations: You can use any kind of rice in place of wild rice. I used a wild rice mix in mine.
- Cheese: While this recipe calls for Colby jack cheese, you can use cheddar, pepper jack, or Mexican blend cheese.
- Don’t Crowd your Crockpot: Your crockpot should be large enough so that you have some space between the bell peppers; this way, the meat can cook through evenly. On the other hand, crowding the slow cooker will cause the meat to take longer to cook.
- Don’t have a slow cooker: No worries! These stuffed peppers can still be made in the oven. Bake your stuffed bell peppers at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 to 40 minutes. Prepare the bell peppers in the same way as the instructions for the slow cooker. Place bell peppers in a pan and cover with aluminum foil so they don’t dry out. For the last 10 minutes, uncover and add the divided cheese and bake for 10 more minutes or until brown and the cheese is bubbling.
- Topping Ideas: These stuffed peppers are great, just as they are. But you could add toppings to spice things up. Here are some ideas for you. Guacamole, Sour cream, salsa, extra cheese, avocado, shredded lettuce, olives, pico de gallo, cilantro, onions.
Storing stuffed bell peppers
These are a great make-ahead meal! You can either freeze them to have for another time, or store them in the refrigerator for a pre-made meal that week.
- Freezing stuffed bell peppers: Prepare and make these stuffed bell peppers as normal. Let them cool completely. You can freeze them individually or together in a freezer bag or an airtight shallow pan. Wrap them in aluminum foil and place them in a freezer bag. They will last up to 1 month in the freezer. To reheat, thaw the bell peppers in the refrigerator overnight. You can add them back into the slow cooker or bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through.
- Refrigerate: These stuffed bell peppers will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. Store in an airtight container for best results. To reheat, warm them up in the oven for about 5-10 minutes or in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes.
More Stuffed Stuff to Try
Why is stuffing something so tasty? I swear it helps meld all of the flavors and make everything taste so good! It also feels convenient, and I don’t have to do as much work cleaning up! Here are some of my favorite stuffed recipes for you to try.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers
Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers are packed with ground beef, wild rice, diced tomatoes, soft black beans, and melty cheese. They cook to perfection in the slow cooker and make a healthy, delicious dinner!
Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers any color
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup cooked wild rice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded colby jack cheese divided
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Cut off each top of the bell peppers and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, rice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of cheese.
- Stuff each bell pepper with the mixture. Pour the water into the bottom of the slow cooker. Put the stuffed peppers in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours until peppers are tender and the ground beef is cooked throughout.
- About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle on the remaining ½ cup cheese. Replace the lid and allow the cheese to melt before serving.
Notes
Originally Posted 9/13/2019
Updated 9/21/2023
Nutrition
Calories: 307kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 27gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 814mgPotassium: 737mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 856IUVitamin C: 104mgCalcium: 278mgIron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but, where are the black beans in the recipe?
The black beans are optional. When stuffing the peppers you are welcome to add the black beans in the mix.
HI, I made these tonight and my husband thought they would be good with beans. I thought I saw them in the picture. I thought I missed something however I just checked and there are no beans listed in the recipe. So what kind and how much do you add. Thanks
The beans are optional. I like to use a can of beans and spread it evenly with the bell peppers. You will want to drain and rinse the black beans before using them.
So glad I found this recipe! This was my first time ever making stuffed peppers, and it won’t be my last. The crockpot has been my life saver lately. I browned the meat first, but everything else I put in uncooked (including the rice). Next time I will add black beans to the mix and try it with ground turkey. We topped them with cheese, sour cream and a bit of salsa. Delicious!!!
YAY!! That is what I LOVE to hear! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
How well do these reheat and what would be the best way to do so?!
You forgot to add the black beans to the list of ingredients.
No black beans mentioned in the ingredients?
You mentioned black beans being in the mix at the beginning of the post, but no mention of them in the ingredients list. How much would you add?
Your recipe turned up on a 21DF cock pot meal list, but having trouble finding what everything would equal to (you may not have even known!). Have you measured to see what it would equal out to in the 21DF?
So in the intro and in the pictures it shows black beans, but in the actual recipe it does not call for them… Assuming they’re optional?
Yes, sorry sometimes the videos are only what we can fit in 33 seconds;). They are optional but are a great addition! Thanks so much for asking! XOXO
I don’t see the black beans listed in the recipie
I made these Crockpot Stuffed Green Peppers tonight for dinner and my family and I thought the peppers were to bland in taste. I double checked the recipe to see if there was a ingredient that i’d left out but followed the recipe to the “T” . As far as the prep time – that was excellent – fast and easy just no flavor!! Sorry for not being able to rate the recipe higher!!
OH bummer! I am so sorry it didn’t work out for you! I hope next recipe is even better for you! Thanks for sharing! XOXO
These are delicious! I can only fit 5 green peppers in my slow cooker but I have started using 1.25lbs of lean hamburger to fill just 5 peppers up. I also use a box of Spanish Rice A Roni, not cooked, and put the seasoning packet in the meat mixture. The rice cooks perfectly and they are usually done in 3hrs on high in our slow cooker. Thank you for these amazing recipes!
I see several people asked what the 21 day fix count is for this, but I can’t find an answer? Did I miss it?
Shoot I was rushing & I accidentally put all the cheese in the peppers. Do you think that will screw them up?
Can I wrap these in bacon?
I wouldn’t recommend it because bacon doesn’t cook well in the slow cooker.
Great recipe ! I will be keeping this one for sure!!