If you are looking for a delicious, easy-to-make one pot dinner that the whole family will love, this Unstuffed Pepper Skillet is your answer! It features a delicious blend of ground beef, bell peppers, onions, and savory seasonings, which gives you all the flavors of traditional stuffed peppers in a fraction of the cook time.
This deconstructed version of stuffed bell pepper is made in one pan, making cleanup a breeze! This unstuffed peppers skillet checks all the boxes for an easy weeknight meal, so check out the printable recipe card below for all details on this delicious dinner!
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Italian seasoning
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt & Black pepper
- Green bell peppers
- Red bell peppers
- Yellow onion
- Olive oil
- Minced garlic
- Petite diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Instant white rice
- Beef broth (salted kind)
How to make easy Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
Sauté the Vegetables: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the diced green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and yellow onion. Stir until the vegetables are evenly coated in the oil. Allow them to sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Brown the Ground Beef: Add the ground beef to the skillet with the sautéed vegetables. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Once the beef is fully cooked, add the minced garlic and let it cook for an additional 30-45 seconds, just until fragrant. Then drain off any excess grease from the skillet. Season the mixture with onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and black pepper to taste.
Add the fixins’: Next, add in the drained petite diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Then, add 2 cups of instant white rice to the skillet and the beef broth. For the broth, follow the rice-to-water ratio suggested on the box of your instant rice. Typically, I use Minute Rice and use a 1:1 ratio for the beef broth. However, it’s super important to measure this precisely to avoid ending up with soupy or dry rice.
Simmer to Perfection: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Cover the skillet and allow it to simmer until the rice is fully cooked and the broth is absorbed. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the rice is fully cooked and the dish has thickened, it’s ready to serve!
Tips for the Best Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
- Use Fresh Ingredients: Fresh bell peppers, onions, add the best flavor and texture to the dish.
- Don’t Skip the Seasonings: The combination of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder is key to the flavor of this one-pan skillet meal.
- Be Precise with Broth: Follow the rice-to-water ratio on your instant rice box to ensure the right consistency.
- Adjust Seasoning to Taste: Depending on the saltiness of your beef broth, you might need to add extra salt. So make sure to taste the dish before serving and adjust as necessary.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Perfect for busy weeknights, this one-pan meal comes together in about 30 minutes.
- Family-Friendly: With familiar flavors and hearty ingredients, this dish is sure to please even picky eaters.
- Minimal Cleanup: Cooking everything in one skillet means less mess and less dishes to wash after dinner! (Always a WIN in my book!)
- Versatile: Customize this easy skillet meal with your favorite veggies or substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for a lighter option.
Variations and Substitutions
- Ground Turkey or Italian Sausage: Swap the ground beef for ground turkey if you want something on the lighter side or Italian sausage if you want to kick up the heat!
- Different Peppers: Use any color bell peppers you like! Green bell peppers have a bitter taste while orange bell pepper and red bell peppers have a more sweet flavor!
- Vegetarian Option: You can skip the meat and add more veggies like zucchini, mushrooms, or beans. You can also use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.
- Toppings: You can top this simple dinner with your choice or shredded cheese or sour cream to get the full effect of an actual stuffed pepper.
- Spice It Up: If you like heat, add a some red pepper flakes when seasoning the ground meat! You can also add a few drops of hot sauce into the dish once its finished cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Brown Rice Instead of White Rice?
- Yes, you can use regular brown rice, but it will require a longer cooking time and more broth. Follow the cooking instructions on your brown rice package for best results.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove until warmed throughly.
Can I Freeze This Dish?
- Yes, you can freeze the unstuffed pepper skillet. Allow it to cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Just make sure to let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you get ready to reheat it.
If you enjoy this recipe, check out a few more:
Creamy Cajun Chicken Stroganoff
If you made this recipe, leave a comment/rating. I love reading your feedback!
Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
This unstuffed pepper skillet is a true one pot meal that is full of flavor and sure to please!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 14.5 ounce petite diced tomatoes drained
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups instant white rice
- Beef broth (salted kind)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, diced peppers and onions. Stir until pieces are coated in oil and allow them to sauté 5 minutes, occasionally stirring. Add the ground beef and cook until no pink is visible within the meat then add the minced garlic and allow it to cook for an additional 30-45 seconds. Drain off any excess grease and season with onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
- Add drained petite diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, instant rice and beef broth. (Follow the rice to water ratio on the box for how much broth to add). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer until rice is cooked thoroughly and the broth is absorbed. Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- I used the regular beef broth and still had to add some salt so I do not recommend using reduced sodium broth.
- Follow the rice to water ratio suggestion on the box/bag of rice you are using. If you do not measure this precisely then you will end up with soupy or dry rice.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Do you cook rice separately
No its cooked all in the same pot.
My husband sent this recipe to me so I made this tonight. It was a hit. Will definitely try more of your recipes
I saw this recipe is a facebook reel and saved it as it looked good. A few days later my wife sent me the same recipe, so that was a must try. The only change I made was instead of 1 1/2# ground beef I used 1# ground beef and 1# Italian sasuage. It was delicious and will definitely make it again.
Easy recipe that had my anti-veggie fiance eating veggies and loving them! My only suggestion is to add some form of heat if you like a little kick to your stuffed peppers and unstuffed peppers. Other than that, it was delicious!
My husband saw this on Facebook and said he wanted to try to make it. I did use unsalted diced tomatoes and unsalted beef broth (I have to watch my sodium intake). I don’t eat a lot of salt so even with lower sodium I thought it was salty but it is really good! My husband added some hot sauce to his. This recipe is a keeper! Reminds me of what my parents used to make.
Awesome! I am so glad you loved it!
Can you cook regular rice separately with the beef broth? Is so do you still add same amt. of tomatoes and tomato sauce to the meat? I do meal prep and sides are generally seperate.
This is a one pot meal so if you want to separate the meat and pepper from the rice you can but I think it would also be fine for meal prep if you left it all combined.
Can you double this recipe
Yes you can double it.
Can you do just 1lb of hamburger?
Yes, 1 pound should be fine.
I had it over mashed potatoes, so good!
I’m interested in making this recipe, but don’t want to use instant rice. Can this recipe be done with organic white or brown rice (the kind that takes 20 minutes to cook)?
Yes, just be sure to adjust the cooking time and rice to broth ratio.
What can be used instead of beef broth?
Possibly chicken broth. Beef broth will pair the best but chicken broth will be the next best thing.
How many ounces beef broth?
Check the instructions on the package of rice and whatever rice to water/broth ratio it calls for is what I recommend using.
I have a jar of spaghetti sauce. Can I use this instead of the tomato sauce?
Yes! That will work.
Hi was wondering what you meant by tomato sauce? UK person here over here tomato sauce means either tomato ketchup or like a pasta sauce just trying to get the best results
the pasta sauce version will work.
What kinda of ground beef do you use? 80% 93%?
Either will do! I typically try to use lean meat, so I have less grease to drain.