These Italian-Style Stuffed Peppers Without Tomato Sauce are healthy, satisfying, and jam-packed with flavor. Made with roasted red pepper purée, this dish is loaded with lean ground beef, vegetables, and rice. Serve them with a side salad or roasted veggies for a well-balanced and easy weeknight dinner.
I love making stuffed peppers for dinner. They're meaty, cheesy, and full of flavor. Plus, they're good for you too! What's not to love?
Classic stuffed pepper recipes often use tomato sauce, tomato soup, or tomato paste in the filling. But, what happens if you don't like or can't eat tomatoes?
Well, you make these stuffed peppers without tomato sauce, of course.
These homemade stuffed peppers are made using roasted red pepper purée in place of tomato sauce. For this recipe, I wanted to make an Italian-style stuffed pepper similar to the ones I grew up with. The ground beef and rice filling is seasoned with Italian herbs, garlic, and onion for a rich, hearty, and delicious comfort food meal.
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Can You Make Stuffed Peppers Without Tomato Sauce?
Yes, of course! There are many different ways to make stuffed peppers, including without tomato sauce.
For this recipe, I wanted to create something similar to the Italian-style stuffed pepper that I grew up with. So, I swapped the traditional tomato sauce for a quick and easy homemade roasted red pepper sauce. And it turned out perfect!
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes on key ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Bell Peppers- Look for bell peppers that are uniformly shaped. Additionally, each bell pepper you choose should be similar in size to ensure they cook evenly. I like to use a combination of green, yellow, and red bell peppers, which makes for a pretty finished dish.
- Ground Beef- Since we don't drain the ground beef in this recipe, I like to use 93% lean to keep the overall fat content down.
- Rice- Pre-cooked white rice is best. Even better if it's leftover from another recipe.
- Onion- Finely diced onion adds flavor and moisture to our pepper filling.
- Garlic- Fresh garlic adds a nice kick of flavor to the meat mixture that pairs well with the other flavors.
- Roasted Red Peppers- Our tomato sauce substitute. Puréed roasted red peppers have a similar consistency and flavor profile to tomato sauce.
- Olive Oil- My favorite cooking oil for Italian-style dishes.
- Seasonings- A blend of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes gives these stuffed peppers their Italian flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese- Freshly grated parmesan cheese is best. Melted on top, parmesan cheese adds a salty, nutty note to the dish.
Tips for Success
- Buy peppers with uniform size and shape. Lopsided peppers should be avoided as they're harder to stuff. When at the grocery store, look for peppers that are symmetrical. Additionally, each pepper you choose should be about the same size so that they cook evenly.
- Use leftover rice. I love using leftovers from one dish to make another. When meal planning, I often try to make recipes that use similar ingredients. Make another rice dish the same week you make these stuffed peppers for easier meal prep.
- Shred your own parmesan cheese. Freshly grated parmesan cheese has more flavor, melts better, and tastes fresher. It's also cheaper.
How to Make Stuffed Peppers
Here is how to make these beef and rice stuffed peppers without tomato sauce.
Step 1: Par-bake the bell peppers. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare the bell peppers by removing the tops, inner membranes, and seeds. Reserve the tops for dicing. Cut each bell pepper in half lengthwise and place them cut side up in a 9"x13" baking dish. Par-bake the peppers in the oven for 25 minutes.
Step 2: Make the roasted red pepper sauce. While the peppers are baking, drain the jar of roasted red peppers and add them to a food processor or blender along with ½ cup of water. Blend until a smooth sauce forms. Set aside.
Step 3: Sauté the vegetables and ground beef. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the diced bell pepper tops, onion, and garlic for 5-7 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, and cook until it is no longer pink.
Step 4: Finish making the filling. Season the ground beef mixture with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, stirring until everything is well coated. Mix in the cooked rice. Pour the roasted red pepper sauce into the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until thickened.
Step 5: Fill peppers and bake. Generously fill each bell pepper half with the ground beef mixture. Sprinkle the top of each filled bell pepper with parmesan cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
How to Store
- Refrigerator- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Freezer- Allow the peppers to cool completely before storing them in the freezer. To freeze, wrap each individual stuffed pepper tightly in plastic wrap, then store them inside a freezer-safe storage bag for up to 6 months. Let the peppers thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since the oven is already being used, I prefer to par-bake the bell peppers instead of boiling them. I do recommend pre-cooking the bell peppers so that they cook more evenly and don't turn out too crunchy.
Cover the stuffed peppers for the first 15 minutes of cooking to ensure the bell pepper fully cooks through and the stuffing doesn't dry out.
Yes! These Italian stuffed peppers without tomato sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. For best results, reheat the dish in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes.
Let's Connect!
Be sure to leave a comment below if you have any questions. You can also connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or via email at [email protected].
📖 Recipe
Stuffed Peppers Without Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers any color
- 7 ounce jar roasted red peppers drained
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef 93% lean
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare the bell peppers by removing the tops, inner membranes, and seeds. Reserve the tops for dicing. Cut each bell pepper in half lengthwise and place them cut side up in a 9"x13" baking dish. Par-bake the peppers in the oven for 25 minutes.4 large bell peppers
- While the peppers are baking, drain the jar of roasted red peppers and add them to a food processor or blender along with ½ cup of water. Blend until a smooth sauce forms. Set aside.7 ounce jar roasted red peppers, ½ cup water
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the diced bell pepper tops, onion, and garlic for 5-7 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, and cook until it is no longer pink.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 small yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 pound ground beef
- Season the ground beef mixture with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, stirring until everything is well coated. Mix in the cooked rice. Pour the roasted red pepper sauce into the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until thickened.½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 cup cooked white rice
- Generously fill each bell pepper half with the ground beef mixture. Sprinkle the top of each filled bell pepper with parmesan cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for and additional 10 minutes.½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Notes
- Quick Tip: Peppers should have a uniform size and shape for best results.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Pat says
These were delicious! flavorful and the roasted red pepper sauce was perfect. Thanks for this recipe!
Ashley Petrie says
Thank you so much! 🙂
Christina says
I made this to tonight for dinner and it was delicious. So happy to find a stuffed pepper recipe without tomato sauce. Nice flavor!
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hi Christina! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Kate says
These were SO good! The red pepper sauce was a great addition.
Thank you very much for this great recipe!!!
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hi Kate! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them!! 🙂
Kim says
These were delicious! I also love the layout of your recipes with the directions and ingredients listed right underneath 🙂
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hi Kim! I'm so glad you enjoyed them and found the recipe layout helpful. 🙂