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whole upright cooked bell peppers filled with ground beef and brown rice, with red tomato sauce around their softened walls in a slow-cooker insert
Andre Lewis

Crockpot Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers

Brown rice gives these whole peppers a firmer grain than the white-rice oven version, and it needs to be fully cooked before it goes into the filling. Keep the peppers upright and fill them loosely so heat can move through the meat mixture. The slow cooker supplies a moist, gentle cook that softens the pepper walls without a separate prebake. Don't expect a browned cheese lid. This version finishes with tomato sauce and tender filling, which suits a spoon better than a crisp-edged oven presentation.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large bell peppers with flat bottoms
  • 1/3 cup long-grain brown rice rinsed
  • 3/4 cup water for rice
  • 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 1/2 small yellow onion very finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 can tomato sauce 15 oz, divided
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium beef broth

Method
 

  1. Combine brown rice and its water in a saucepan, bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 35 to 40 minutes until tender. Rest for 5 minutes and spread on a plate to cool slightly.
  2. Cut the tops from peppers and remove seeds and membranes without piercing the bottoms. Finely chop the edible flesh from the tops.
  3. Mix raw beef, cooked rice, onion, garlic, chopped pepper tops, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, Worcestershire, salt, thyme and pepper. Fill peppers loosely without packing the mixture down.
  4. Pour remaining tomato sauce and broth into a 6-quart slow cooker. Stand peppers upright in the sauce, cover and cook on low for 6 hours until tender and the center of every filling reaches at least 160°F.
  5. Lift peppers carefully with two large spoons and rest for 5 minutes. Spoon the hot cooking sauce over each to serve.