You'll love this easy Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe for how delicious, simple and quick it is to make. From preparation to serving, this dump and go dinner is nearly hands-off and makes a great one-pot meal for busy and lazy days alike.
Table Of Contents
Full of chopped peppers, ground beef, rice and a blend of flavorful seasonings and sauce, Crockpot Stuffed Pepper Casserole makes a great dinner for anyone wanting to take a stuffed pepper dinner and make it even easier. My recipe is based on my family's "secret" recipe for Middle Eastern stuffed peppers. Ground beef or lamb, rice and green bell peppers are slow cooked in an irresistible sweet and savory sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, mint and pomegranate molasses.
I've made my stuffed peppers in my Instant Pot and even turned them into a stuffed pepper soup. But this unstuffed pepper casserole is one of my favorites for how simple it is to prepare and how flavorful the dinner is. I've also turned my stuffed cabbage recipe into a crockpot unstuffed cabbage roll casserole for the same reasons, and I think you'd love that too!
Why This Recipe Works
- The ground beef, parboiled rice and green peppers have the same cook time, so no ingredient becomes overcooked or will be undercooked when the time is up.
- It's a total dump and go meal - nothing needs to be precooked!
- The combination of herbs, seasonings and molasses create a fantastic tasting sauce with a unique flavor that you won't find outside of Middle Eastern cooking.
Ingredients
- Ground beef: or ground lamb.
- Parboiled rice: use long grain parboiled rice for the best outcome.
- Green bell peppers: for a slightly different flavor, use a combination of colorful bell peppers like I do in my crockpot pepper steak.
- Garlic: minced garlic is perfect but roasted garlic is great too.
- Sauce: plain tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, pomegranate molasses and water.
- Seasonings: allspice, mint, salt and black pepper.
Step-By-Step Instructions
This simple slow cooker stuffed pepper casserole is made in just a few steps.
- Combine the ground beef or lamb, parboiled rice and allspice in the slow cooker. Mix well. Add chopped bell peppers.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, pomegranate molasses, minced garlic, dried mint leaves, salt and pepper. Stir well and pour over the rice, meat and pepper mixture. Push down the ingredients to submerge them into the sauce as much as possible.
- Cover and set the slow cooker to low for 3 hours.
- When done, remove the casserole immediately to a serving dish or storage container to avoid overcooking the rice. Serve warm with pita bread and hummus.
Chef's Tips
- For crispier peppers, cut them into large pieces. For softer peppers, dice them into small pieces.
- If you like to sear the meat before slow cooking, you can combine it with the rice and allspice, then sear over medium heat for a few minutes before adding to the crockpot in step 1.
How To Store
Crockpot stuffed pepper casserole should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. It can be frozen for up to 6 months and thawed in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or on the stovetop until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
I don't recommend cooking this recipe on high. Rice is best cooked on low, and using the high setting will overcook it.
You shouldn't substitute the parboiled rice with another type of rice or grain. The cooking time and amount of liquid needed to cook the rice in the recipe is designed specifically for using parboiled rice.
While there is no direct substitute, you can try using honey, a combination of lemon juice and sugar or date syrup.
Recipe
Crockpot Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground lamb
- 1 cup parboiled white rice uncooked
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 3 large green bell peppers chopped
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes or
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups plain tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon dried mint
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef or lamb, parboiled rice and allspice in the slow cooker. Mix well. Add chopped bell peppers.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, pomegranate molasses, minced garlic, dried mint leaves, salt and pepper. Stir well and pour over the rice, meat and pepper mixture. Push down the ingredients to submerge them into the sauce as much as possible.
- Cover and set the slow cooker to low for 3 hours.
- When done, remove the casserole immediately to a serving dish or storage container to avoid overcooking the rice. Serve warm with pita bread and hummus.
Notes
Nutrition
Anonymous says
My family loved this recipe! We can't wait to make it again.
Anonymous says
I made a few modifications, but it still turned out wonderful.
Paula V. says
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. It turned out great!