My husband and I have been on the hunt for easy weeknight dinner recipes that are fast, at least semi-healthy, and will be gobbled up by our toddler without him asking for a “barbar” (granola bar) or “pow” (pouch) to eat instead. After recent success with a one-skillet stir-fry and a four-ingredient pasta, we’re starting to build a mini recipe repository that’s getting us out of our throw-it-all-on-a-sheet-pan rut. This week’s recipe foray was the appropriately named Best Stuffed Peppers. 

Why I Love This Recipe

Simple and budget-friendly: We chose to make these stuffed peppers because the ingredient list is simple and budget-friendly, it’s pretty healthy, and it looked really easy to make. At one hour, it takes a little longer to get on the table than we’d usually prefer for a busy Tuesday, but most of that time is minutes spent baking, not actively working.

Prep in advance: And if you have the wherewithal, you can prep the recipe in advance to make it even quicker on the night you plan to serve it.

Make it ahead: According to our Test Kitchen pros, the filling can be made the day before you plan to cook the meal, and the peppers can be stuffed the day of and sit in the fridge until time for the oven.

My husband and I both had the same thought that while this recipe was easy enough for a weeknight, it’s pretty enough for a dinner party. The peppers were big and filling, so one stuffed pepper per guest makes serving easy. Set out a little guacamole, cheese dip, and chips, and you’ve got supper club! 

Currently, every dish that comes out of our kitchen has to pass the rigorous testing of a nearly-two-year-old recipe critic. The true sign of a winner is when he tosses the fork aside (be prepared to dodge it) and goes in with his “God-given utensils,” as Senior Producer Ivy Odom calls them. These stuffed peppers got the messy hands stamp of approval from our son. 

How To Make Stuffed Peppers

This recipe comes together with such little hands-on work because it makes use of store-bought staples like canned beans, tomato sauce, frozen corn, microwavable rice, and an envelope of taco seasoning. Chopping one onion and cutting the tops off your peppers and removing their seeds is the only cutting board work you’ll have to do.

After cooking the ground beef and onion in a skillet, you basically stir in everything else to create your filling for the peppers, stuff them, and bake. Before they finish baking, uncover the peppers and sprinkle them with some cheese to get melty in the oven before serving. 

Tips And Tricks

Simple ingredients: When shopping, I usually buy the canned ingredients with lower sodium to lower the overall salt level going in this dish, and I actually subbed canned corn for the frozen corn on the ingredient list since I was already on that aisle at the store.

Easy swaps: We used the ground beef the recipe called for, but it would be delicious with ground turkey or chicken, and it would still be quite filling with no meat at all if you’re vegetarian. A little chopped avocado or guacamole would be a delicious accompaniment for these stuffed peppers. When I heated up leftovers, I added Fritos to my bowl, almost like a Frito Pie, and let me tell you, it was the move. 

These Best Stuffed Peppers will definitely see our dinner table again soon. Stay tuned as we continue our search for weeknight dinners that work!