Easy One-Pan Ground Pork Stuffed Peppers with Rice

If you're on the lookout for a hearty, comforting dish that’s simple to prepare, economical, and deliciously satisfying, look no further than this easy one-pan ground pork stuffed peppers with rice recipe. Filled to the brim with savory seasoned ground pork, tender rice, and topped with a rich tomato gravy made from condensed tomato soup, this delicious recipe transforms everyday ingredients into a mouthwatering meal. Perfect for busy weeknights or a cozy weekend dinner.

I've partnered with my friends at OhioPork.org to create this delicious recipe and blog post for you. All opinions are my own.

Not the right ground pork recipe? Try my Easy Ground Pork Carnitas Tacos or my Asian Pork Meatballs in BBQ Sauce!

Why this is the easiest stuffed peppers recipe you'll ever make!

When you search the internet for stuffed pepper recipes, one thing you find in common is that many recipes call for cooking the ground meat prior to stuffing it into the peppers. Some recipes also call for pre-cooking the peppers in a large pot of water or the microwave before stuffing. What this leads to is a ton of dishes and unnecessary steps. 

A reader once told me the only thing bad about stuffed peppers was all the dishes they make. With so many stuffed pepper recipes, I agree! But this is not THAT recipe.

I'm here to tell you, you do not need to precook the ground meat nor the peppers to make delicious stuffed peppers. 

In fact, I have never precooked the peppers nor the stuffing in any of my stuffed pepper recipes you'll find here on the blog; Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers, Taco Stuffed Peppers, and Easy Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers all use my one-step method that is tried and true.

I've been making stuffed peppers for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I've streamlined this cooking process to what I am sharing with you today. It's one of my go to easy recipes I make often. 

Stuffed peppers made this way always come out tender, delicious, and full of flavor. And thanks to a few grocery store convenience items (pre cooked rice and condensed tomato soup), with a quick and easy prep. This really is the best way to make stuffed peppers. 

Why stuffed peppers with made with ground pork works

I often make stuffed peppers with ground beef, but today I am swapping ground beef with ground pork. Ground pork is a great alternative to ground beef and is well suited for my cooking method since it has about the same fat content as ground chuck (or 85/10 ground beef). 

That's right, today's ground pork is fairly lean, full of protein and flavor and ready to stand in for ground beef in many recipes. (Check out my wonderful recipe for Juicy Grilled Ground Pork Burgers.)

As an added bonus, ground pork remains to be a good value at your grocery store even as prices of most everything else is soaring out of control. 

How to make the best ground pork stuffed peppers

You will not need any special equipment or appliance to make these stuffed peppers with ground pork. They are baked in the oven, but I will also give you directions on how cook them in the slow cooker as well. (Find full ingredient list with amounts and easy to follow directions in the recipe card below!)

What you'll need to make this simple ground pork stuffed peppers recipe:

• 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish
• ​aluminum foil
• ​an instant-read meat thermometer
• a large bowl
• medium to large peppers (green peppers, red peppers, orange peppers, yellow peppers, or a combination of them. Red, orange, and yellow peppers tend to be more sweet peppers than green peppers. But the color of bell pepper doesn't matter for this recipe.)
• ​ground pork
• ready made rice (You can use white rice or brown rice. DO NOT heat rice prior to using it in this recipe. Leftover cooked rice or rice that has been prepared and cooled can also be used in this recipe.) 
• ​a large egg
• dried minced onion (adds great flavor without the need to sauté onions)
• dried thyme
• garlic salt (or garlic powder)
• salt and black pepper
• ​condensed tomato soup in the can (This makes a tasty and ultra easy sauce for stuffed peppers as well as seasons the stuffing.)

What to look for when choosing peppers for this ground pork stuffed pepper recipe:

1. Color: I've used green bell peppers, but you can choose any color pepper you like.
2. Size: The size of the peppers for this recipe is important. If you have smaller peppers, you'll have too much filling. If you have very large peppers, you won't have enough filling. You'll want medium to large sized peppers about the size of your palm. You will be cutting the whole peppers in half for this recipe. 
3. Integrity: Avoid picking peppers that have soft spots or blemishes on the flesh. Look for peppers that have a fairly uniform shape, color, and have shiny skins with stems that aren't dried out. 
4. Amount: You will need three whole peppers for this recipe. 

Once you have your peppers, wash and dry them. Cut them in half right down the center through the stem. Scoop out the seeds and the membranes. You can leave the stem attached, or you can carefully cut it out like I do. The stem won't be edible anyway. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray the baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil mist.

Place the bell pepper halves, skin side down, into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Set aside. 

Prepare the ready rice by massaging the bag while it's still closed. With the bag still closed, break up the rice in the packet by pressing with your fingers against the bag. 

Open the bag of ready rice and measure out what you need. (I often just eyeball it. You can use the amount of rice specified in the recipe card or the whole package if you like. My family prefers a little less rice so I don't use the whole package.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the raw ground pork, slightly beaten egg, rice, 1/2 cup of the condensed tomato soup, dried thyme, dried minced onion, garlic salt, and salt and pepper. 

I'll be honest, I like to use my clean hands (freshly washed) to combine the pork mixture, then once it's mixed make sure to wash hands with soap and water again. But you can use a large wooden spoon to mix the filling as well. Mix it until it just comes together. 

Divide the stuffing mixture into 6 portions. With your hands or a spoon, shape the portions into loose balls and stuff into the prepared bell pepper halves. It's ok if it mounds a little over the top of the peppers.

Spoon remaining condensed tomato soup onto each stuffed pepper half evenly. (It's ok if it falls off the top of the stuffed pepper a little). There is no need to add water to the pan, the peppers will release liquid as they cook and the tomato soup will become a delicious tomato gravy for the stuffed peppers. 

Cover the pan tightly with foil place into hot oven, and follow the cooking time as directed in the recipe card below. 

Once done, carefully lift edge of aluminum foil and check the center of the stuffed peppers with an instant read thermometer making sure it reads at a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Let the stuffed peppers sit for 5-10 minutes loosely covered in foil before serving. 

Just before serving, spoon gravy from between the stuffed peppers back onto the top of the peppers. The gravy that forms is so delicious! 

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator and eat within 3 days. 

PRO TIP: Pork cuts like tenderloin and pork chops should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F no matter what cooking technique is used. They are safe to eat with a blush of pink. But, ground pork should always be cooked to a minimum of 160 degrees F. 

To make this recipe for Stuffed Peppers with Ground Pork in the Slow Cooker

This recipe can be adapted to cooking in the slow cooker, but oven baking is my preference because the slow cooker can over cook the peppers. To make this recipe in the slow cooker, follow the direction on the recipe card but spray the crock of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Stuff the pepper halves before placing into the crock. Place in two rows in the crock. Top with the remaining condensed tomato soup and cover the lid. 

Cook on LOW for 8 hours or until the internal temperature of the stuffed peppers is a minimum of 160 degrees F when checked with an instant-read thermometer.

Variations and Substitutions

This is a great basic stuffed pepper recipe that can be customized in so many different ways! 

Here are a few ideas for you:

• Up the spice level by adding red pepper flakes, chili powder, or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the meat  mixture. 
• Swap the ground pork for ground sausage, ground beef or ground turkey. Or use a combination of ground meat. 
• Swap the rice for cauliflower rice (does not need to be precooked), cooked and cooled orzo pasta, or seasoned bread crumbs. 
• Top the finished stuffed peppers with Parmesan Cheese or Mozzarella cheese.

What to serve with stuffed peppers

Stuffed peppers are a frequent dinner at my house, especially with my streamlined prep. We love to eat them with mashed potatoes because the tomato gravy is so good on top of the potatoes. I also love to serve stuffed peppers with corn or carrots. I think both vegetables go well as a side dish. If I want to eat lighter, I often just serve the stuffed peppers with a simple side salad made with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and red onion.

This is a solid, tried and true stuffed pepper recipe that has been made hundreds of times in my kitchen and it always brings rave reviews. It's a recipe that appears on my menu at least once a month because the preparation is just so easy. 

If you've been bogged down by complicated stuffed pepper recipes in the past, you need to give this one a try. You will be pleasantly surprised that a delicious comfort food favorite could be so easy to make and it's a great way to take advantage of economical and flavorful ground pork.

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main course

American

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Renee Paj

Easy One-Pan Ground Pork Stuffed Peppers with Rice

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

This easy and economical one-pan recipe for stuffed peppers made with seasoned ground pork and rice smothered in a rich tomato gravy is a comforting dish great for any day of the week.

Ingredients

• 3 medium to medium large green bell peppers
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 cups Ben's Ready Rice* (Brown) DO NOT heat before using
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 2 TBSP dried minced onion
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 - 10.75 ounce cans of condensed tomato soup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare the green bell peppers, washing and cutting in half down the middle of the stem. Remove seeds and white pith (membrane the seeds attach to) and cut the section of the stem out to create a pocket for the stuffing.
3. Spray a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
4. Lay the prepared peppers, cut side up, in 2 rows in the baking dish. You should have 6 pepper halves of fairly even size.
5. Sprinkle green pepper halves with a pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and set aside.
6. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, 2 cups Ready Rice (or any cooked rice that is at room temperature), 1 large slightly beaten egg, 2 TBSP dried minced onion, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp. garlic salt, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme AND 1/2 cup of the condensed tomato soup, reserving the rest of the tomato soup for the gravy.
7. Once the mixture is combined, divide it into 6 even portions, and stuff into the prepared green bell pepper halves. (The filling doesn't need to be flush with the tops of the peppers, it can dome over a bit and that's fine.)
8. Top each stuffed pepper half with the remaining condensed tomato soup. Spoon any extra soup around the peppers.
9. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, and place into preheated oven.
10. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until peppers are soft and the internal temperature of the stuffed peppers is 160 degrees F when checked with an instant read thermometer.
11. Allow peppers to sit for 5 - 10 minutes then carefully remove aluminum foil. Be careful of the steam that might escape so you don't burn yourself. Spoon tomato gravy from the pan back on top of peppers and sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish, if desired.

Notes

*You can use any kind of rice you like, I happen to like Ben's Ready Brown Rice in the packet because it's so easy to use. Just break up the rice in the packet before you open it. I usually just eyeball around 2 cups, which is most of the package. DO NOT heat the rice in the microwave before you use it. Leftover cooked rice or rice that has been prepared and cooled can also be used in this recipe.

SLOW COOKER PREPARATION: Follow the directions above but spray the crock of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Stuff the pepper halves before placing into the crock. Place in two rows in the crock. Top with the remaining condensed tomato soup and cover the lid. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or until the internal temperature of the stuffed peppers is a minimum of 160 degrees F when checked with an instant-read thermometer. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

326.92

Fat (grams)

17.77 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

6.46 g

Cholesterol (grams)

85.43 mg

Carbs (grams)

25.02 g

Fiber (grams)

2.62 g

Sugar (grams)

5.77 g

Net carbs

22.39 g

Protein (grams)

16.81 g

Sodium (milligrams)

945.33 mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy.

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