This Unstuffed Pepper Skillet has all the warm flavor of classic stuffed bell peppers but is twice as easy to make! Ready in just 30 minutes for a delicious dinner that’s high-protein, gluten-free, and great for feeding the whole family.
What Are Unstuffed Peppers?
Unstuffed bell peppers, sometimes also referred to as an unstuffed pepper skillet, are exactly like stuffed bell peppers! The difference is that instead of stuffing the protein and rice mixture inside of hollowed-out peppers, all the ingredients cook together in a single skillet.
They’re an easy way to get all the warm, Tex-Mex-inspired flavors you love without all the work of preparing, stuffing, and baking peppers. Even better, unstuffed peppers require far fewer steps, less cooking time and cleanup, and are a breeze to make!
Don’t be surprised if you never go back to traditional stuffed peppers again.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Beef, peppers, and cheese, oh my! This easy unstuffed peppers skillet has comfort food flavors for everyone to enjoy.
- Oil – Use light olive oil to brown the meat and sauté the veggies.
- Protein – We use lean ground beef (90% or higher), but lean ground turkey or ground chicken also tastes great!
Ingredient Swap: For a vegetarian option, swap the beef with ground tempeh instead!
- Aromatics – Onions and garlic add lots of sweet, savory flavor to the dish.
- Bell Peppers – You can’t have unstuffed peppers without peppers! Chop them up, and sauté them with the veggies to add volume and nutrients to the skillet.
- Tomato Sauce + Tomato Paste– This creates a sort of “broth” helping combine the ingredients and create a cohesive, almost casserole-like flavor.
- Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce – Don’t skip this! It adds extra depth and a smoky, salty, slightly umami taste.
- Seasonings – Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes enhance the savoriness of the ingredients.
- Quinoa – Use cooked quinoa or white or brown rice to add bulk and make this skillet dinner extra filling.
- Cheese – Any shredded cheese such as cheddar cheese or Monterrey Jack cheese will taste great!
Ingredient Swap: Feel free to use your favorite dairy-free cheese if needed.
- Toppings – Technically optional, we love to top our unstuffed peppers bowls with fresh parsley!
Health Benefits of Bell Peppers
Not only are they super versatile and easy to find, but bell peppers are full of health benefits, too! For instance, bell peppers are:
- An excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin K1, vitamin E, and vitamin A.
- A good source of potassium and folate.
- Rich in fiber.
- High in antioxidants.
How to Make Unstuffed Peppers
This recipe is practically a one-pot meal! The only thing that is cooked outside of the skillet is the quinoa, and you can even prepare that in advance to make this dish super quick.
- Brown the meat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the ground beef. Cook until it is browned, breaking it up along the way. Then, drain most (not all!) of the excess fat, and transfer the meat to a bowl or plate.
- Sauté the veggies. Next, add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the pan. Sauté until slightly tender and fragrant.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the meat back to the pan along with the spices, mixing to combine. Then, stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce. Allow the mixture to cook over medium heat until bubbly, Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the mixture simmer.
- Prepare the quinoa or rice. While the skillet simmers, cook the quinoa or rice according to the package instructions.
Pro-Tip: Boil your quinoa or rice in chicken or beef broth to add extra flavor!
- Mix. Mix part of the cooked quinoa in with the veggie and meat mixture, coating it completely. Then, keeping the heat on low, mix in some of the cheese until combined. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top, and cover the pot. Turn off the heat, and let the skillet sit over the burner to melt the cheese.
Note: Alternatively, if using an oven-safe pan, preheat the broiler while the mixture cooks, and use it to melt the cheese. If preferred, you could also divide the meat and quinoa mixture into bowls, and stir in the cheese after, allowing it to melt.
- Serve. Top your unstuffed peppers with fresh parsley and toppings of choice, and enjoy warm!
Serving Suggestions
Made with protein, carbohydrates, and veggies, this recipe is a complete, filling meal on its own! However, if you want to bulk it up, try serving it with gluten-free flour tortillas or corn tortillas, tortilla chips, or over lettuce as a salad bowl.
Or, add a side of cornbread or beans!
Prep and Storage Tips
Prep the rice and brown the beef separately, and store them in airtight containers in the fridge for up to three to four days. Then, all you have to do is combine and heat the ingredients on the stove.
How to Store and Reheat: Once cooked and cooled, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
To reheat, warm them in a skillet over medium heat. Or, heat individual portions in the microwave.
Pro-Tip: If your unstuffed peppers dish dries out a bit, freshen it back up with a splash of water or broth!
More of Our Favorite
More Tex-Mex Inspired Recipes
If you enjoy this unstuffed peppers recipe, you won’t want to miss out on more of our gluten-free Tex-Mex-inspired meals below!
Common Questions
Yes! Stored in an airtight container in the freezer, leftovers can be frozen for up to three to four months.
Any color of bell pepper you like best will taste great in this recipe! Red, yellow, and orange varieties tend to be sweeter than green, but the choice is up to you.
Sure! Fresh cauliflower rice (not frozen) works great to make this stuffed pepper casserole recipe low carb. Just add it to the skillet with the rest of the ingredients, and simmer until it’s heated through.
If you want even more veggies, try including cooked spinach, extra sautéed peppers, and diced tomatoes, too!
Unstuffed Peppers Recipe
- Total Time: 30 to 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Enjoy all the flavor and nutrients of stuffed peppers with half the work thanks to this easy, gluten-free unstuffed peppers skillet recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons light olive oil
- 1 lb (455 g) lean ground beef or turkey
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper or 1 large bell pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 ¼ cups tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ to 2 cups cooked quinoa or rice (or equivalent to ⅔ cup uncooked)*
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheese or non-dairy cheese, divided (see notes)
- Garnish – ¼ cup chopped parsley or fresh herb of choice
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground meat and cook until the meat is browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a plate or bowl. Drain off any extra grease from the pan, reserving 1 Tablespoon in the pan.
- Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the pan. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan along with the spices; Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes. Mix to combine.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat until the sauce and meat are bubbly. Then reduce to medium-low to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- While the meat sauce is simmering. Prepare the quinoa or rice (see notes).
- Mix in 1 ½ to 2 cups of cooked quinoa to the veggie/meat mixture until well coated. Adjust seasoning, if desired. Add ⅔ cup to 1 cup of the shredded cheese and gently stir it into the meat and quinoa. Keep the heat on low while you mix in the shredded cheese. Mix until combined. Add the remaining cheese on top (don’t mix) and cover the pot. Turn off the heat so that the cheese can melt.
- Alternatively – If using an oven safe pan, preheat the broiler. Add the remaining cheese on top and place the pan (uncovered) in the broil for 1 minute until the cheese is bubbly and melted.
- Uncover and serve warm topped with fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Substitutes – For a vegetarian option, omit the beef or turkey and replace with ground tempeh. For dairy free option, mix in ½ cup nutritional yeast or or use soy-free dairy free cheese that melts well.
Prep Tips – How to Cook Quinoa
Cooking Tips – Feel free to add more than 2 cups of cooked quinoa or rice to your liking. Adding more quinoa or rice will adjust the taste but will add an additional serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 to 30 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 301
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 331.8 mg
- Fat: 7.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.9 g
- Fiber: 5.4 g
- Protein: 26.3 g
- Cholesterol: 54.2 mg
My picky son liked it
Woohoo! That’s a win in our book. Thanks for telling us. Happy cooking!
Easy to freeze??
Yes, I recommend freezing the sauce and quinoa separately though. Then thawing and combining over stovetop. Does that make sense?
Hi! This looks amazing! I was wondering what you would suggest I could substitute for the tomato/BBQ sauce? I am allergic to tomatoes. Thanks!
sure! Maybe another marinade of choice. Can you have buffalo sauce?
I wish that would work, but I am worried it would be too spicy/hot for my children. Darn! Thank you though!
You can totally decrease the spice! Just use mild sauce
Good to know! I have only had hot buffalo sauce. Perfect! Thank you again! 🙂
wow type recipe this is everything in the bowl are so delicious and colorful ..its gonn be a healthy stuff thank you for sharing this recipe with us keep up the good work
I always try to bring vegetables to meals. It is good for health and heart. More diets of people who lose weight as I really need more green vegetables and less protein. but still have health
I CANNOT be more excited for your cookbook, Lindsay! This deconstructed pepper bowl sounds fantastic. I just love adding bell peppers into my salads, stir-fries, and Buddha bowls as well–they taste great!
HUGE congrats again Lindsay! I can only imagine how much relief and excitement you must be feeling right now.
And this bowl is GENIUS!! I’ only made stuffed peppers once and then also decided they were just too much work. But this bowl I’ll gladly throw together any day
Thank you friend
Now, that’s a jam-packed bowl!!
Totally! those are my fav too haha
Such a fun dinner idea!
The bowl queen does it again! Love that you made this family style.
So creative! Loving the sound of this bowl!
Thanks friend!
This looks amazing and so healthy, love that you used quinoa in this recipe…this one is a MUST try!!
This would make a perfect meal any night!
So excited for you! I hope your book will be a bestseller. This recipe would hit the spot! 🙂
So creative Lindsay! And sounds absolutely delicious!
This looks filled with vitamins and I cannot wait to try it!
I’m just still so friggin’ proud of you!!! The book looks stunning. So does this recipe. Annnnnd… starving. XO
Everything about this bowl looks amazing and delicious, and you’re right SO easy and family friendly. Adding it to my recipe list…
Yay! Thanks Aimee! Let me know if you try it.
I could look at your book for hours on end. The pictures are simply stunning and I want to eat everything. I also feel healthier just reading it.
You’re too good to me, really! THANK YOU!
I just signed up for your email list. You book looks beautiful and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!
yay! Thank you! Hit reply to the email when you get this comment.