Stuffed Pepper Skillet Recipe

Do you love the taste of stuffed peppers, but hate the prep work and many dishes involved? Us too! This stuffed pepper skillet from Kristen Carli, MS, RD, is the perfect one pan solution. This dish is prepared on the stovetop in a large and deep skillet in less than an hour, making it the ideal busy weeknight solution. Carli also recommends making this delicious stuffed pepper skillet "for meals to bring over to family and friends, such as when they have a new baby or they lose a loved one." Carli states that "it is a crowd pleaser that is full of flavor and keeps you satisfied, but doesn't require hours in the kitchen to prep." We are saving this one for future reference! It sounds like it can save the day, in many cases. Tune in below to follow the step by step guide of how to make this dish.

To make this stuffed pepper skillet, you will need an onion, water, ground beef, minced garlic, one yellow bell pepper, one red bell pepper, one orange bell pepper, two cans of diced tomatoes, one can of pinto beans, white jasmine rice, chicken broth, and shredded Mexican cheese. This is also a one pan dish, only requiring one large, deep skillet. You will cook this dish from start to finish in this pan.

Once you have your ingredients handy, we can get started. Place your large, deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of water and the diced onion. Allow this to cook for at least five minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes translucent. Carli recommends to "use water here instead of the traditional olive oil because the next step involves adding beef which will bring some excess fat." You can use the fat from the beef in the next step to add flavor and continue cooking the skillet.

Once the onion is translucent, it's time to add the bell peppers and garlic. Toss in the diced bell peppers and the minced garlic. Give this mixture a good stir. Continue to cook this for about five minutes, which will allow the garlic to become fragrant and the bell peppers to get tender. Carli recommends using a "red, orange, and yellow bell pepper for variety in colors, but you can certainly use any color bell pepper you like as long as you choose three."

Next up, we can add the remaining ingredients, except for the cheese, which will be added at the end. Add the two cans of diced tomatoes, the can of drained pinto beans, the rice, and 2 cups of chicken broth. Very carefully, give this mixture a good stir. It will be very full, so be sure to stir slowly until all ingredients have been incorporated. That's it! Now, we can move on to cooking this dish.

Bring this mixture to a boil. Since you just added several room temperature ingredients, this may take a few minutes. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the skillet with a lid and continue to simmer for 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Once the twenty minutes are up, remove the lid and check the doneness of the rice by taking a test bite. Benefits of being the chef include diving in early!

If the rice is done and most of the liquid has been absorbed, you can now add the cheese. Sprinkle two cups of shredded Mexican cheese on top of the skillet. Then, cover the skillet with the lid again and keep the heat on medium. After five minutes, remove the lid and the cheese should be melted. If it is not quite melted yet, cover the lid on the skillet and continue to cook until the cheese is fully melted. At this point, you're ready to serve and enjoy this easy, one-pot stuffed pepper skillet!