It's Saturday afternoon, and I'm testing Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers, a favorite comfort food from my youth. But, as I mix meat and stuff peppers, I keep thinking: "There's no way the kids are going to touch these."
Much to my surprise, the vultures start circling. "That smells great. What are you cooking?"
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"Stuffed peppers," I say, waving a bell pepper cap at them, sure it will be the final straw. But, no, they still seem interested. Dinnertime rolls around, and I start the hard sell: "Suppertime - and everyone has to take at least a bite…" Before I can even finish, they scoop peppers onto their plates without hesitation. My kids, eating food stuffed in a vegetable? I'm pleasantly surprised…mostly surprised. But these peppers are that good.
Ingredients
Bell peppers
Lean ground beef (90/10 or leaner)
Onion
Garlic
Dried Italian seasoning
Fine sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Tomato paste
Diced tomatoes with green chilies
Cooked white rice
Fresh parsley (optional garnish)
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers - Step-by-Step Instructions
Stuff the peppers: Cut the top from the peppers by slicing across the pepper just below the "shoulders" and below the stem. Mince the tops of the peppers (discarding the stem), and scrape seeds and white veins out of the body of the peppers with a spoon. In a large bowl, break up the ground beef into small pieces. Scatter the minced pepper tops, onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper across the top of the beef. Stir gently until everything is evenly mixed. Spread the tomato paste, diced tomatoes with chilies, and rice over the top, then mix again, working everything together without packing it tight. (Overworking the meat results in tough peppers.) Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture.
Pressure Cook for 10 minutes with a quick pressure release: Put a rack in the Instant Pot and pour in 1 cup of water. Set the peppers on the rack in the pot. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes ("manual" or "pressure cook" mode in an Instant Pot), then quick release the pressure. (Timing is the same for both stovetop and electric pressure cookers.)
Serve: Carefully remove the peppers, sprinkle the tops with minced parsley, and serve. (The peppers are fall-apart tender; it helps to have a pressure cooker rack with handles, so you can lift the whole rack out to get at the peppers.)
Recipe Tips
Should the meat and rice be uncooked or cooked before stuffing?
The meat should be raw, and the rice should be cooked. I got better results with uncooked meat; cooked meat was a little tougher after pressure cooking. (But you can use cooked meat if you have it.)
As for the rice - it should be cooked. It doesn't cook in the stuffing, resulting in crunchy rice. I usually have leftover rice, but if I don't, I Cook a single-serving package of minute rice to get just enough for this recipe.
Add some cheese
Want extra flavor? Sprinkle shredded cheese over the tops of the peppers after they're done cooking. I prefer a strong-flavored cheese, like cheddar or parmesan.
Pepper size
Get large peppers for this recipe; medium-sized peppers take up the same amount of space in the pot but don't hold as much delicious stuffing.
Equipment
A 6-quart pressure cooker
Pressure cooker rack (The Oxo silicone Pressure Cooker Bakeware Sling works great for this.)
Scaling
Unfortunately, because of the size of the peppers, this recipe doesn't scale well. I thought I could add a couple of extra peppers with my 8-quart Instant Pot, but I could barely squeeze in one more for a total of five peppers. You can cook this recipe as-is with an 8-quart Instant Pot or add an extra pepper (and increase all the other ingredients by about 20%)
Storing Leftovers
Leftover Instant Pot stuffed bell peppers don't store well - the peppers get too soft, especially if frozen. You can store them for a day, maybe two, in the refrigerator; make sure to reheat them all the way through.
Print
Instant Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 peppers 1x
Description
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers. Peppers stuffed with beef, onions, rice, and tomatoes, cooked in under a half an hour in the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 4 large red, yellow or green bell peppers, caps removed, seeds and veins removed
- 1 pound lean ground beef (90/10 or leaner)
- Caps from the 4 bell peppers, minced
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning (or dried oregano or thyme)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (10- to 14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- ½ cup cooked white or brown rice
- Minced fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Stuff the peppers: Cut the top from the peppers by slicing across the pepper just below the "shoulders" and below the stem. Mince the tops of the peppers (discarding the stem), and scrape seeds and white veins out of the body of the peppers with a spoon. In a large bowl, break up the ground beef into small pieces. Scatter the minced pepper tops, onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper across the top of the beef. Stir gently until everything is evenly mixed. Spread the tomato paste, diced tomatoes with chilies, and rice over the top, then mix again, working everything together without packing it tight. (Overworking the meat results in tough peppers.) Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture.
- Pressure Cook for 10 minutes with a quick pressure release: Put a rack in the pressure cooker and pour in 1 cup of water. Set the peppers on the rack in the pot. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (“manual” or “pressure cook” mode in an Instant Pot), then quick release the pressure. (Timing is the same for both stovetop and electric pressure cookers.)
- Serve: Carefully remove the peppers, sprinkle the tops with minced parsley, and serve. (The peppers are fall-apart tender; it helps to have a pressure cooker rack with handles, so you can lift the whole rack to get at the peppers.)
Notes
From a question in the comments: Yes, I'm stuffing the peppers with raw meat. I compared peppers with raw meat and cooked meat; the raw meat version was much better.
Don’t have leftover rice? Cook a single-serving package of minute rice. Done!
Want a little extra something? Sprinkle the cooked peppers with shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese.
I thought I could add a couple of extra peppers with my 8-quart Instant Pot, but I could barely squeeze in one more, for a total of five peppers. Turns out the bigger pot isn't that much wider when it comes to peppers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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BN says
I substituted 1/2 cup uncooked minute rice for cooked rice and it came out fine. I used to do the same in the crock pot. Because mine is a 5 quart Foodi, placed peppers directly into pot, with no rack. I also added about 8 oz of fresh green beans to the pot for a side. Also came out great.
Nola says
Very, very good!
Gina says
I don't have instagram or twitter. I found your recipe on Pinterest and have used it a few times. this recipe has been the easiest and best tasting for me and my family. thank you for sharing it.
Shelley Jo says
I don't have any social media, I found Mikes, "Dad Cooks Dinner" doing a Startpage search! So thankful to find Him! xoxo
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!
Cathy says
This recipe was easy and SO DELICIOUS!! I too used raw ground beef and it was perfect. They fell apart taking them from the IP which was an annoyance at first, but I said what the heck..and transferred all to a casserole dish, topped w/pepper jack cheese and broiled in the oven till all melted ...hubby loved this!! Thanks!!!
Chuck says
Hi Mike,
Do you add all of the juices from the diced tomatoes with green Chile’s or do you drain it off first?
Thanks,
Chuck
Mike Vrobel says
Tomatoes and juices - no draining.
Vicki says
Hi Mike, if I put 3 in a 3qt instant pot would the timing be the same? Thanks in advance. Can't wait to try this.
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, the timing is the same - it's determined by how long it takes to cook each pepper through.
Jessica says
Would it work the same with raw Italian sausage instead of beef? My husband requested sausage...
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, should work fine.
Jackie P says
Great recipe, but my husband likes them with “more sauce.” Any suggestions on how to do this with the IP? I thought about just adding sauce at the end?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, more sauce at the end sounds like the right answer. I’d pour it in the pot and simmer (sauté mode set to low) for 10 minutes to cook it a bit. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Bethany says
Someone Just forwarded me this recipe, so I haven’t tried it yet, but from notes above, you mentioned only 5 fit. Did you try to stack the peppers with a rack between layers to get an additional 4 into the pot?
Mike Vrobel says
There’s not enough headspace in the pot. Maybe it would work with small peppers, or an 8 quart pot, but a second layer wouldn’t fit in my 6-quart pot with the peppers I get from my local grocery store.
Lauren says
This recipe is great! These are classic stuffed peppers. Every recipe I've tried from your site has been thorough and great tasting. Thank you so much!
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Lauren says
making these again 🙂 i have a good bit of leftover mix ...do you think i could freeze the mix to stuff another batch down the road? thank you!
Miriam B says
Fantastic! I took the suggestion to top with cheese, and grated up some Parmesan and Gouda, then baked at 475 until the tops browned.
Susan in Las Vegas says
Instead 1/2 cup of cooked rice, could you use 1/4 cup of uncooked rice? I'd love to see a pic of the cooked peppers in the IP, ready to come out...
Cabbage rolls next??
PattiAnn says
Thanks Mike for this post. I have been wondering fo quite awhile about IP stuffed pepers, weather to cook the meat &rice first or not. Now I know and will try them.
But you must add some frozen corn kernels to the mix. My mother always did & so will I.
Nicole says
Looking forward to giving this a go tomorrow night!
Mike Vrobel says
👍
Nicole says
Quickest, easiest, tastiest stuffed peppers I've ever made. This is definitely how I'll do it from now on.
Rita says
Nice job! Must try! Tell us, Mike, did your kids prefer one color of pepper over another? 🙂
Also, considering a 6-quart IP, do you think it would be feasible to top the filled peppers with a rack and add 4 more, setting them over the spaces between the bottom peppers? Too tall? Too heavy? Thoughts?
Mike Vrobel says
No room for a second layer in a 6-quart IP - the peppers are too tall.
(And the kids didn't seem to prefer one color of pepper over the other.)