Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are one of those dishes you can enjoy any day of the week. They’re a totally flexible meal that can be filled with all of your favorite ingredients!

This recipe for Crockpot Stuffed Peppers is a gem because you can set it and forget it in the slow cooker. After a few hours, you end up with a satisfying meal and enough food to feed your entire family.

The best part about this recipe? You don’t have to pre-cook the meat or quinoa! Just let the crockpot do all the work.

The ground beef filling is loaded with beans, quinoa, cheese, and all the best Mexican seasonings. Top it off with an extra layer of irresistible melted cheese, fresh cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. Don’t forget the fresh guacamole on the side!

Stuffed peppers in a crockpot?

Yes! Even though stuffed peppers are regularly roasted in the oven, cooking them in a crockpot is one of my favorite ways of preparing them.

The secret to cooking stuffed peppers in a crockpot is to fill the bottom with 1/2 cup of water. This will slowly tenderize the peppers and cook the beef and quinoa. The ingredients have hours to get to know each other in the slow cooker, resulting in perfectly infused flavors that are irresistable!

Stuffed Pepper Ingredients

Delicious stuffed bell peppers require only a few pantry-staple ingredients:

• Bell Peppers: The larger the better! You can fit all of the filling into 6 large bell peppers. Or you can use 7 or 8 medium-sized bell peppers if you’re feeding a larger crowd.
• Ground Beef: I love to use lean (83%) or extra lean (90%) ground beef. Both of these have less fat content and are much less greasy than other varieties.
• Quinoa: Stuffed peppers with quinoa are packed with protein and nutrients.
• Black Beans: Full of fiber and protein, black beans will keep you full all day long. Use canned beans to save yourself some time or follow my guide on cooking dried black beans in an Instant Pot.
• Shredded Cheese: Use any type of shredded cheese you have at home. As long as it melts, you’re good to go! I used a Mexican-blend cheese, but you can use mozzarella, cheddar, or Monterey jack as well. For a more authentic Mexican flavor, you can use Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese.
• Seasonings: The mixture of seasonings in this recipe are all common and easy to find. Chili powder, salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried oregano will soak into the meat and quinoa as they cook in the crockpot and add depths of flavor.

How to Make Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

1. Prep: Pour 1/2 cup of water into a large 6-quart slow cooker. Set aside.
2. Mix Ingredients: In a large bowl, add the ground beef, black beans, 1 cup of shredded cheese, uncooked quinoa, tomato paste, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried oregano. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix everything together until just combined.
3. Stuff The Peppers: Spoon the mixture into each bell pepper until they’re completely packed to the top.
4. Cook: Transfer the peppers to the slow cooker. Cover with a lid and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours.
5. Add More Cheese: Remove the lid and top the peppers with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Cover for 10 more minutes to melt the cheese.
6. Serve And Enjoy: Top each pepper with chopped cilantro and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Tips and Substitutions

Looking to make a change? Try out my recommendations for adding or substituting in this recipe:

• Don’t throw away the pepper tops! The flesh from the tops of the peppers can be used in many recipes, like my easy steak fajitas or breakfast quesadillas. You can store the tops in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Don’t have ground beef? Feel free to use ground turkey or chicken instead.
• Don’t have quinoa? You can substitute the quinoa for 3 cups of cooked rice instead. White rice, brown rice, or even leftover Mexican rice will work!
• Spice it up! Give these stuffed peppers some heat by adding in 1 chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, as well as substituting smoked paprika for regular paprika in the meat mixture.
• Add a little brightness and acidity by squeezing lime juice over top of the finished stuffed peppers.
• Make it vegetarian! Just remove the ground beef from the recipe, or swap it with a faux chorizo or ground imitation meat.
• Add more veggies. Clean out your fridge and add any finely chopped veggies to this recipe. 
• If you’re not a fan of cilantro, leave it out entirely or top the peppers with fresh avocado or tomatoes instead.

Storing and Reheating

Stuffed peppers with ground beef are best enjoyed the day they are cooked, but they also make delicious leftovers!

To store, place them in an airtight container, and keep them in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh for up to 4 days.

To freeze, wrap the leftovers in aluminum foil and place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave the frozen stuffed peppers in the fridge overnight.

To reheat, place them on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven at 350ºF for about 10-12 minutes. Alternatively, cut the pepper in half so the stuffing can warm evenly.