Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers! I’ve just combined two of my favorite quick and easy weeknight meals! Boom! Seriously, these things are so easy and such a crowd pleaser. I usually add bell pepper to my sloppy joes anyway, so cooking the sloppy joe meat in the pepper gave it even more flavor. They are also a great freezer meal. Simply prep them right up until the baking part then freeze. Let’s make some…
First, we’re going to slice our pepper in half – from stem down. “But Stacey, why aren’t you slicing them the other way – like just slice the top off?” Great question! Because they cook faster and are easier to stuff this way. My other stuffed peppers use that method, but this seems much easier to me. I like to leave the stem on there too – for two reasons, really. Number 1 – They look pretty. Admit it. they do. Number 2 – If you were to cut out the stem, you’d have a hole in the end of your pepper and the stuffing would run out. Just don’t eat the stem.
This one wasn’t happy about being cut – so he started yelling at me. See his face there? 🙂
Next use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes. Spray a baking dish with a little nonstick cooking spray and place the peppers in the dish.
Next, brown your ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Now, keep in mind here… I said brown the meat. Don’t get cook it until all the pink is gone. I see this all the time, when folks just cook it and don’t brown it. Browning it ads more flavor. It may take a few more minutes and you may have to increase the heat a bit, but it’s worth it. Now BROWN that ground beef!
Add the sauce and stir until it is heated through.
Spoon the meat mixture into the peppers and wrap the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender to your liking. Remove the dihs from the oven and take off the foil. Sprinkle your desired amount of cheese on top and return to the oven until the cheese is melted. These are great served alongside some rice or mashed potatoes.
There you go… Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers!
Recipe Card
Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 3 large bell peppers (any color)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (15-ounce) can sloppy joe sauce (or make your own)
- 1/2 to 1 cup cheese (I used triple cheddar)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the bell peppers in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the membrane and seeds with a spoon. (I like to leave the stem on the peppers for two reasons - They look pretty and it keeps the filling from running out of the end. Just don't eat the stem.)
- Lightly spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and place the peppers in the dish.
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain excess grease away and add the sloppy joe sauce. Mix to combine then spoon the meat mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender to your liking. Remove from the oven and remove the foil. Top with the desired amount of cheese and return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to until the cheese has melted.
Notes
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Kate
Can you make these with whole peppers? I want to cut out faces for Halloween and have them standing up with the sloppy joe inside? Could that work using the same cooking method?
Absolutely! Love that idea! Should work just fine.
Julie
What sides would go well with these?
Just about anything! We usually just do a salad, though.
Don Kuykendall
The best stuffed peppers I have ever had. This is be a frequent meal.
I’m so glad y’all enjoyed them, Don!
Alyssa Stephens
If you are freezing them and then cooking them later, how long will you cook them for? 25-30 minutes still?
If you cook them from frozen, they’ll certainly need to be cooked longer. If thawed, then just 25-30 minutes.
marye
Oh this is a great idea! I love the idea of adding all that pepper flavor to the sloppy joe !!
Thanks so much! Hope you’ll enjoy!!
Mary
The first time that I made these peppers I did use the Sloppy Joe mix. Last night I made them using taco mix. I added some salsa to the meat mixture before stuffing the peppers and used a Mexican blend for the cheese. My family really enjoyed these.
Great ideas!!!
Samantha
Hi again, Stacey. I made these stuffed peppers tonight and they were great! It was a quick and easy meal, and a wonderful idea to combine sloppy joes and stuffed peppers. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks!
SO glad that you enjoyed them!
Kari
Sloppy Joes with a healthy twist? That’s a win!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
🙂
Samantha
By the way, Stacey. I always forget to tell you this… your photos are always so beautiful.
Awww… thanks so much!!!
Samantha
Oh boy, does this look good and easy too. We love sloppy joes and stuffed peppers, so I definitely have to try this. I just happen to have red, yellow, and orange peppers in the house so I think I’ll change my meal plan for this week and make them on Thursday, (I was planning on defrosting some frozen ground beef to make Christy’s Meatloaf Burgers on Thursday, but that can wait until next week).
Thanks for the great idea, Stacey! I’ll be back to let you know how they turned out.
Thank you!! Those Meatloaf burgers are good, too!! Enjoy!!
Joanne
These are great for a weeknight meal!
Thanks!~ We sure think so!