I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a cheapskate. Not because I like to be, but because it’s just something inside of me – in my DNA or something. When I set out to put this recipe together, Heather said, “Ooo, get the pretty tri-colored peppers. That will look so good in the photo.” So I be-bop off to the grocery store to collect my ingredients. Finding my way through the produce section, my eyes are immediately drawn to the beautiful red, orange, and yellow bell peppers. I think to myself, “Oh yes, those will be beautiful fall colors for this recipe.” I glance up at the price… $1.88 each. Hmmm, I think. Then I glance over at the green peppers. Looking up at the price I see $.31 each. “What!??!,” I think. “31 cents?!?!?” Needless to say, I went with the green peppers. And trust me, it tasted just the same. It may not have looked as pretty, but it tasted the same.
Based on the success of the Stuffed Peppers recipe, I decided to develop something else with the same flavors. It’s hearty and delicious and perfect for a cool Fall evening. Topping it with creamy mashed potatoes really puts it over the top. I hope this will become an instant favorite in your house just like it has in ours!
Recipe Card
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
- 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can of tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Peel and coarsely chop potatoes. Boil in salted water 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender.
- Brown ground beef in a large pan, drain grease reserving about 2 tablespoons of drippings.
- Add chopped onion and pepper to pan drippings. Saute until onions are translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Return drained ground beef to pan and add mushroom soup, tomato puree, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Pour meat mixture into the baking dish.
- Once potatoes are tender, drain and return to pot. Add butter and milk. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth and butter has all melted.
- Top meat mixture with mashed potatoes.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and mashed potatoes have just started to brown.
* 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.
Rob
Brilliant. Thank you.
Thanks, Rob!
Beverly C Blissitt
This is in our regular dinner rotation. Over time I have added a few tweaks. I add 1/-2 to 1 tsp of marjoram, 1/2 tsp. of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp of Montreal steak seasoning. For the mashed potato topping I microwave Simply Potatoes Mashed potatoes and add a bit of garlic powder, butter, and seasoning salt. We sometimes add 1 cup of corn. Your recipe gave me a WONDERFUL jumping-off point. Thanks for all you do!
Great tip with the Simply Potatoes and thanks for sharing your tweaks!
Beverly Carol Blissitt
This is a great recipe! You can make it just as it is and it is great or you can add a few additions to make it your own. For the non mushroom lovers, you can use a can of condensed tomato soup instead of the cream of mushroom soup. You can add a dash or Worcestershire sauce and a bit of dried marjoram and oregano. Southern Bite recipes never disappoint.
Thanks so much, Beverly! Your kind words are MUCH appreciated! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Beverly Carol Blissitt
I made this for dinner today. Instant hit. I must admit that I added a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a tsp. of Dijon mustard, a teaspoon of dried marjoram, a 1/2 tsp of dried oregano, a tsp. of McCormick hamburger seasoning, and 1 cup of corn. This recipe provided a wonderful jumping off point for me to add the flavors that our family likes. As always, thanks for your help in the kitchen!
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing your tweaks!
Erin
I made this tonight but I did make some changes. I cut up three strips of bacon & sautéed them. Then I threw in the chopped peppers and let them get soft in the bacon & drippings. I put the peppers and bacon in a large bowl. I skipped the onion and garlic as I never use them in my regular stuffed peppers. Next I browned the ground meat and added to the bowl. I used a can of golden mushroom soup instead of cream of mushroom since it has a tomato base. I then added about 1/2 cup ketchup, one tablespoon mustard and 1/4 cup brown sugar plus half a 2 cup package of shredded mild cheddar cheese. I mixed this all to combine. Then I poured it into a greased deep 9 x 13 and used two packages of refrigerated Bob Evans mashed potatoes (microwaved each for 3 minutes) and layered those on top. Topped with remaining mild cheddar and baked at 400 for about 25 minutes. True comfort food. This is a keeper. Thanks so much! I also loved your post about the Saturdays remaining until your son is 18. My first baby will be 5 in February so your words tugged at my heart. Thank you.
Way to make it your own! SO glad y’all enjoyed it!
Lucy
Totally with you on the cost factor! Picture looks great!
Thanks, Lucy!
Diane Baranyai
Stacey, love your recipes…But can I use something other them tomato puree? Once again thanks for all the recipes…
Thanks, Diane. I think tomato sauce would work just as well. 🙂
Diane Baranyai
Stacey, Thank you very much…Making this tonight and a sick little one so no time to go to the store…
You are so welcome! Hope your little one feels better soon!
Nicole
I wonder if I can used box mix mashed potatoes? This looks amazing
Absolutely! Just make the potatoes according to the package directions and plop them right on top. 🙂
Nicole
Thanks, awesome! I’ll make this tonight!
Jess Z
Is the mushroom soup necessary, or can I leave it out or sub something else? I don’t like mushrooms. Otherwise, I want to make this recipe!!
It’s not necessary, but I would replace it with some other type of “cream of” condensed soup. Maybe chicken, onion, or celery.
Kate
I also dislike mushrooms, so I replaced it with more tomato product. I used diced tomatoes to bump up the veggie amount in the dish, and tomato soup for flavor and richness of texture. (By the way, I also made this with rice to thicken up the casserole and that ensured that the sauce wasn’t too thin.) It was delicious and still turned out wonderfully without the cream of mushroom. Good luck! 🙂
Maggie Adams
I also dislike mushrooms, so I replaced the puree and soup with a pasta sauce. It is fantastic. My family loves it as well. 🙂
So glad it turned out well for you!
Ann
I don’t know if you have Aldi grocery stores in your area, but a bag of 3 peppers (yellow, orange and red) are $1.48 or so this week.
I’m so going to try this casserole. YUM!
Kelley S
Mom’s Chicken and Gravy is a favorite around here. Thanks for the giveaway and Happy Birthday!
GIna
Oh YES can of corn and also adding shredded cheese to top of potatoes!
Dianna
I think adding a can of drained corn would be a bonus. Thanks for all of the great recipes!