Rice Stuffed Peppers
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Oct 10, 2025 
These Rice Stuffed Peppers are comforting, cheesy and loaded with flavors from the smoky chiles and paprika. Plus, these are a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Let’s talk about this Broccoli Cheese Rice Stuffed Peppers recipe. We all have our favorite comfort foods…
The broccoli-cheese-rice combo always leaves me satisfied and cozy, like I’m wrapped in a big fuzzy blanket. Although this beloved American dish is tantalizing, broccoli rice casserole is not normally the most healthy meal to serve your family and is often overlooked.
Why You’ll Love These Rice Stuffed Peppers
- Better-for-you – This recipe makes a lean vegetarian version of stuffed peppers. By reducing the fat and calories, then upping the veggie factor, I gave a healthy makeover to my comfort food of choice.
- Bold flavors – The onions, garlic, smoked paprika, and a generous amount of Old El Paso Green Chiles give these stuffed peppers a bold and smoky flavor.
- Family friendly – Everyone in the family, adults and kids alike, will go nuts for these cheesy and delicious stuffed peppers!
Whether you’re serving these up as a main dish or a colorful side, make sure to make plenty because these are always a hit!
Ingredients and Tips
- Bell peppers – Use any color. Green peppers are more bitter while red and yellow peppers are sweeter.
- Butter, onion, and garlic – A trifecta of deliciousness right here. A great base for any savory recipe.
- Long grain rice – You can either use white rice or brown rice for an even healthier recipe.
- Vegetable broth – To make this fully vegetarian, I used vegetable broth.
- Old El Paso Green Chiles – Bold flavor for a bold dish. Plus, Old El Paso makes it easy with their canned Green Chiles.
- Smoked paprika – This adds a smokey flavor to complement those green chiles.
- Broccoli florets – You can either use frozen or fresh, it doesn’t matter.
- Low-fat cream cheese – Or you can use regular cream cheese. Your choice!
- Reduced-fat cheddar cheese – You’re gonna want to shred this or buy pre-shredded cheese, making it easier to melt.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Meat – If you want to boost these with protein, mix in some cooked ground beef or turkey.
- Tex-Mex – Add into the rice stuffing black beans, cilantro, corn and cumin.
- Grains – Swap the rice with quinoa, cauliflower rice or farro.
- Cheese alternatives – Swap the cheddar cheese with mozzarella or feta.
- Italian-style – Use mozzarella and add some chopped cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
How To Make Rice Stuffed Peppers
Find the full Rice Stuffed Peppers recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Place leftover vegetarian stuffed peppers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing Leftovers – Wrap each individual cooked and stuffed bell pepper in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheating Leftovers – Reheat in the microwave in short bursts or in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Serving Suggestions
The beauty of these broccoli and rice stuffed peppers is that they are fully balanced meal on their own, with veggies and carbs! But you can definitely pair them with different dishes if you want some variety. Since these are stuffed peppers with broccoli casserole, you can eat them with a side of protein and dinner rolls or pair them with more Mexican-inspired flavors! Try pairing it with some of my favorites:
- Roast Chicken
- Grilled Corn Salad with Smokey Vinaigrette
- Dinner Rolls
- Roasted Poblano Avocado Dip
Stuffed Peppers With Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers, any color
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth, divided
- 2 cans Old El Paso Green Chiles (4.5-ounce cans) chopped, mild or hot
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 1/2 cups broccoli florets, very small
- 2 ounces low-fat cream cheese
- 16 ounces shredded reduced-fat cheddar, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the bell peppers in half from top to bottom. Remove the seeds and lay them in the baking dish, cut side up.
- Place a medium stock pot over medium heat. Add the butter, onions and garlic. Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes. Then stir in the rice, 3 cups broth, Old El Paso Green Chiles, salt, and smoked paprika. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Allow the rice to cook for 15-20 minutes covered, until steam holes are evident on the surface and the broth has absorbed.
- Stir the small broccoli florets, low fat cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, and remaining 1/2 cup broth into the rice. Stir until the cream cheese melts into the mixture.
- Spoon the rice mixture into the bell peppers. Bake for 15 minutes. Then top the peppers with the remaining shredded cheddar and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! You can prep these stuffed peppers and place them in the baking dish with plastic wrap on top. Then keep them in the fridge for up to a day before you bake and serve!
This could have to do with the size and thickness of your bell peppers or possibly the actual temperature of your oven. A lot of ovens run up to 25 degrees too hot or too cool. You can use a small hanging thermometer to test the accuracy of your oven thermostat for future reference. In the meantime, adjust your cooking time as needed. If the peppers are still too firm, cook them longer in 5-minute increments until they are at the desired temperature. If the cheese on the top is getting brown, cover the pan in foil! Another option is pre-baking the pepper for about 10 minutes so they are softened up before assembly.
Love Stuffed Peppers? Try These As Well!
- Slow Cooker Pizza Stuffed Peppers
- Breakfast Stuffed Poblanos
- 3-Ingredient Mini Stuffed Peppers
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Poblanos
- Keto Taco Stuffed Peppers
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Old El Paso. All opinions are my own.
Recipe sounds great,will make today love peppers
The only thing I changed about this recipe was that I simmered the bell pepper halves for 5 minutes in a pot of water that I had brought to a broil. Then I stuffed them.
Made this the night before and cooked the next day for lunch! Turned out great. I substituted the rice with quinoa and the veggie broth with veggie boullion. Cooked in the over at 350 for 45 minutes and came out absolutely perfect!
I only have regular cream cheese and cheddar and trying to avoid going to grocery stores. Is the reason for the low fat simply a dietary factor or is it integral to the recipe? Pardon my ignorance!
Hi Patti,
No problem, you can use any kind of cheese you like (low fat, not fat, all the fat). I chose to use LF cheese just to try to keep this particular dish on the lighter side. ;)
Stuffed peppers are our favorite! Love how simple they are to throw together and the rice with the broccoli in them too!
It was a huge hit with my family! Really delish!
I love these! Packed full of flavors and so delish!
I love this recipe! It’s so delicious and flavor filled.
I love it. Made this over the weekend. Simple and DELICIOUS!!
I was going to until I saw sodium content, way too high for me. I am supposed to be on a low-sodium and low triglyceride diet. It is so hard to find recipes. Also I am diabetic.
It’s easy to make it lower sodium….to do that with any recipes. For this one, eliminate the added salt, use low sodium or no salt veggie broth (or make your own salt-free), decrease the amount of cheese. There you go. And for diabetic cooking, there are lots of sugar free sweeteners (like monk fruit…available on Amazon) that you can substitute in most any recipe.
I have leftover filling, do you think it’ll freeze ok?
Hi Rhi,
Yes, absolutely! Just be sure to thaw it at room temperature before rewarming.
Very good recipe! I love broccoli so I added at least a cup more. I probably added a half a cup more of cheddar cheese as well. The only thing I probably would have done different would be to cook the bell peppers, because they weren’t cooked all the way through after 20 mins. Otherwise, the stuffing was excellent and we will definitely be trying this again (maybe add a bit more of heat too :] )
I noticed mine didnt soften after 20 or 40 min. I ended up adding a lil broth to the bottom of the pan then covering with foil for 10 min and the steam cooked everything right up.