Rice Stuffed Peppers
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Mar 12, 2026 
My broccoli cheddar rice stuffed peppers are a cozy comfort-food dinner packed with flavor. I fill tender bell peppers with white rice, broccoli, and lots of melty cheddar cheese for a creamy, hearty filling with broccoli rice casserole vibes. This easy recipe is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!
I think you’ll all agree with me that rice stuffed peppers are an all-American classic comfort food, and I love that this vegetarian version comes together in just under 1 hour. While I do sometimes like to make something a bit fancier from the stuffed pepper family (my stuffed banana peppers are totally worth it, but require a bit more effort!) when I’m tired at the end of a long day it makes things so much easier that I can just halve the peppers, scoop out the seeds and load them up with a cheese-rice-broccoli filling. It is a super comforting dinner my whole family loves, especially with my little twist adding canned green chile peppers and smoked paprika for a bold, smoky flavor.
Olivia – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This veggie stuffed peppers recipe is so comforting and delicious! My family and I loved this dish, thank you for sharing!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Super Cozy – I always find that the classic broccoli-cheese-rice combo really hits the spot for comfort food. I know everyone finds different things comforting, but this is what my family and I love when we want something really satisfying.
Bold Flavors from Secret Ingredients – Okay, so they’re hardly secret ingredients as I’m sharing them with you, but the delicious duo of canned green chiles and smoked paprika add a bold, smoky element you won’t typically find in a vegetarian stuffed pepper recipe. They really make this one shine!
Lightened-Up Dinner Option – I’ll admit that a recipe inspired by my broccoli rice casserole doesn’t sound like it is going to be the healthiest meal to serve your family. But this is a lean vegetarian version of both that casserole and classic stuffed peppers. By reducing the fat and calories from what you’d find in a typical recipe, and by upping the veggie factor, I’ve given this dish a bit of a healthy makeover.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Bell peppers – You can use any color. Green peppers have a more acidic pop, while red, yellow, and orange peppers tend to be sweeter.
- Long grain rice – I like to use long grain rice because it still holds a nice texture, even after it absorbs liquid and has been baked inside the peppers. But, you could sub in brown rice, cauliflower rice, or farro instead. Other A Spicy Perspective readers who have made this recipe have used wild rice and quinoa with great results!
- Vegetable broth – To make this fully vegetarian, I used vegetable broth. But, if this doesn’t matter and you have a carton of chicken broth open in the refrigerator, don’t let me stop you from using it! I often choose low-sodium broth because it makes it easier to control the amount of salt I add to the dish.
- Green Chiles – I use canned green chiles, mild or hot, because I love their bold flavor in this dish.
- Smoked paprika – I find it adds a nice smoky flavor that complements those green chiles. This is decidedly smokier than ‘sweet paprika’. You can also use ‘hot smoked paprika’ to add a little more of a kick to the dish!
- Broccoli florets – You can either use frozen or fresh, it doesn’t matter. Just chop them small.
- Low-fat cream cheese – I like the light creaminess low-fat cream cheese adds here, but you can use regular cream cheese. Or you could go wild with something like the garlic and herb seasoned Chevre goat cheese I use in my mini stuffed peppers recipe. Your choice!
- Reduced-fat cheddar cheese – I find shredding the cheese off the block makes it easier to melt, but you can also use pre-shredded as a shortcut. Mozzarella and feta also work well, and will take these peppers in a slightly different (but still totally delicious) direction.
How to Make
Find the full recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Get prepared – First, I preheat the oven to 400°F and spray a 9×13–inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. I cut the bell peppers in half from top to bottom, remove the seeds, and then arrange them in the baking dish with the cut side up.
Cook the onions – Next, I place a medium stockpot (you can also use a large Dutch oven) over medium heat and add the butter. Once it is melted and foaming, I add the onions and garlic. I sauté them for 2-3 minutes until soft. Lower the heat if needed, and make sure not to burn them!
Cook the rice – I then stir in the rice, 3 cups of broth, green chiles, salt, and smoked paprika. I cover the pot, bring it to a boil, and let the rice cook for 15–20 minutes. I know it’s cooked when the broth is absorbed, and steam holes appear on the surface of the rice.
Add the broccoli and cheese – Then, I stir in the small broccoli florets, low-fat cream cheese, 1½ cups of the shredded cheddar, and the remaining ½ cup of broth, mixing everything together until the cream cheese melts nicely into the rice.
Stuff and bake – I spoon the rice mixture evenly into the bell pepper halves and bake them for 15 minutes.
Add the cheese – Then I sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top of the peppers before returning them to the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Recipe Variations
- If you want to boost the protein in these stuffed peppers you can mix in some cooked chicken, ground beef, or turkey.
- Sometimes, to take these stuffed peppers in a Tex-Mex direction, my family loved it when I added black beans, cilantro, corn, and cumin to the rice stuffing mix.
- Or, to make these broccoli and rice stuffed peppers Italian-style, in the past I’ve instead used mozzarella and add some chopped cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
Serving Suggestions
I love that these broccoli and rice stuffed peppers are a fully balanced meal on their own, but if you want to serve them up as a side dish to some protein they’d go really well with a serving of Spatchcock Chicken.
I’ll also never say no to Texas Roadhouse Rolls with basically any dinner!
Storage Notes
I find that leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I’ve also had good results wrapping each cooked bell pepper in plastic wrap and storing them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
I reheat these in the microwave in short bursts, or in the oven for 15 minutes at 350°F.
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. I’ve found that 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 for an additional 5 minutes, then check the temperature again. If the cheese on top is browning, cover the pan with foil! I find that another good option is pre-baking the peppers for about 10 minutes so they are softened up before assembly.
I love this idea for leftovers! You’ll need about 3–3½ cups of cooked rice. Make sure you season it well when you mix it with the onions and seasonings, as you’re missing out on some of the flavor of the broth.
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More Vegetarian Recipes
Rice Stuffed Peppers
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 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, 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, 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.
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.