Beef and Lentil Stuffed Peppers

Pre-roasting the pepper halves gives them a head start before the cooked filling goes in. Beef and lentils make a textured filling, while a little rice absorbs the tomato juices. The peppers should be tender enough to cut with a table knife, with filling that stays moist rather than packed into a hard mound.

Serves: 4 | Estimated preparation: 25 minutes | Estimated cooking: 50 minutes | Estimated total: 75 minutes.

Recipe development note: this recipe has not been kitchen-tested by Tasty Food. Times are estimates; follow the texture and safe-temperature checks in the method. The featured image is an AI-generated serving illustration and may differ from your result.

Equipment

A roughly 20 × 30 cm baking dish, a large frying pan, a saucepan if cooking rice fresh and a food thermometer.

Ingredients

• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthways, seeds and white ribs removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little for the dish
• 300 g lean ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 700 ml tomato passata, divided
• 1 × 400 g can brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed, about 240 g drained
• 150 g cooked rice, freshly cooked or safely refrigerated
• 100 ml water
• 60 g grated cheddar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Pre-roast the peppers. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F. Oil the baking dish lightly. Place pepper halves cut-side down in it and roast for 15 minutes, until they begin to soften. Carefully turn them cut-side up with tongs. Leave the oven on.
2. Cook the beef and onion. Meanwhile, heat the tablespoon oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion and cook for 7–9 minutes, breaking the meat into small pieces. Continue until the onion softens and the beef is cooked through; check several areas for 71°C/160°F. Drain excessive fat if necessary.
3. Make a moist filling. Stir in garlic, paprika, oregano and tomato purée for 1 minute. Add 300 ml passata, drained lentils, cooked rice, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until evenly combined. The filling should be spoonable and moist, with no large pool of liquid. Add a little water if it is too dry.
4. Fill and add the sauce. Mix the remaining 400 ml passata with the 100 ml water and pour around the peppers. Divide the filling among the eight halves, mounding it gently rather than compressing it. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Melt the cheese and check the centre. Remove the foil, sprinkle the cheddar over the peppers and bake for another 10–15 minutes. The pepper shells should be tender and the filling should reach 74°C/165°F at the centre. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve two halves per person with sauce from the dish and parsley.

Cooking notes and substitutions

Pepper size changes the timing

Large thick-walled peppers may need a longer covered bake. If the filling is hot but the shells remain firm, cover again and continue in 5-minute intervals. A deeper dish can crowd the peppers and slow softening, so choose one where the halves fit in a single layer.

Using rice and lentils

Do not add uncooked rice or dry lentils to this filling; they need different amounts of liquid and time. If starting with dry ingredients, cook them separately and weigh the finished amount. Use refrigerated rice only if it was cooled and stored promptly.

Make-ahead and storage

Refrigerate cooked peppers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C/90°F, in shallow containers. Use within 3 days. Reheat covered with some sauce until the centres reach 74°C/165°F. Freeze cooled portions for up to 2 months for best quality; thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

Allergens and food safety

Contains milk from cheddar. Check passata and seasoning labels. Omit the cheese or use a suitable alternative if required. Keep refrigerated food at 4°C/40°F or below. Use clean utensils when checking cooked food.

Food safety reference: FoodSafety.gov cooking temperature chart. For chilling and reheating guidance, see USDA leftovers guidance.

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