Stuffed Mini Meatloaf Pepper Rings make a delicious one-pot supper!
Hello everyone! I’m a little late getting this post out today. I normally post my new recipes very early in the morning, but that didn’t quite work out for me this morning. I didn’t even hear my alarm! Like not at all! Luckily my 3 year old came in my room when she did because we would have had a really late morning.
So I kind of just relaxed a little after taking my older kids to school. Rather than hurrying up to come home and start all the usual clean-up chores and email checking, I went to my parents house to bring my three year old to play for the day. They love to have her. They actually kept her when she was an infant while I was still working. So she has a special little place in their hearts and boy does she know it!
The baby and I stayed to visit for a while. It’s really nice to break routine every now and then!
Speaking of breaking routine, how about changing up your meatloaf routine a little. Do you all make meatloaf? It is one of my husband’s favorite dinners. I don’t make it too often because I’m usually experimenting with other blog recipes, but it is always a nice treat. And so are these Mini Meatloaf Pepper Rings!
They are a super easy supper to make! Even though my kiddos aren’t big on the peppers, they sure do dig any type of meatball-related dinner. This idea actually came from Sunny Anderson on Food Network several years ago. I thought it was so cool how she got so creative with bell peppers.
Now, I like to use a lean ground beef for this dish to minimize how much the meat will shrink down in the peppers. Plus it keeps it a healthier meal . I served it with a little green salad, skipped out on the carbs, and felt really good about my dinner.
- 4 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
- 2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1½ tsp creole seasoning
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan
- A pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- Prepare peppers by slicing off a little of the top and bottom of each pepper. Do not discard these. Cut out ribs and seeds. Slice into 3 thick rings and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment for easy clean up. Dice up remaining parts of peppers to use in meat mixture.
- Prepare meatloaf mix: Mix ground beef with seasoning, bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, garlic, and remaining diced peppers until combined.
- Stuff each pepper with meat mixture leaving a dome of the mixture on top of each pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. (If you do not have an oven-safe pot, you will just transfer them into a casserole dish to bake later).
- Brown each stuffed pepper ring for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. You may need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your pot.
- Once, browned on each side, pour crushed tomatoes over the stuffed pepper rings. (Transfer to casserole dish before topping with crushed tomatoes if you do not have an oven-safe pot.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Top with fresh parsley and serve.
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We all need to slow down a bit, don’t we? Love this newer take on stuffed peppers! It’s a nice balance for kids that don’t always love the pepper part too. Pinned!
Thanks Laura!
Please go back and read your directions as they don’t make sense – parchment paper to pan? Why?
Hi Susan! Are you talking about this part: “place on a sheet pan lined with parchment for easy clean up?”
This is my suggestion to make your clean up easy after you are finished prepping everything. It is completely optional to use the parchment. You can even use foil if you’d like.
Yes, I was not sure about that part either. Also, I couldn’t find what to do with the Italian blend cheese. I mixed some with the meat and put some on top when it went in the oven. It’s cooking now, so hopefully it turns out good!
Hi Julie! You top with the Italian blend cheese at the end of the recipe, but putting extra in the meat like you did would be great too!
I am so intrigued by this recipe! I hate meatloaf- my fiancé loves it! I loves veggies, so I thought it was a good mix! Now, I made the mixture browned each side of the rings. Can I stick them in the fridge until later tonight when we begin to think about dinner? I’m uneasy about it because I don’t make meatloaf. I would pull the meatloaf rings out an hour before dinner cook them for 35-45 mins and then melt cheese over top like suggested. I just want to make sure they’ll last in the fridge because I already browned the rings.
Thanks!
I’m so eager to try this!
Hi Megan! Yes, that would be fine to do that. I would always let it cool first before placing in the fridge.
What a fun idea, I love meatloaf and I love stuffed peppers, so naturally, I’m going to love these!
Thanks Heather!
What a great twist on meatloaf! Those grandparents sure know how to love up on grandchildren and help Mom out don’t they?! 🙂
Yes they sure do! Thanks Julie!
I grew up on stuffed peppers – my mom made them weekly – but these rings are truly genius!!! They could also serve as a perfect appetizer!
Thanks Kate!
I’m drooling! These would be a hit at my house! I lived with my parents when I had my oldest son and my parents will always have a close bond with him because of that. Grandparents are the best! 🙂
Yes they are! Thanks Jen!
Love these little meatloaf bites! Plus it’s a great way to use up all those (soon to be here!) summer time bell peppers.
Thanks Nutmeg Nanny!
Stuffed peppers are always a hit and stuffed with meatloaf? My husband is gonna flip over these!
Thanks Meg!
This recipe is delicious!! Tried it last week and loved it so much I am making them again this week! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I featured this recipe on my latest blog post of my favorite pinterest recipes, http://www.meshkomoments.com/tried-true-pinterest-recipes/ . Thanks! 🙂
Hi Katie! I’m so glad you liked it, and thanks so much for letting me know!!
Can you omit the browning process, and just cook in the oven?
Hi Brooke! I haven’t tried that yet with this particular recipe, but I have done it with oven burgers and it worked fine. Thanks for visiting!
I didn’t brown it and it came out perfect.
Browning a bit just adds flavour!
This recipe sounds delicious!!! Do you think I could freeze it already made up, but not baked? I’m looking for make ahead ideas. Thank you!
Hi Diana! I think this recipe could be made say on a Sunday and then cooked on a Tuesday. So you could basically make the meat mixture, stuff the peppers, and just wait and cook it all on the night you want it. If you want to freeze it, perhaps you could do everything up to the point of topping with tomatoes and finishing them off in the oven. Just defrost them in the fridge overnight, then top with tomatoes and bake them. I think that would work fine.
Thanks for your response. I’m going to make the the full recipe and freeze half. I’ll let you know how it works out. Have a great weekend!!!
Diana – did you try freezing them and cooking them at a later time? I would love to try that if it works.
Thanks!
How did that work out? 🙂
My husband & I Absolutely Loved this!
Definitely a Keeper! Thank You!
Hi Sheryl! I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
I made this tonight but only had on lb of ground chuck so basically cut the recipe in half….it was delicious…hubby loved it too… I made microwave scalloped potatoes with it and green beans….we have enough left for tomorrow night too… I do wish these recipes gave the calorie count etc to enter into my fitness pal…but I will just have to enter the whole recipe and let it give me the answer…THIS WAS VERY GOOD AND WORTH THE WORK TO MAKE IT…
So glad you liked it Dotty!! Thanks for letting me know!
I know a few people who love stuffed peppers so I’m going to tell them about this recipe. However, I’m not big on peppers. Do you think this would work with thick onion rings? I want to try it but I’m not sure how the onions would bake..
Hi Sonia! I think the onion ring idea sounds great!
Trying these today! Added some extra spice with lime basil and Mexican oregano. The house smells yummy! Thank you!
Hi Tammy! Hope you loved it! Thanks for visiting!
Jaren! This was fantastic! I made it for the 4th of July, not only was it delicious it was beautiful. Mami would say when I was younger ” don’t eat with your eyes.” This was a big hit because they are as good as they look. God bless.
We love this one too! Thanks for letting me know, and I’m so glad you liked them!!
Jaren,
Wondering if I could finish them in a crock pot instead of the oven, as it is super hot today.
Hi Kathy!! I’ve not tried doing that with these. I would probably try it on low for 4 to 6 hours. I’ve actually thought of testing this recipe out like that too! Thanks for visiting!
I made this recipe tonight, and my husband and I really enjoyed it. I made a few modifications to personalize it for our tastes, but I do believe it is something that I will continue to make on a regular basis. Thank you for sharing!
That’s awesome Liz! Thanks for letting me know!!
I made these last night using ground turkey. What do you think the serving would be 1 or 2 stuffed peppers.
Hi Lei! Glad to hear you made them even quicker without browning! I would say two would be a serving. Hope you enjoyed!
I made these by first halving the recipe because I had equal amounts of lean ground beef and turkey. It was delicious! I gave the beef half to a friend who is doing a no carb diet by using almond flour instead of bread crumbs. Worked like a charm. For any of the new cooks out there, I’d remember to salt as you go. Using a good salt, not table salt during all the steps results in a a tastier outcome than salting at the table. I used ground pepper as well and I sautéed some of the pepper with some garlic before adding a splash of wine and the tomatoes to the pan after I’d removed the pepper rings. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Hi Susan! So glad you liked it! Thanks for your wonderful suggestions too!!
Loved the idea of this recipe-I just modified it a bit. I left out the tomatoes and cheese-we are beef people and like it straight. Put it on the grill and then it seemed the grill was too hot so I finished it in the oven. A real winner! Next time I will use the Foreman grill. Have you tried that? Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi Sue! I love the idea of grilling these! We will try that next time because that is pretty much one of our favorite ways to cook! Thanks for visiting!
I love this so good but was wondering if u new how many calories are in this
Hi Kendra! I’m so glad you liked it! I like to use the My Fitness Pal app on my phone. You can copy and paste the link to any recipe and upload the ingredients to figure out the calories. For this one, it is about 414 calories for 2 pepper/meatloaf rings and 21g of fat. Thanks for visiting!
Made these last night for my daughter and son-in-law and they were awesome! They are on a low carb diet so I’ve trying to find new recipes to cook for them and this was a definite hit! My daughter said these are definitely on the cook again list Mom.
That’s awesome Connie! So glad everyone liked it!
This was great. I used ground turkey. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely make again.
Oh good! Thanks for sharing Denise!
I love to cook, its something that I find very calming and rewarding, but I am not a fan of meat loaf. However my daughter absolutely loves peppers in all forms and her dad is always asking for meat loaf because I don’t think I have ever cooked it. This recipe looks like something that I would enjoy and the same with my boyfriend and little girl. I will definitely have to bookmark this page for a supper very soon! 🙂
Hi Caitlin! My kids love this one because it’s kind of like a meatball too. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for visiting!!
Made this a few times now. Each time it is amazing. I use San Marzano tomatoes and sharp havarti cheese for the top. Didn’t have Italian bread crumbs so I crushed up some pretzels and now it is part of the recipe. I make a half order but use the full amount of parm and pretzels (bread crumbs).
When the wife says “(censored), this is good!”, you have a winner!
Hi Mike! I’m so glad to hear this has become a favorite! I love the idea of havarti!! Thanks for visiting!
This is so darned yummy! I made it with lean ground turkey and oh my gosh! Delish! I ate it every day for lunch. Then made another batch and ate it everyday for lunch again! I get happy just thinking about eating it! Thank you. It’s simple and delicious!
So happy to hear you loved it Denise!! Thanks for visiting!!
These mini meatloaf pepper rings are fabulous, yummy, no fuss prep & cook .Passed recipe onto my son & aunt.. this is a winner recipe!
Hi Tracy! Thanks for letting me now how you liked them!! We love this recipe too!
How would I go about freezing these? Great for a weeknight dinner!
Hi Rebecca! You could freeze them before cooking, and then let them thaw in the fridge before cooking. You could also cook them on the stove without adding tomatoes. Freeze them. Partially thaw them and bake them in a dish with the tomatoes.
I’m making these tonight for the second time this month! As much as I like meatloaf, I’m never really happy with any recipes I’ve tried myself, but my husband and I (and my dad) loved this! I make it with fresh green beans and mashed potatoes. One ring with those sides fills me up completely, and I look forward to the leftovers all week!
Hi Aubrey! I’m so glad to hear you love this recipe as much as I do! Thanks for visiting!!
After reading all the wonderful reviews. I will make .So happy for you..thank you
Awesome Shirley! We love this one! Thanks for visiting!
Thank you! My family love this recipe so much!
Hi Jaren, this is such a great recipe that I have already tried it three times. And every time I try and experiment with it (I used mayonnaise once), it surprises me with a new taste and look. I wish I could share pictures here (they’re on my Facebook’ I’ll share it on your page). My whole family enjoyed it, including the man who takes a lot to impress. So, I win because of your lovely recipe, Jaren. Next I;m going to try your your stuffed bell peppers.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
I love, love this recipe. I make it often & everybody loves it! The real secret to this recipe is to buy GOOD QUALITY! Can tomatoes.
Hi Paula! So glad you like the recipe! We love this one too!
Do you know the numbers for keto? N
Hi Linda! I am not familiar with keto, so I am really not sure.
This recipe is a hit! Husband and I loved them!
Do you do several layers of peppers if you use the oven safe pot? If so, what do you recommend when it comes to the part of topping with cheese and baking that to melt? If it’s in layers, how you fo get the sauce to cover the higher layers?
Thanks,
Juli
I have a pretty large roasting pot that I use for this recipe. You can layer them and add an extra can of crushed tomatoes if you have a smaller pot.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I’m not a meat loaf lover but the hubs is…..it’s a great middle ground and so easy to make low carb!
I’m not one to post on blogs but this one is WORTHY. It’s becoming a staple at my house.
P. S. And for those who aren’t eating low carb, they make a great burger on a bun next day – IF there are any left.😁🙃
Hi Debbie! I’m so glad you loved it! It’s definitely one of my favorites!
Such a great idea! Sharing it on the blog yum!