These Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers are filled with pizza toppings and tons of cheese. When you’re craving pizza but want something different, try these stuffed peppers that can be made in the oven, on the smoker, or the BBQ.
These Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers are a cheesy, melty delight that are bursting with pizza flavour. They are one of our family’s favourite comfort foods and so easy to make on the BBQ, in the smoker or the oven.
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Ingredients For Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers
These peppers are very easy to make with only a few ingredients.
- Peppers. We like to use different colours of peppers, usually red, yellow, and orange. These are sweeter than green peppers, which can also be used.
- Pizza sauce. Homemade or store-bought.
- Beef. Ground beef is added to the sauce to make it thicker.
- Pimento Cheese. This can be homemade or store-bought. We use our Homemade Pimento Cheese in these stuffed peppers.
- Shredded Cheese. Mozzarella and cheddar can be combined for this dish.
- Pepperoni. Sliced thin, pepperoni is one of the layers of this dish.
Optional Ingredients:
- Mushrooms. Sliced or diced, mushrooms are a good addition that can be added directly to the sauce.
- Bacon. Cooked and diced, bacon can also be added to the sauce or as a layer with the pepperoni.
- Ground Sausage. This can be in place of the ground beef or in addition.
- Any topping you would normally put on a pizza can be used as a layer or in the sauce for these stuffed peppers.
Tips For Making Stuffed Peppers
This recipe may seem complicated but it is easy to make, especially with these tips.
- Having the sauce at room temperature or warmer is best. If the sauce is cold it will take longer to heat inside and may still only be warm, not hot, when the cheese is melted and peppers are cooked.
- The peppers should also be at room temperature or close to it. We like to take them out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before assembling them.
- While the meat is cooking, this is a good time to slice the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds.
- We prepare the pimento cheese the day before so the flavours have time to meld together. We also take it out of the fridge about an hour before using so it can soften and is easier to add to the top of the pepperoni layer.
- Cook these peppers on a small cookie sheet or baking pan. No matter how they are being cooked, using a pan will catch any melting cheese that may fall off into the grates and cause flare-ups.
How To Make These Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers On The BBQ
Making these stuffed peppers on the BBQ is our favourite way to make them. The BBQ can be used just like an oven, and it doesn’t matter if you use gas or charcoal to make these, but the flavour is different when using charcoal.
To make these on a gas grill, preheat your grill to 400℉, using only one side of the BBQ. Once heated to the proper temperature, cook the peppers on a tray using indirect heat (this is the side where the burners are off). Cook the peppers until the top cheese is melted and the peppers are browning on the outside. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes and the peppers should be rotated after 5 minutes.
If using a charcoal BBQ, light the charcoal and once lit, place the charcoal on one side of the BBQ to create an indirect heat. Cook the peppers on a tray on the other unlit side of the BBQ.
How to Smoke These Stuffed Peppers
Smoking these peppers adds another layer of flavour to them. It does take longer to make these when you smoke them because you have to cook them at a lower temperature.
The smoke we use for this recipe is usually hickory. It adds good flavour without overpowering the other flavours. You can experiment with whatever smoking wood you have on hand. The one we did not like for these peppers was mesquite because we found its flavour too strong.
Preheat your smoker to 250℉ and allow the smoke to fill the smoker before adding the peppers. Allow to smoke until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted. This usually takes about 60-90 minutes.
Making These Stuffed Peppers in The Oven
To make these in the oven, it is very similar to the BBQ. Preheat your oven to 375℉. Place the peppers on a tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted.
How To Serve Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are great on their own because they are filling and cover almost all food groups. But there are some different ways to serve these.
- These are great when cut in half and served over pasta. We like to make spaghetti and serve a pepper in the middle of the bowl of spaghetti. When the pepper is cut open the sauce and cheese mix with the pasta.
- A side of garlic bread goes well with these peppers. Or garlic sticks.
- French fries are great with these because you can dip the fries in the sauce and cheese.
- Dinner rolls are good for sopping up the sauce on the plate after cutting open the peppers.
Storing Leftover Stuffed Peppers
When making these, we like to make extras for lunches throughout the week. We store the leftovers in air-tight containers that can be used in the microwave at work or school. These will last up to 3 days in the fridge.
We also make large batches in the summer when the garden is filled with peppers. We then freeze them for reheating in the air-fryer throughout the fall. They make a great Sunday dinner during the football season. They don’t even need to be defrosted. Cook in the air-fryer on low for 15-20 minutes. Or in the oven at 350℉, covered loosely with foil for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced finely
- 2 bulbs of garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups pizza sauce
- 4 bell peppers, tops and seeds removed
- 24 slices of pepperoni
- 1 cup pimento cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- In a large fry pan, heat the olive oil
- Add the onion and garlic to the heated oil and cook until just browned
- Add the ground beef to the pan and cook throughly
- Remove from heat and add the pizza sauce to the beef, combining well, and set aside
- Preheat BBQ to 400℉ using only one side of the bbq, don't light all the burners.
- Fill each pepper halfway with the beef and sauce mixture.
- Top with ¼ cup of pimento cheese in each pepper
- Place 6 slices of pepperoni on top of the pimento cheese in each pepper
- Mix the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses together
- Top the peppers with the shredded cheese blend
- Place peppers on a baking tray.
- Place the tray on the side of the unlit side of the BBQ
- Close the lid and let cook for 5 minutes.
- Rotate the tray and cook another 5 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted
- Serve hot
