Description
Stuffed Pepper Casserole is a colorful, flavorful, and easy-to-make pasta bake, packed with ground beef, bell peppers, and rich tomato sauce, all topped with gooey melted Monterey Jack cheese. It’s perfect for fall and winter weeknights when you crave a comforting meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 12-ounces uncooked rotini pasta
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- Optional: fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set it aside.
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers, cover, and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and become translucent.
- Mix in the tomato paste and minced garlic. Cover and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon. Cover and cook for 7–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fully browned. Drain any excess grease, leaving a little for flavor.
- Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, stirring well to combine.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and fire-roasted tomatoes, stir to combine, and cover. Let simmer for 3–5 minutes.
- Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Transfer everything to the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Optional: Broil for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the cheese turns lightly golden, keeping a close eye to prevent burning.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Garnish with parsley if desired, then serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 464
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 484.1 mg
- Fat: 14.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.9 g
- Fiber: 4.5 g
- Protein: 30.7 g
- Cholesterol: 64.8 mg