Instant Pot Unstuffed Peppers has all the classic flavors of stuffed bell peppers without the extra work. Ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and chopped peppers cook together in one pot for a hearty, comforting dinner.
Stuffed peppers were a favorite growing up, and this version makes them so much easier to prepare. You get that familiar homemade flavor without having to fill each pepper individually.
Why I Love This Recipe:
About the Ingredients ⭐
- Ground Beef: 1 pound adds hearty flavor to this easy dinner.
- Chopped Tomatoes: One 28-ounce can creates the tomato base.
- Tomato Puree: 2 ounces adds a richer tomato flavor.
- Rice: 2 cups uncooked rice make this a filling one-pot meal.
- Bell Peppers: 3 chopped peppers give the dish its classic stuffed pepper flavor.
- Onion: 1 chopped onion adds savory flavor.
- Beef Broth: 3 cups provide flavor and liquid for cooking the rice.
- Cheddar Cheese: 8 ounces, optional, for a cheesy finish.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How to Make Instant Pot Unstuffed Peppers
Brown the Ground Beef: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the ground beef and cook until browned and crumbled. Drain excess grease if needed.
Add the Ingredients: Pour in the chopped tomatoes, uncooked rice, bell peppers, onion, beef broth, and tomato puree. Stir to combine.
Pressure Cook: Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual LOW PRESSURE for 12 minutes.
Release the Pressure: When cooking is complete, carefully perform a quick pressure release.
Add the Cheese: Once the pressure has fully released, open the lid and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, if using, until melted.
Serve: Spoon into bowls and enjoy!
Tips I Found Helpful 💙
- Brown the Beef First: Cook and crumble the ground beef before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Use LOW Pressure: Set the Instant Pot to LOW PRESSURE for 12 minutes.
- Choose Your Peppers: Use red, green, or yellow bell peppers, or a combination.
- Add Cheese Last: Stir in the cheddar after pressure cooking, or leave it out.
- Store Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking. Keep for up to 3–4 days and reheat until hot throughout.
Instant Pot Recipes I Love
Instant Pot Unstuffed Peppers
Instant Pot Unstuffed Peppers combines ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and bell peppers in one easy, hearty dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
- 2 ounces tomato puree
- 2 cups uncooked white rice
- 3 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cups beef broth
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the ground beef and cook until browned and crumbled. Drain excess grease if needed.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, uncooked rice, bell peppers, onion, beef broth, and tomato puree. Stir to combine.
- Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual LOW PRESSURE for 12 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, carefully perform a quick pressure release.
- Once the pressure has fully released, open the lid. Check that the rice is tender.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, if using, until melted.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Use white rice for the original cooking time. Set the Instant Pot to LOW PRESSURE for 12 minutes, as directed. The Rice button may use different settings depending on your model. Add the cheddar cheese after pressure cooking, or omit it if preferred.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 512Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 771mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 34g
These look wonderful! I love stuffed peppers so these would be delicious too!
Do you use fresh tomatoes or canned?
I used canned
I’ve made with canned and also with fresh. It turns out well both ways.
Mine is not coming to pressure. Wondering what I did wrong…
I’m guessing not enough liquid. That was my question looking at this recipe. Normally, you need a cup of liquid to reach pressure. Add water? The rice would need it, anyway?
But now I that I re-read it, I see the 3 cups of broth… That should’ve been enough to come to pressure…
Have you tried this with brown rice? Wondering how I would adjust cook time for brown instead of whiwhite rice.
Did you try it with brown rice? I was wondering the same thing.
I would like to use brown rice as well. Did it work?
Is tomato puree the same as tomato paste?
Tomato puree is with the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce in your grocery store . it is like a tomato sauce but thicker texture
Do you drain the grease from the hamburger / sausage?
Thank you!
Just purchased the 3qt insta pot. Cooking for ONE. need a few suggestions on some very simple meals. Or what Web site is good for EASY MEALS
Try to cut most recipes in half and don’t change the cooking time. Usually works well. Otherwise I haven’t found one good source. Eventually I bought the 6 quart and I still use the 3 quart for rice, applesauce, steel cut oats and small things. Hope that helps.
Do you have instructions for a crock pot?
I received the burn notice. Rice tends to sink to the bottom so I wasn’t that surprised when this happened. I transferred to my enamel cast iron pot to finish. Did you use a quick cook rice or regular rice?
I used regular white rice
I use low fat ground beef and do not drain it, I use regular white rice and have never had a burn notice.
This is a big hit at my house. Even my pickiest teen scarfs it down and my husband who doesn’t like stuffed peppers likes this. I’ve made it at least a dozen times now and so decided I should take time to say Thank you, I really appreciate you sharing,
This recipe was a hit the first time I made it and has made its way onto our family favorite recipe list. Even my picky husband who doesn’t like stuffed peppers likes this one.
I made this tonight with brown rice and ground turkey. (Yeah, I was trying to be healthy!) Hubby thought it was delicious! It’s really quite easy and tastes like it’s cooked a long time. Since I didn’t use any sausage, I should have added a little extra spice of some sort, but really, the fresh peppers gave all the taste needed. Since I had brown rice, I cooked it for 13 minutes. Could’ve maybe used another minute, but I liked it. It makes a TON.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m sure I’ll use it again!
When I saw how you mixed the ground beef and sausage I was intrigued. Just my tastes but I also used garlic when sautéing the meat. I also used the fire roasted tomatoes with tomato paste. When it came to the rice I used wild rice.
Fantastic recipe, thank you very much.
Hi – I’m putting together a set of freezer meals for my family. I’m wanting to use this recipe, but I need some clarity about the rice. The instructions for making the freezer bag seems to say put the white rice in there with everything else and then freeze – but the instructions seem to say to “add white rice”… Can you clarify? thank you!!!
There is 2 options you can add the rice fully cooked after or you can cook the rice after it cooks down
The recipe seems to be calling for 4 cups of rice total. 2 cups in the bag and an additional 2 cups during the cooking process. Is that correct?
Yes, my question too. Were we supposed to put uncooked rice in with freezer bag? Thats what I did. Not sure how long to cook it now that it has the uncooked rice already in the bag. ;( Guess I’ll have to see how that works. Directions were unclear. Thanks for any clarification. And thanks soooo much for the recipes Just started this week and Im loving it!
I have this same question. I already put the rice in my freezer meal do I need to add extra liquid when I cook and how long should I cook it for?
@Sonja R Philip, same question here… the “put in the freezer bag” instructions say to add rice but in other recipes she says add rice when you put it in the instant pot. I suspect if you add the rice and freeze that it will soak up all the liquid.
If you add uncooked rice rather than pre-cooked, do you need to add extra liquid?
I never ever comment on recipes but this was so yummy I had to! I added the peppers after the meal cooked because I like them a little crunchy. My daughter in law is due with my first grandchild in 2 weeks so I’ve made several of these freezer meals. Tonight I wanted to eat one! The Jasmine rice was perfect!
I’ve a question regarding the length of cook time for this recipe. Due to my own mistake, I made this using 12 minutes on high the first time I made it. It was mushy but so good. Today, I saw that your recipe calls for 12 minutes on low or to use the rice button. I used the rice button and walked away – just came back to see that the pot said 16 minutes! Does 4 minutes make a big difference? I’d like to get this right the next time…
Thanks so much,
Kathy
If I do the freezer meal using prepared rice, I would just cook it on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes, then add the cooked rice and serve? Or do I need to continue cooking after adding in the cooked rice?
The frozen recipe, am I including the rice in the ziplock bag to freeze or adding the rice afterwards. The recipe and directions are contradicting. Thank you!
My instant pot lux only has high pressure setting. How long would it need to cook on high pressure vs low pressure?
Your freezer meal instructions say to add two cups of uncooked rice to the freezer bag, but then it says to add already cooked rice or stir in 2 cups of uncooked rice after bringing to high pressure from frozen. Are we supposed to freeze with the rice or no?
2 cups of rice & 3 green peppers seemed a lot, but I followed the directions exactly. There was so much volume that my 8 quart pot was almost completely to the fill line. Luckily I was in the kitchen, because I got a burn notice. I have an extra inner pot liner, so I let the instant pot cool, put the mixture into the new liner, adding some extra liquid, and tried again. Again a burn notice! I scrubbed the original liner clean and put in only half of the mixture, adding more than a cup and a half of water and tomato puree (it would have been better to ues broth). Again burn! Again pot cleaning. (I am stubborn). I then cooked half the mixture with the pot-in-pot method and- hallelujah! It cooked without burning. I’ve never had this trouble with my instant pot before. The recipe was delicious before I began adding water (albeit a little crunchy, as it never went through the whole cycle. I will make this recipe again, only this time will use the pot in pot method.
Am I supposed to Cooke the beef before freezing it of the freezer meal?
It looks like you put the uncooked rice in the bag before you freeze it. But the instructions sound like you cook the pepper/beef mixture first, then add the rice and finish cooking. Which is correct?
I made the mistake of adding the rice to the frozen ingredients. Are there any hints about how to cook this from frozen? I don’t think removing each grain of rice is terribly feasible.
When cooking from frozen, do you cook on high for 4 minutes- then add uncooked rice and cook for 12 on low pressure?
Yes