Name: Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup water; 6 bell peppers; 1 pound lean ground beef; 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed; 1 can (14 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed; 1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce or low-sodium salsa; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, divided

Six stuffed bell peppers standing in a slow cooker, filled with ground beef, quinoa, and black beans and topped with melted cheese — Illustrative image, AI-generated — not a photo of this recipe as prepared.

The slow-cooker night in the Family Dinner Rotation. Ten minutes of work in the morning, then the slow cooker does the rest while you are somewhere else. Bell peppers are filled with ground beef, quinoa, and black beans, and finished with melted cheese.

This recipe comes from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Quantities, times, servings, and the order of the steps are the source’s own. FHG reworded the steps and added the food-safety note below, which comes from the USDA and not from the recipe.

At a Glance

Prep

10 min

Cook

3–6 hr

Total

3 hr 10 min – 6 hr 10 min

Equipment

Slow cooker

Servings

6 — one bell pepper with one-sixth of the filling, per the source

Ingredients

½ cup water
6 bell peppers
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 can (14 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1½ cups red enchilada sauce or low-sodium salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1½ cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, divided

How to Make It

1Pour the water into the bottom of the slow cooker.
2Cut the tops off the bell peppers and take out the ribs and seeds. Discard the tops, ribs, and seeds.
3In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, quinoa, black beans, enchilada sauce or salsa, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and 1 cup of the cheese.
4Fill each pepper with the beef mixture.
5Stand the filled peppers upright in the slow cooker so their bases sit in the water.
6Cover the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours.
7Take off the lid and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese over the peppers.
8Put the lid back on and leave it for a few minutes, until the cheese melts.
9Serve warm.

Stages of the recipe: the ingredients laid out; the raw filling mixed in a bowl; peppers being filled with a spoon; the filled peppers standing in the slow cooker before cooking — Illustrative image, AI-generated — the main stages of the recipe, not photos of it being prepared.

Food safety: ground beef should reach an internal temperature of 160°F (71.1°C), measured with a food thermometer. Color is not a reliable sign of doneness for ground beef — this guidance comes from the USDA, not from the recipe.

Make It Work for Your Family

The FHG part

If the pepper itself is the problem: the filling is a complete meal on its own. Spoon a portion out of the pepper onto the plate for whoever does not want to eat the pepper.
Milder or bolder: the source recipe gives you the choice between red enchilada sauce and low-sodium salsa. Pick whichever suits your table.
Fit it to your day: the same recipe works on low for 6 hours or on high for 3. Start it before work for the first, or after lunch for the second.
Different colors, same dish: the recipe just says bell peppers. Letting a child pick the color of their own pepper costs nothing and changes nothing about the cooking.

Recipe source: “Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers,” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Nutrition and Food Services, adapted by the source from pinchofyum.com and submitted by Jessica Long, MS, RDN, CD. Steps reworded by Family Healthy Guide; quantities, times, servings, and cooking sequence unchanged. Food safety: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Part of the Family Dinner Rotation System.