How to make slow cooker stuffed peppers

Stuffed peppers are delicious, and they're certainly a crowd-pleaser. But they're often kept for weekends when there's time to make them. So what do you do when you have a craving for comforting stuffed peppers on a weekday? You put them in the slow cooker, and let them bubble away while you're not even in the house!

These peppers are kept pretty traditional, with ground beef and rice making up the base of the filling. Kids will gobble these up, so it's a good time to cram extra veggies in there, and with the sauce and melted cheese covering it all, they won't even notice!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

10 minutes

7 hours, 20 minutes

7 hours, 30 minutes

6 whole bell peppers of your favorite color

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 zucchini, grated

1 shallot, finely diced

1/2 cup mushrooms, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Two 15-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Slice the tops off the bell peppers. Clean out the seeds and ribs from the inside, making sure to keep the tops and peppers intact.

Empty 1 can of tomato sauce into the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.

In a large bowl combine the ground beef, uncooked white rice, grated zucchini, shallot, mushrooms, garlic, and half a can of tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and mix to thoroughly combine all ingredients.

Gently scoop a bit of the filling into each of the bell peppers, pressing down slightly as you do. Fill the peppers completely, but don't overstuff them. The rice will expand as it cooks, so you want to leave some room.

As the peppers are filled, place them upright into the slow cooker. When all the peppers are in, place the tops back on, and brush the peppers with oil. Salt the tops of the peppers, and cover with remaining tomato sauce.

Place the lid on the slow cooker, set to low, and cook for 7 hours.

Take the lids off the peppers, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Leave the pepper tops off, replace the lid of the slow cooker, turn to high and cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

For a healthier version, swap out the white rice for quinoa!