Bison-Stuffed Peppers are the robust, flavorful cousin of traditional ground-beef-stuffed peppers. This flavor-packed recipe with a simple, quick tomato sauce will spice up your dinner routine.
Picture this: juicy, lean ground bison mingling with colorful peppers, topped with the cheesy goodness of mozzarella and cheddar, with a generous ladle of garlicky tomato sauce. Yummy!
It's a savory dish that's perfect for weeknights or leisurely weekend dinners. And the best thing of all is that you only need one bowl to whip up the filling, and you don't need to parboil the peppers.
Try these next: stuffed bell peppers with ground beef or salmon-stuffed bell peppers.
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Ingredients for Bison-Stuffed Peppers
You'll need the following ingredients to make Bison-Stuffed Peppers:
Ingredient Notes
- Ground bison is similar to ground beef but with a different flavor and nutritional profile. Ground bison has a third less fat than ground beef. One serving will provide a good portion of your daily needs for protein, iron, zinc, and selenium. Best of all, most bison are raised without growth hormones, steroids, drugs, or chemical residue.
- Using leftover white rice makes this recipe very quick to prepare. Plan to make extra rice for dinner one night, so you have leftovers for this recipe. If you don't have leftover rice, ⅓ to ½ cup of uncooked long-grain rice (such as Jasmine or Basmati) typically yields 1 cup of cooked rice, which is the amount you'll need for this recipe.
See the recipe card below for all the ingredients and measurements.
Ingredients for Simple Tomato Sauce
You'll need the following ingredients to make a simple tomato sauce for stuffed peppers:
Ingredient Notes
- Passata is a tomato purée or sauce made from ripe tomatoes and strained to remove seeds and skin. Passata has a smooth consistency and is often seasoned with salt and sometimes fresh basil. It is usually sold in bottles and can be found at the grocery store alongside canned tomato products.
See the recipe card below for all the ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use lean ground beef instead of ground bison.
- Swap green bell peppers for the colored peppers, and as a bonus, the dish will be more economical.
- Substitute grated Pecorino Romano cheese for the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
How to Make Bison-Stuffed Peppers
Step-by-step-Instructions
The beauty of this recipe is that you don't parboil the peppers or sauté the meat beforehand. Mix, stuff, and bake.
- Heat oven and prepare peppers: Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the washed peppers in half through the stem (leaving the stem intact), and remove the seeds and membrane.
- Cut an "x" on the underside of each pepper: Into the underside of each pepper, cut an "x" (this will help drain excess liquid from the cavity of the peppers as they cook). Add the 8 pepper halves to a large 3-quart braiser or 9-inch by 13-inch glass casserole dish.
- Make the meat mixture: Into a large bowl, add all the ingredients except for the mozzarella-cheddar cheese blend and ¼ cup of the fresh parsley.
- Mix: Mix the meat mixture with your hands or a spatula until all the ingredients are combined.
- Assemble: Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal parts and fill each pepper cavity. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and seal well. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 45-55 minutes.
- Sauté garlic: In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute; add the smashed garlic clove and toast gently until the edges are lightly golden.
- Add passata: Lower the heat and carefully (as it may spatter) pour in the passata; add salt and stir. Simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Remove from the oven: After 45 minutes, remove the peppers from the oven. With a meat thermometer, check that the meat has cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, insert a paring knife into the pepper to test for doneness. The blade should easily pierce the skin of the pepper when cooked.
- Add cheese: Top each pepper half with the mozzarella-cheddar cheese blend (about 1 tablespoon per pepper), return to the oven, and cook, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese melts.
- Serve: Remove from the oven, garnish the peppers with parsley. Serve on a plate with a ladle of tomato sauce, and enjoy.
Secret for Success
- Cut an "X" into the underside of each pepper half. This will ensure that the excess liquid that forms in the cavity of the pepper as it cooks will drain out.
Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing the peppers as they will be quite mushy when thawed.
Make Ahead
- This dish can be made ahead of time and cooked a few hours later. Keep the dish refrigerated until ready to cook, and ensure the baking dish is heatproof and can go from the refrigerator to the oven.
Reheating
- The most convenient way to reheat the peppers is in the microwave for 2-4 minutes at 80% power. Or in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Should I precook the peppers before stuffing them?
This recipe was designed so you don't need to precook the peppers. Make the filling, stuff, and bake.
What does bison taste like?
Bison tastes similar to beef but with a richer, more robust flavor.
Is bison the same as buffalo?
Scientifically, the proper name for the North American Buffalo is Bison, but because history has ingrained the name "buffalo" in us, we still use it today. True buffaloes are the Cape Buffalo and Water Buffalo of Africa and Asia. Bison and Buffalo both belong to the Family Bovidae, as do domestic cattle. The North American Bison has two subspecies: the plains bison and the wood bison.
Recipe
Bison-Stuffed Peppers with Simple Tomato Sauce
Bison-Stuffed Peppers are the robust, flavorful cousin of traditional ground-beef-stuffed peppers. This flavor-packed recipe with a simple, quick tomato sauce will spice up your dinner routine.
Equipment
- 9-inch by 13-inch heat-proof baking/casserole dish or 3.5-quart braiser
- measuring cups and spoons
- large bowl
- spatula
- meat thermometer
Ingredients
Bison Stuffed Peppers
- 4 (5.5-6.5 ounces each) bell peppers (yellow, orange, red or green), washed and cut in half through the stem, leaving the stem intact, seeds and membrane removed
- 1 pound ground bison
- 1 cup white rice (jasmine or basmati), cooked and cooled
- ¾ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, and divided with ¼ cup reserved for garnish
- ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano , grated
- ¼ cup regular (plain) breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, NOT garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ cup mozzarella-cheddar cheese blend
Simple Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 2 cups passata
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Heat oven and prepare peppers: Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the washed peppers in half through the stem (leaving the stem intact), and remove the seeds and membrane.4 (5.5-6.5 ounces each) bell peppers (yellow, orange, red or green)
- Cut an "x" on the underside of each pepper: Into the underside of each pepper, cut an "x" (this will help drain excess liquid from the cavity of the peppers as they cook). Add the 8 pepper halves to a large 3-quart braiser or 9-inch by 13-inch glass casserole dish.
- Make the meat mixture: Into a large bowl add all the ingredients except for the mozzarella-cheddar cheese blend and ¼ cup of the fresh parsley.1 pound ground bison, 1 cup white rice (jasmine or basmati), ¾ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano , ¼ cup regular (plain) breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Mix: Mix the meat mixture with your hands or a spatula until all the ingredients are combined.
- Assemble: Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal parts and fill each pepper cavity. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and seal well. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 45-55 minutes.
- Sauté garlic: In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute; add the smashed garlic clove and toast gently until the edges are lightly golden.1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 2 cups passata, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add passata: Lower the heat and carefully (as it may spatter) pour in the passata; add salt and stir. Simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Remove from the oven: After 45 minutes, remove the peppers from the oven. With a meat thermometer, check that the meat has cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, insert a paring knife into the pepper to test the peppers for doneness. The blade should easily pierce the skin of the pepper when cooked.
- Add cheese: Top each pepper half with the mozzarella-cheddar cheese blend (about 1 tablespoon per pepper), return to the oven, and cook, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese melts.½ cup mozzarella-cheddar cheese blend
- Serve: Remove from the oven, garnish the peppers with parsley. Serve on a plate with a ladle of tomato sauce, and enjoy.
Notes
Cut an "X" into the underside of each pepper half. This will ensure that the excess liquid that forms in the cavity of the pepper as it cooks will drain out.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
316
% Daily Value*
Fat
15
g
23
%
Saturated Fat
6
g
38
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
50
mg
17
%
Sodium
592
mg
26
%
Potassium
548
mg
16
%
Carbohydrates
28
g
9
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
4
g
4
%
Protein
18
g
36
%
Vitamin A
1155
IU
23
%
Vitamin C
15
mg
18
%
Calcium
155
mg
16
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is approximated using an online nutrition calculator. It is included as a courtesy and should not be substituted for the advice of a professional nutritionist.
Tried this recipe? Please Rate & Review
Frank says
The bison gives this recipe a nice edge ! Delicious !
Donna Poirier says
Thanks 😊