How to Cook Stuffed Bell Peppers in a Dutch Oven

Everyone loves home made stuffed bell peppers, so what's better then enjoying this delicious meal while we are camping in our favorite location. This may seem like a difficult meal, but I assure you it is one of the easier dutch oven meals. Break out the old dutch oven and make a dinner that will impress all your friends. Also save the stuffing leftovers to add to your morning breakfast skillet as a little bonus. This meal takes about 2 hours with wood prep/cooking and serves 4-6 people.

Step One

Buy all your ingredients and prep your fire. If you are working with others to make dinner, you can get your fire and coals started while your friends run to the store. The sooner you start your fire and get plenty of hot coals to cook with, the sooner everyone can eat. You can follow my recipe, or change it up and make a recipe that is more your style. This is the recipe I have made my own, however feel free to try out your own variations. The entire process should only take about 2 hours. Cooking time should only take about 45 minutes. If you are hiking in, or just want to cut down on time, you can precook your ground beef, chop all your ingredients and transport them in Tupperware. I highly recommend precooking your 4 cups of rice.

Ingredients and Gear:

- 12 pack of beer on ice (not to cook with)

- 12 quart dutch oven

- Serving Spoon

- Knife

- Gloves

- Cutting Board

- 6 Bell Peppers

- 1 pound ground beef or turkey

- 1 & 1/2 chopped onions

- 4 chopped garlic cloves

- 4 cups of cooked rice

- 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

- 1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce

- 1/2 tsp of pepper

- Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning to taste

- Louisiana Crystal hot sauce 

- 2 tblsp of olive oil

- hand full of chopped basil

- 1 sliced Avacado

- 2 handfuls of sliced mushrooms

Step Two

Prep all your ingredients. I recommend precooking your 4 cups of rice at home. Cooking rice in a dutch oven can be a huge pain. Once you have a good bed of coals, (about an hour) you will be ready to cook. Lightly oil your dutch oven, and add your 1 sliced onion, hot sauce, garlic, pepper, and Tony Chachere's. During this time season your beef with Tony Chachere's and hot sauce.

Step Three

Place the dutch oven on the bed of coals and cook the onions until transparent. It should take about 5-10 minutes. Once the onions are transparent, slowly stir in the mushrooms and ground beef. Cook the ground beef until lightly browned, then drain off the excess grease. Season the ground beef. It will take about another 10 minutes to brown the beef.

Step Four

Stir in the 4 cups of rice, 1/4 chopped onion, and 3/4 can of tomato sauce. Cover the dutch oven with the lid and add coals to the top of the lid. Let the mix cook for 5-10 minutes. During this time cut the tops off of the bell peppers and take the seeds out.

Step Five

Once the mix is warm and the beef is all browned. Take the dutch oven out of the fire. Sprinkle a little seasoning, chopped onion pieces, and cheddar cheese in the bottom of the bell peppers. Start stuffing the bell peppers with the rice and beef mixture. Scoop out the remainder of the rice and beef mixture and place in Tupperware for the morning. Once the bell peppers are completely stuffed, place them back in the dutch oven, cover with lid and place in the fire. Place hot coals on the lid. Cook until the bell peppers become soft to the touch or easy to cut though. (20-30 mins)

Step Six

Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the tops of each bell pepper and cover the dutch oven for 5 mins to allow the cheese to melt. Finally remove the bell peppers, sprinkle the final fresh chopped onions over the top, pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top, add fresh basil and an avocado slice. Serve and enjoy and amazing dutch oven camping meal everyone will love.

Step Seven

The next morning take the left over rice, onion and beef stuffing mixture you used in the bell peppers and make an amazing egg scramble. Mix it into your scrambled eggs, sprinkle some seasoning to taste, add some basil, cheddar cheese and avocado for a delicious and healthy breakfast. I broke out the cast iron skillet for breakfast but you can do the same in the dutch oven.