Costco sells a tray of ready to bake stuffed peppers, Item Number 42490, in the refrigerated deli case. The stuffed peppers are one of the best take and bake meals Costco offers. The peppers are both flavorful and filling and freeze well for later.
I really like the meal because it is easy, full of flavor and just looks pretty. However, we don’t buy the peppers as often as I would like since our kids aren’t crazy about them. Who knew…I thought we raised them right!
This review will cover everything you need to know about this meal including cooking instructions, how to serve, calories and price.
Cooking Instructions
The cooking instructions for the stuffed peppers are:
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Remove plastic lid from the tray of peppers and discard.
- Cover the tray of peppers with aluminum foil.
- Place the tray of peppers on a baking sheet.
- Bake the peppers for one hour until an internal temperature of 165F is reached.
- Allow the peppers to cool for five minutes and serve.
Please note, sometimes the stuffed peppers come in a plastic tray that is not oven safe. If your peppers came in a plastic tray then you will first need to move them to an oven safe dish.
Some additional cooking suggestions provided by the members of the Facebook groups dedicated to Costco Fanatics include:
- Cook the peppers for an extra 15 minutes so the become more tender and sweet.
- Top the peppers with ricotta cheese before baking.
- Add a jar of Rao’s Marinara to the tray before baking.
Freezing the Stuffed Peppers
These peppers freeze extremely well. The two approaches most popular approaches are:
- Buy an extra tray and freeze the whole thing for later. You can cook them directly from frozen using he same instructions as above but adding an extra 30 minutes to the baking time.
- Cook a whole tray of peppers and freeze individual peppers afterwards in their own Ziploc bags. These can be heated up from frozen in the microwave for a fast and easy weeknight meal.
Flavor
The stuffed peppers are delicious!
The filling is full of well seasoned ground beef that is mixed with well cooked rice. The peppers are sweet, tender and tasty. The cheese melts over everything and makes the meal feel just a little decadent.
The filling is savory without being overly salty with just a touch of sweetness.
If you want to go “over the top” with these then add a dollop of sour cream….delicious!!
Costco Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 tray Costco Stuffed Peppers
- 1 package Mashed Potatoes
- 1 package Salad
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Remove plastic lid from the tray of peppers and discard.
- Cover the tray of peppers with aluminum foil.
- Place the tray of peppers on a baking sheet.
- Bake the peppers for one hour until an internal temperature of 165F is reached.
- Prepare the mashed potatoes and salad according to package directions.
- Allow the peppers to cool for five minutes and serve.
Serving Ideas
Here are some great serving ideas for your peppers!
- Mashed potatoes & corn
- A salad. It already has meat veg and rice.
- A beautiful salad tomatoes cucumbers and some feta cheese.
- Cut up fresh fruit.
- Cottage cheese.
- Always baked potatoes since the oven is already on to heat the peppers.
- Some roasted veggies or a salad, sometimes a cup of soup.
- Avocado and a nice salad.
Calories
One stuffed pepper is a single serving and has the following nutritional content:
- Calories = 350
- Fat = 16g
- Cholesterol = 70 mg
- Sodium = 810 mg
- Carbohydrates = 23 g
- Protein = 26 g
Plus you get lots of extra vitamins from the peppers!
Price of the Stuffed Bell Pepper Meal at Costco
The stuffed peppers are Item Number 42940 and are found in the refrigerated deli case with the other prepared take and bake meals.
The peppers currently cost $5.49 per pound. You get about 3.5 pounds of food per tray which brings the expected cost of the meal to around $20.
You get six peppers per tray so this works out to a cost of about $3.35 per pepper.
Other Take and Bake Options from Costco
If you are on the fence about whether you want the stuffed peppers or another Take and Bake option then here are a few ideas to consider.
The Costco Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes Meal is another version of “Ground Beef and Carbs” that you might like. The meatloaf tastes better than the stuffing in the peppers and the mashed potatoes will fill you up. You can also use any leftover meatloaf for sandwiches and those are hard to beat!
The Costco Beef Chili is another beef filled meal that is quicker to prepare than the stuffed peppers. You can add in some crushed tortillas and sour cream to dress up the chili. You can also use the chili to make some chili cheese dogs, Frito Pie or serve it over a baked potato.
If you are looking at Costco’s Shepherd’s Pie then we suggest sticking with the stuffed peppers instead. The Shepherd’s Pie is a little too salty and there is so much food that you will be eating leftovers for several days.
Another nice dinner option would be to get a tray of Costco’s Mac and Cheese and serve it along with a rotisserie chicken and bagged salad. The meal would be just as easy to prepare and a little more interesting than just a pile of stuffed peppers.