Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Slice the tops off each pepper and remove all seeds and white membranes carefully using a small spoon. Stand the peppers upright in your prepared baking dish, leaving 1 inch between each one.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for exactly 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until no pink remains, breaking it into small crumbles—this takes 5-6 minutes of constant stirring. Transfer the cooked beef to a clean bowl without draining excess fat.

Return the skillet to medium heat and sauté diced onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for exactly 30 seconds until fragrant—longer and it turns bitter. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, and paprika, cooking for 1 minute to bloom the spices.

Return the cooked beef to the skillet and stir in diced tomatoes with their juice, beef broth, salt, and pepper. Fold in the cooked rice gently, then remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes. This beautiful ground beef stuffed peppers recipe filling should be warm but not steaming when spooned into peppers.

Divide the beef mixture evenly among the four peppers, filling each generously but leaving 1/4 inch headroom. Sprinkle cheddar cheese across the top of each pepper in a thin, even layer for melting. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 5 more minutes until cheese browns slightly.

Remove from the oven and let the peppers rest in the dish for 2 minutes—the carryover heat finishes cooking the pepper flesh perfectly. Garnish each pepper with fresh parsley and serve directly from the baking dish for maximum visual impact.