Description
These Italian Stuffed Peppers with Rice are a flavorful, hearty meal featuring bell peppers filled with a savory mixture of hot Italian sausage, vegetables, herbs, tomato sauce, and cheese. Roasted and baked to perfection, they’re a comforting dish perfect for dinner and can be prepared ahead or frozen for convenience.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 6 large bell peppers (preferably red, then orange and yellow)
- 1 pound Hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Add Later
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cooked and cooled brown rice (or slightly undercooked long grain white rice)
- 1 1/2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- Olive oil for brushing or spraying peppers
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare peppers: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers about 1/4 inch from the top and reserve these tops. Remove the seeds and membranes inside the peppers, discarding those. Chop the reserved tops finely—using a food processor is helpful—to add to the filling later. Set peppers aside.
- Roast peppers: Place the hollowed-out peppers upright in a baking dish. Brush or spray the inside of each pepper with olive oil. Roast them in the oven for 15 minutes to slightly soften.
- Cook sausage and vegetables: While the peppers roast, heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Brown the hot Italian sausage, chopped onion, diced carrot, and chopped bell pepper tops together until the onions are tender and the sausage is cooked through. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking for an additional 60 seconds. Drain any excess grease.
- Simmer sauce: Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, parsley, beef bouillon, sugar, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer uncovered. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
- Mix in cheese and rice: Remove the pot from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese followed by the cooked and cooled rice.
- Assemble stuffed peppers: Flip the roasted peppers over to drain any excess moisture, then return them upright in the baking dish. Spoon half the filling mixture equally into each pepper. Sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat with the remaining filling and remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until tender and melted: Pour enough water into the baking dish around the peppers to just cover the bottom. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes until the peppers are fork-tender and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish and serve: Remove the foil, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve the stuffed peppers hot.
Notes
- Beef bouillon can be granulated, cubes, or better than bouillon paste. If using cubes, crush and add directly without dissolving first.
- These stuffed peppers can be cooked in a slow cooker by skipping the initial roasting, assembling peppers without cheese, and cooking on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Add cheese at the end and cook another 10 minutes until melted.
- Prep components in advance: peppers can be prepped and refrigerated up to 2 days; filling can be made and stored up to 3 days; assembled peppers can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before baking.
- Freeze assembled stuffed peppers up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking or reheating.
- To reheat leftovers, microwave pepper quarters for 90 seconds plus 20-second intervals until warm, or bake covered at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
