Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers

These peppers are slightly spiced by the sweet Italian sausage but by no means are they hot. The mozzarella cheese makes them gooey and the tomato sauce gives them their tang. Tossed in rice this all adds up to a perfect filling for the peppers

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Prep Time 25

Total Time 1 10

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 572 kcal

Equipment

1 Medium Frying Pan
1 Baking pan I use my PYREX Baking pan for easy clean up
1 Saucepan For the rice
1 Ice cream Scoop
1 Rubber Spatula
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Cutting Board
1 Chef's Knife

Ingredients

4 Green Bell Peppers
1 lb Italian Sausage Ground Sweet
24 Oz Pasta Sauce
1 Onion
4 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese For Topping
Salt & Pepper to Taste Plus one Pinch for Rice

Instructions

Make The Rice

Measure out a 1/2 cup of rice
Soak the rice for 10 minutes using a fine mesh strainer. Move on to preparing the peppers while the rice is soaking

Prepare The Peppers

Rough chop the onions
Mince the garlic
Wash the peppers
Slice the tops off the bell peppers, discard any seeds
Remove the seeds and membrane from the peppers
Place the peppers without the tops into the microwave for 6 minutes until par cooked
Place the pepper tops in to the microwave separately for 3 minutes

Back To The Preparing The Rice

Place the 1/2 cup of rice into a sauce pan with 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt
Cook for 10 minutes on that low setting then leave covered but remove from the heat. The rice is fine to sit while the sausage cooks

Back To The Peppers

Cook the onions on medium heat in a saute pan
Once the onions are glistening add the garlic and move it all to the sides of the pan
Place the sausage directly in the middle of the pan and break it up, cook until you can no longer see pink.
It is time to preheat your oven to 350 F
Remove the sausage from the burner, mix in 3/4 of tomato sauce and 3/4 of the mozzarella(leaving a little for the tops)
Add the dry spices and spoon in the cooked rice until you reach the desired consistency. It should be a little wet
Fold it carefully to mix, do not over mix or your mixture will be mushy

Assembling The Peppers

Place the peppers together into a baking dish. Allow them to support each other to stand up straight.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop your mixture into the each of the peppers. Fill just over the tops as the mixture will settle a little
Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese to each and a dollop of the tomato sauce.
Top with the parmesan cheese and salt and pepper
Place the tops on the peppers
Cover loosely with aluminum foil cook for 30-35 minutes
Remove the foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes until you reach an internal temperature of 165 F

Notes

Meal Prep Tip: Make an extra pan and freeze them uncooked so you can pop them into the oven for and hour and have these on any weeknight.

Nutrition

Calories: 572kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 27gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 1857mgPotassium: 1099mgFiber: 6gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1408IUVitamin C: 113mgCalcium: 260mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Budget-Friendly, Family Meal, Filling

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