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–+ servings
5 from 1 vote

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
Prep Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 572kcal

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
    Whole green Bell Pepper Under Running Water
  • 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: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 1857mg | Potassium: 1099mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1408IU | Vitamin C: 113mg | Calcium: 260mg | Iron: 4mg