This Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers Recipe is a satisfying meal for weeknights, or weekend guests. Made with simple ingredients, this recipe is deeply savory, flavorful, and satisfying with hot Italian sausage, tender bell peppers, melty mozzarella, and parmesan cheese.
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Disclaimer: This post was originally published in October 2018, but has been updated for clarity, with better instructions, pictures, and tips. We hope you enjoy the new look!
If you're in the mood for comfort food, look no further than these stuffed peppers! They're hearty and satisfying, yet made with ingredients you probably already have on hand or can find easily. This recipe will quickly become a family favorite!
Looking for more delicious family-friendly Italian-inspired dinners? Try this baked rigatoni, this chicken pomodoro, this pepperoni pizza chicken, or this Italian sausage soup!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Easy to prepare. This recipe uses simple ingredients that can be found at any grocery store. The techniques used are straightforward, making it approachable for beginner cooks.
- Super flavorful. The rich and savory sausage pairs perfectly with the sweetness of bell peppers. Add in lots of herbs, spices, aromatics, and melty cheese, and you have an easy meal that is major comfort food!
- Versatility. This is a great recipe to serve as an appetizer, main course, or a side dish depending on the meal occasion.
- Suits multiple diet types. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, so it's great for serving to friends and family with various diet types. It can also be made dairy free and low carb in just a few simple swaps.
- Great for meal prep. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week, and reheat it throughout the week for a satisfying dish that will save you time and energy!
🌶Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Red pepper flakes. Optional, for a little bit of heat.
- Italian sausage. We used hot Italian sausage because we like a little bit of heat, but you can use sweet Italian sausage if you prefer. We used pre-ground sausage.
- Cooked rice. We used day-old white rice, and that works really well because it will absorb a lot of liquid. You can cook it fresh the day of however and that will work just fine.
- Bell peppers. Any color you like! We used a mixture of red and green bell peppers. Just choose ones that are larger so you can add more filling to them. This recipe will need 4-6 bell peppers depending on the size you have.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Swap the peppers. If you don't have any sweet peppers, you could use banana peppers instead, but you will need more of them.
- Use a different starchy filling. Feel free to use brown rice, wild rice, cooked quinoa, orzo, or couscous instead of white rice if you prefer.
- Use different sausage. Instead of hot sausage, you can use mild sausage, sweet sausage, or even plain ground pork. You can even switch up the protein with chicken sausage, ground beef, or turkey.
- Different tomato options. You can use marinara sauce or tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes and tomato paste if desired. We do highly recommend the tomato paste for the most rich tomato flavor however.
- Swap for fresh garlic. You can use jarred garlic or garlic powder if you don't have any fresh garlic on hand.
- Swap onion. You can use onion powder if that's all you have on hand.
✨Variations
- Add more veggies. Feel free to try mixing in some spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, or whatever you'd like to add more vegetables to the meal.
- Pesto version. Mix in some walnut pesto for lots of extra flavor.
- Add a crispy topping. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top of the cheese before baking for an extra crispy crunch.
- Make it low carb. To make keto sausage, swap out the rice for cauliflower rice, or, simply omit the rice.
- Dairy free. Use your favorite dairy free cheese. We like Follow Your Heart, they make dairy free mozzarella and parmesan.
- Vegan. Follow the instructions to swap out the cheese from above, then use plant-based sausage crumbles, and vegetable broth.
- Make an appetizer version. To feed many, Cut mini peppers in half length-wise, then scoop out the middle and fill them with filling. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
🔪Prep work
- If making rice the day of, do this first. Prepare it according to package directions and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cut the tops of the peppers off, then scoop out the insides using a spoon. Remove the stem from the pepper tops, then dice up the pepper pieces.
- Mince garlic.
- Dice onions.
- Grate parmesan cheese.
- Cut basil into thin ribbons (chiffonade).
- Measure out all remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
Heat a large skillet (12-inch diameter or larger) over medium heat with olive oil. Once hot, add onions, bell pepper pieces (leftover from removing the tops), and a pinch of salt. (Image 1)
Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the peppers and onions are beginning to soften. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Next, add the garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning, stirring often to prevent the garlic from burning. (Image 2)
Cook until the tomato paste has deepened in color, about 2-3 minutes. (Image 3)
Add a bit more olive oil as needed, followed by the Italian sausage. Cook and break up the sausage into small pieces, stirring occasionally until the meat is completely cooked through. (Image 4)
Add in the diced tomatoes, followed by the chicken broth as needed, and the cooked rice. (Image 5)
Simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 5-6 minutes, then add in fresh basil. (Image 6)
Stir to wilt, this should take about 1 minute. (Image 7)
Add in about half of the shredded mozzarella and parmesan, and remove the skillet from the heat. (Image 8)
Stir to melt the cheese. At this point, adjust seasonings to ensure they are to your liking. (Image 9)
Add the bell peppers to a baking dish upright, and sprinkle the insides with just a little bit of salt. Spoon them full of the filling. (Image 10)
✨Pro Tip: If the peppers are having a hard time standing up straight on their own, feel free to cut a very thin piece off of the bottom side so they have a flat surface to help them stand upright. You can also create foil 'nests' to keep the peppers upright.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top of the peppers. (Image 11)
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the peppers can be pierced with a fork, and they are softened to your liking. The cheese should be golden brown on top. If desired, you can broil on high for 2-3 minutes to get the cheese nice and crispy. (Image 12)
✨Pro tip: We like to place our baking dish on top of a larger baking sheet in case anything leaks or spills. This will help keep your oven a bit cleaner.
Garnish with more freshly grated parmesan cheese, and basil before digging in. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Prep ahead. Cook the rice a day or so in advance, and prep all of your ingredients beforehand to make assembly quick and easy.
- Choose uniform peppers. Select peppers that are roughly the same size and shape for even cooking.
- Blanch the peppers for a softer bite. If you'd like, you can parboil or blanch the peppers for a few minutes before stuffing to soften them slightly and reduce overall cooking time if you prefer your peppers to be a bit softer.
- Layer flavors. Don't skip sautéing onion, pepper pieces, garlic, and tomato paste before adding in the other ingredients. This step creates an incredible base of flavor.
- Choose the right baking dish or support the peppers to stand upright. Choose a baking dish that keeps the peppers upright, or create foil 'nests' to hold them in place. You can also cut a small slice off the bottom of the peppers to help them sit flat. The size of the dish you use will depend on how many peppers you end up stuffing. This recipe fills between 5-6 bell peppers, just depending on how large they are. We use this 9-inch oval baking dish (affiliate link) and it fits 5 peppers.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 2 months, though it is better to freeze the peppers before baking if possible, to help the cheese maintain proper texture.
Yes! Prepare the recipe following the steps until just before the peppers go into the oven, then cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking.
When it's time to serve, simply place them in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and the peppers are soft.
Yes! Stuffed peppers freeze well. You can make them in advance (just don't bake them prior to freezing for best results) and freeze them for a convenient meal later on. Just add a bit more cooking time if baking from frozen. These will last in the freezer for at least 3-4 months.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
- 9-inch oval baking dish (or a dish to fit all of your peppers, this dish fits 5 peppers)
- large skillet (12-inch diameter or larger)
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium bell peppers, with the tops cut off and cleaned inside. Reserve the fleshy parts from the tops and chop them up to use in the filling (the number of bell peppers you need will depend on the size of them)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (use as needed)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
- 10 cloves garlic, minced (can use more or less depending on how much you like garlic!)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- ½ - 1 cup chicken broth (as needed)
- handful of fresh basil, cut into ribbons (optional)
- 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 ounces shredded parmesan cheese (or freshly grated)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. If making rice the day of, do this first. Prepare it according to package directions and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Once the skillet is hot and the oil is glistening, add in the onions and red bell pepper with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the peppers and onions are beginning to soften. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Next, add in the garlic, 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, red pepper flakes to taste, and 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, stirring often to prevent the garlic from burning. Cook until the tomato paste has deepened in color, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons more olive oil as needed, followed by the Italian sausage. Cook and break up the sausage into small pieces, stirring occasionally until the meat is completely cooked through.
- Add in the can of diced tomatoes, followed by ½ - 1 cup of chicken broth as needed, and 1 cup of cooked white rice. Simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 5-6 minutes, then add in fresh basil if desired and stir to wilt. This should take about 1 minute.
- Add in about half (3 ounces) of the shredded mozzarella and (2 ounces) parmesan, and remove the skillet from the heat. Stir to melt the cheese. At this point, adjust seasonings to ensure they are to your liking.
- Add the bell peppers to a baking dish upright, and sprinkle the insides with just a little bit of salt. Spoon them full of the filling. Sprinkle the remaining cheese mozzarella cheese (3 ounces) and parmesan cheese (2 ounces) over top of the peppers.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the peppers can be pierced with a fork, and they are softened to your liking. The cheese should be golden brown on top. If desired, you can broil on high for 2-3 minutes to get the cheese nice and crispy.
- Garnish with more freshly grated parmesan cheese, and basil before digging in. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 2 months, though it is better to freeze the peppers before baking if possible, to help the cheese maintain proper texture.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
-
- Prep ahead. Cook the rice a day or so in advance, and prep all of your ingredients beforehand to make assembly quick and easy.
- To prep and freeze. You can prepare the peppers in advance (just don't bake them prior to freezing for best results) and freeze them for a convenient meal later on. Just add a bit more cooking time if baking from frozen. These will last in the freezer for at least 3-4 months.
- Choose uniform peppers. Select peppers that are roughly the same size and shape for even cooking.
- Blanch the peppers for a softer bite. If you'd like, you can parboil or blanch the peppers for a few minutes before stuffing to soften them slightly and reduce overall cooking time if you prefer your peppers to be a bit softer.
- Layer flavors. Don't skip sautéing onion, pepper pieces, garlic, and tomato paste before adding in the other ingredients. This step creates an incredible base of flavor.
- Choose the right baking dish or support the peppers to stand upright. Choose a baking dish that keeps the peppers upright, or create foil 'nests' to hold them in place. You can also cut a small slice off the bottom of the peppers to help them sit flat. The size of the dish you use will depend on how many peppers you end up stuffing. This recipe fills between 5-6 bell peppers, just depending on how large they are. We use this 9-inch oval baking dish, and it fits 5 peppers.
- Feel free to use mild, sweet, or hot Italian sausage to suit your preferences.
- For low carb, omit the rice or substitute with cauliflower rice.
- For dairy free, use your favorite dairy-free cheese.
- For vegan, use dairy free cheese, a vegan Italian sausage substitute, and vegetable broth.
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