Italian Stuffed Peppers

The classic Italian stuffed peppers with a combo of lean ground beef and Italian sausage, a savory tomato sauce, and pre-cooked rice. These are total hearty comfort food that are also easy to lighten!

These Italian sausage stuffed peppers are so good!

• We take the old fashioned stuffed peppers recipe but add a twist with Italian flavors and the addition of Italian sausage.
• Our Italian stuffed peppers are so easy to customize to make it your own, plus they freeze well!
• These are gluten-free and sugar free, it's easy to make low carb by using cauliflower rice instead of white rice.

Ingredients you'll need

We're sharing our classic recipe but since I've been tracking macros (my protein, carbs, and fat) each day that were set by my trainer, this is also a great recipe to make lighter by using lean meat, chicken Italian sausage instead of pork, cutting back on cheese, or even using cauliflower rice instead of white rice for even more veggies.

• bell peppers- 2 red, 2 orange, 2 yellow - or you can use green or any colors you prefer
• salt & pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• tomato sauce - we try to buy sugar-free
• beef broth
• Worcestershire sauce
• shallots
• garlic cloves - garlic in a jar or the Dorot frozen cubes can be used
• oregano
• tomato paste
• ground beef - turkey or chicken are also good options. You could even use vegan crumbles for a meat free option.
• Italian sausages (about ½ lb), casings removed - mild or spicy sausage, either pork or chicken would be great!
• white rice - this is pre-cooked rice, you can also use cauliflower rice
• parmesan cheese
• mozzarella cheese or provolone

** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **

How to make Italian stuffed peppers

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Slice off about 1" off the bell pepper top and set it aside. Remove the membrane and seeds with a spoon. Set the tops aside.
3. Sprinkle the inside of the bell peppers with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Lightly brush the outside of the peppers with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Put them in a 9x13 baking dish.

Make the Filling

1. In a small bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, broth, and Worcestershire and set it aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil and shallots. Cook until soft, add the garlic and oregano, stirring until fragrant. Add the tomato paste.
3. Add ground beef and sausage, saute until the meats are browned.
4. Add 1 cup of the tomato mixture, and let it simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Add 1 more cup of the tomato mixture and let it all simmer 5 more minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Remove from heat and add the stuffed pepper mix to a large bowl. Mix in the pre-cooked rice, 1 cup of parmesan, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Adjust seasonings if desired.

Stuff & Bake

1. Spoon the mixture into the bell peppers. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the bell peppers, add the bell pepper tops if preferred (or you can leave them off). Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the peppers with the rest of the cheese and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes until the cheese turns golden brown.
3. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe notes

• If the bell peppers aren't sitting flat, you can carefully slice off part of the bottom to level them. Just don't cut through to the filling.
• For an extra fancy idea, you can add the bell pepper tops to the stuffed peppers before baking or you can discard them. Your choice! We show them both ways.
• Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can be reheated in a microwave for about 2 minutes.

More Stuffed Pepper Recipes

We loved stuffed peppers and have a lot of them on our site!

• Stuffed peppers without rice
• Philly stuffed peppers
• Tuna stuffed peppers
• Stuffed peppers recipes

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Recipe

Stuffed Peppers with Italian Sausage

Jen @ Whole Lotta Yum

The classic Italian stuffed peppers with a combo of lean ground beef and italian sausage, a savory tomato based sauce, and precooked rice. A hearty and comforting meal all inside a bell pepper.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Casseroles

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 large bell peppers- 2 red 2 orange, 2 yellow
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
• 1 oz can tomato sauce 14 ounces
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup chopped shallots
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 sweet or spicy Italian sausages about ½ lb, casings removed
• 1½ cups cooked white rice
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese or provolone divided
• Parsley for garnish

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 375°F. Slice off the very top part of the peppers (about an inch) and set tops aside. Scoop out the membrane and seeds of peppers and sprinkle salt and pepper in the hollowed-out cavity.
• Lightly brush the outside of the peppers and their tops with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place them in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix a can of crushed tomatoes with beef broth, and Worcestershire and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet set to medium heat and add chopped shallots. Fry until translucent and soft. 
• Add chopped garlic and oregano and stir until fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir until well incorporated.
• Add ground beef and sausage breaking up large chunks so they are uniform in size. Fry until no longer pink in color.
• Add 1 cup of the tomato mixture to the meat and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and place the mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add rice and stir until well incorporated. 
• Add 1 cup of grated parmesan and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella or provolone and adjust seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper
• Spoon mixture into prepared bell peppers by pressing down. Fill to the top to create a dome shape.
• Top each pepper with remaining tomato sauce and tightly cover baking dish with foil. Place baking dish on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove foil, sprinkle the peppers with remaining ½ cup of cheese and place back into oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 5 minutes (or when cheese has turned a golden brown). Take the dish out of the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. 

Notes

Be sure to read the full recipe post where we include all the tips and tricks for making these to perfection!

• To make a lower carb recipe you can swap the cooked rice for cooked cauliflower rice.
• For a colorful presentation you can bake these with the cap on your cooked peppers. 

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!