Italian Stuffed Peppers

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. It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!

And if you're looking for even more stuffed pepper recipes then you'll want to try our stuffed peppers without rice, Philly stuffed peppers, and tuna stuffed peppers too!

Why You'll Love This!

• 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 recipe is easy to customize to make it your own, plus they freeze well!
• The recipe is gluten-free and sugar free, it's easy to make low carb by using cauliflower rice instead of white rice.

Ingredient Notes

• bell peppers- 2 red, 2 orange, 2 yellow
• Salt & pepper
• olive oil
• tomato sauce
• beef broth
• Worcestershire sauce
• shallots
• cloves garlic
• oregano
• tomato paste
• ground beef
• Italian sausages (about ½ lb), casings removed
• white rice 
• parmesan cheese
• mozzarella cheese or provolone, divided
• garnish

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

Equipment

• Pastry Brush
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Non-Stick Skillet
• Baking Dish

Diet Adaptions

• Vegan- use vegan approved meat substitute or swap the meat for seasoned beans.
• Keto/Low carb-swap rice for cooked cauliflower rice

Step by Step Instructions

While there are many steps in making Italian stuffed peppers, they're actually very simple and all come together quickly.

Prep Ingredients

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Slice off the very top part of the peppers (about an inch thick) and set tops aside. Scoop out the membrane and seeds of peppers and sprinkle salt and pepper in the hollowed-out cavity.

1. 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.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix a can of crushed tomatoes with beef broth, and Worcestershire and set aside.

Make the Filling

1. 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.
2. Add ground beef and sausage breaking up large chunks so they are uniform in size. Fry until no longer pink in color.
3. Add 1 cup of the tomato mixture to the meat and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. 
4. Add 1 cup of the tomato mixture to the meat and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and place the mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add rice and stir until well incorporated. 
6. Add 1 cup of grated parmesan and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella or provolone and adjust seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper

Stuff & Bake the Peppers

1. Spoon mixture into prepared bell peppers by pressing down. Fill to the top to create a dome shape.
2. 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.
3. 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. 

Recipe Tips

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.
• You can choose to make your peppers less spicy by substituting the spicy sausage for a mild Italian sausage. Additionally, if you want to turn up the heat, add ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the meat mixture.
• For a colorful presentation: You may choose to cap your cooked peppers with their tops. 

Common Questions

My peppers are falling over and not sitting flat.

Even out the bottoms of the peppers by carefully trimming the high points of the peppers (being mindful not to cut into the hollow).

How do I reheat stuffed peppers?

To reheat simply place in a microwave oven and heat for 2 minutes per pepper. You can top with extra cheese and parsley to freshen up the appearance of them.

What variations I can make?

You can choose to also use green peppers which will lend a slightly less sweet but also delicious taste. In addition, ground turkey can be substituted for a lighter taste. To make lower carb stuffed peppers, swap the cooked rice for cooked cauliflower rice in a 1:1 ratio.

After the 5 minutes of simmering my mixture, it is still on the runny side, how can I fix this?

If you are finding that the mixture has not thickened to your liking, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and stir until dissolved. 

More Stuffed Pepper Recipes

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