Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe That Feeds Your Whole Family
By Laura
Introduction
Stuffed Bell Peppers have been a huge favorite of mine since my aunt first made them for me many, many years ago. At the time, it seemed like such an elaborate, fancy recipe, but who knew they were really this simple to make!
It’s a classic comfort food recipe that’s hearty, filling, easy to customize, and can feed a large family. Plus, the flavors in this version are incredibly delicious!
So much so that we’re still talking about it over a month later! 😉
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"I love this simple recipe and I like how much easier it is filling the bell peppers cut this way over the traditional way. This is a great budget friendly recipe for families.
Buy the green bell peppers because they’re cheaper and taste just as good!"
Kerri
Easy Recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers
There are several versions of stuffed bell peppers out there, and most usually include ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and cheese. I got a little creative with this recipe as I wanted it to be simple to make, but still have tons of flavor!
Instead of beef, I went with ground Italian sausage, as I did in these zucchini boats, for an extra boost of flavor. I also used long-grain white rice, which helps bulk up the filling for cheap.
In this recipe, the rice is cooked in the same skillet as the meat filling. It gives the rice a ton of flavor and let’s be honest…who wants to clean more dishes by cooking a separate pot of rice?
Not me! Everything else is simple, flavor-packed pantry staples, and is perfect for feeding your family without breaking the bank.
Budget-Saving Tips
Here are a few tips to help you stretch your money when making Stuffed Bell Peppers:
- Use the green bell peppers! Although it makes for a colorful final dish when you use red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, these colors often cost a little bit more. You can just buy all green bell peppers instead and save some coins.
- Cut a 4th bell pepper in half and stretch the filling out to make 8 servings instead of 6. Trust me..I stuffed these bell peppers quite a bit, but you could totally stretch the filling if you wanted to.
- If you want to just use 1/2 a pound of sausage, that works too! Just add an additional 1/2 cup of rice and 3/4 cup of broth to what is listed in the recipe below, to increase the filling and make up the difference.
- Feel free to use ground beef instead if it’s cheaper than the Italian sausage at your local store. You may need to add a bit more seasoning to make up for the flavor you would get in the sausage, though.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Cost $10.36 recipe / $1.72 serving
4.57 from 112 votes
These Stuffed Bell Peppers are a classic comfort food that’s hearty, filling, has incredible flavors, and can easily feed a large family.
Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.
Author: Marsha McDougal
Servings servings
Prep 15 minutesmins
Cook 50 minutesmins
Total 1 hourhr5 minutesmins
How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers
Prep the peppers: Preheat your oven to 350F, then wash and dry 3 bell peppers. Cut the bell peppers in half horizontally, yes, horizontally.
Most stuffed bell pepper recipes either keep the bell peppers whole or cut them vertically, but by cutting them horizontally, you end up with a flatter bottom surface and it’s easier to stuff. Trust me! Make sure to cut them as evenly as possible.
Using a sharp pairing knife, carefully cut and remove the stem from the top half of each bell pepper. It’s okay if there is a small hole left where the stem was removed.
Prebake the Peppers
Place each bell pepper half in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Brush the bell peppers with 1 Tbsp cooking oil, divided between all 6 halves, and season with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper, also divided between all 6 halves.
Bake the bell peppers in a preheated oven for 20 minutes to soften. After 20 minutes, remove them from the oven and set aside.
Make the Filling
While the bell peppers are baking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of oil. Add 1 lb Italian sausage and cook until brown.
Add Aromatics
Once the sausage has browned, add the 1 diced yellow onion and 3 minced garlic cloves to the skillet. Continue to saute over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
Cook Rice and Sauce
Next, add 1/2 cup uncooked white rice, 1 cup of marinara sauce, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp of salt, and 3/4 cups chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the mixture to come to a full boil.
Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer, without lifting the lid or stirring, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest, without lifting the lid, for an additional 5 minutes.
Assemble and Fill Peppers
Next, remove the lid, fluff the rice, and stir the mixture again to redistribute the ingredients. Begin to fill each bell pepper with the sausage and rice mixture.
Stuff as much filling as you can into each, filling them all the way to the top.
Add Cheese and Bake
Bake the peppers: Divide 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of each bell pepper evenly. Loosely place some tented aluminum foil over the top of the casserole dish and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Broil and Serve
After 15 minutes, remove the foil and turn the heat to broil. Broil the stuffed bell peppers for 2-3 minutes or just until the cheese gets a little brown on top.
Be sure to watch the bell peppers closely at this step to prevent the cheese from getting too brown. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and enjoy!
Variations to Try
These peppers are delicious as-is, but sometimes I mix it up depending on what I’ve got in my kitchen. Here are a few simple swaps to try:
- Try a different seasoning. If you decide to swap out the Italian sausage for ground beef, chicken, or turkey, you could switch up the flavor and sub in taco seasoning, a Greek seasoning blend, Cajun seasoning, or any seasoning mix you love for the Italian seasoning!
- Make it vegetarian or vegan! Swap in your favorite vegetarian/vegan Italian sausage alternative, use vegetable broth to make the filling, and top it with vegan cheese. Don’t forget to add more Italian seasoning if your sausage substitute doesn’t already contain it.
- Swap the cheese. I usually go with mozzarella, but sometimes I’ll use cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack when I want a little extra kick.
- Try brown rice. I know some readers prefer brown rice to white, so feel free to use it here! You’ll just need more broth and a longer cook time, since brown rice takes longer to cook. Be sure to follow the package directions for the right rice-to-liquid ratio.
What to Serve with Stuffed Bell Peppers
The filling inside each of these stuffed bell peppers is pretty hearty by itself, but if you want to serve something with it on the side, they would also be great with a simple salad or some crusty garlic bread. If you want to double down on the veggies, you can also serve these with some roasted broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts, or a side of simple sauteed vegetables.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
454kcal
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ((divided $0.08))
- 11/4 tsp salt ((divided $0.06**))
- 1/4 tsp black pepper ((freshly cracked $0.02))
- 1 lb. Italian sausage (($3.87*))
- 1 yellow onion ((diced $0.70))
- 3 garlic cloves ((minced $0.24))
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup long grain white rice ((uncooked $0.21))
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese ((shredded $1.25))
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash and dry each bell pepper, then cut the bell peppers in half horizontally. Make sure to cut them as evenly as possible. Using a sharp paring knife carefully cut and remove the stem from the top half of each bell pepper (see picture below). It's okay if there is a small hole left where the stem was removed.
- Place each bell pepper half in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Brush the bell peppers with 1 Tbsp oil and season with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper. Bake the bell peppers in a preheated oven for 20 minutes to soften. After 20 minutes remove the bell peppers from the oven and set aside. ***
- While the bell peppers are baking, make the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of oil. Brown the Italian sausage.
- Once the sausage has browned, add the diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Continue to sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Next add the uncooked rice, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, 1 tsp of salt, and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the mixture to come to a full boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer, without lifting the lid or stirring, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest, without lifting the lid, for an additional 5 minutes.
- Next remove the lid, fluff the rice, and stir the mixture again to redistribute the ingredients. Begin to fill each bell pepper with the meat filling. Stuff as much filling as you can into each, filling them all the way to the top.
- Top each bell pepper evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Loosely place some tented aluminum foil over the top of the casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes the bell peppers should be tender but not mushy.
- Now remove the foil and turn the heat on to broil. Broil the stuffed bell peppers for 2-3 minutes or just until the cheese gets a little brown on top. Be sure to watch the bell peppers closely at this step to prevent the cheese from over browning. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and enjoy!
Nutrition info is automatically calculated as an estimate — actual values may vary. Always check your ingredient labels for the most accurate results!
Notes
*I love the flavor of Italian sausage in this recipe, but you can use ground beef, ground turkey, or even Italian turkey sausage if you like. Just note that Italian sausage already has a lot of seasonings built in. I’d add more Italian seasoning to the filling if you’re using plain ground beef or turkey.
**If you’re watching your salt intake, go for a low-sodium chicken broth and reduce the salt used in the filling. Alternatively, you can leave the salt out of the filling and season to taste once the rice is cooked (before stuffing your peppers).
***I definitely suggest par-cooking the bell peppers first, as I do here, just a little bit before stuffing them. Not only does this help to soften the bell peppers, but it also cuts down on your cook time. As the bell peppers are cooking, you can make the filling, shaving off about 20 minutes from your total cook time.
**If you’re watching your salt intake, go for a low-sodium chicken broth and reduce the salt used in the filling. Alternatively, you can leave the salt out of the filling and season to taste once the rice is cooked (before stuffing your peppers).
***I definitely suggest par-cooking the bell peppers first, as I do here, just a little bit before stuffing them. Not only does this help to soften the bell peppers, but it also cuts down on your cook time. As the bell peppers are cooking, you can make the filling, shaving off about 20 minutes from your total cook time.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Storing & Reheating
Got leftovers? No problem! These stuffed bell peppers hold up very well in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
They can be reheated in the microwave or the oven, and the leftovers taste just as good the next day, making them perfect for meal prep! As for freezing, I wouldn’t freeze the whole pepper because they can become very watery and mushy once thawed.
Instead, I’d freeze only the filling for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge as needed.
