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These sausage stuffed peppers are simple to make and packed with flavor from the Italian sausage, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and garlic. They make a fun and colorful family meal!
I’m into stuffed peppers lately. I recently made these Mexican stuffed peppers, and now we’re onto Italian sausage stuffed peppers. I also now have ground beef stuffed peppers. These are great for making ahead/meal prep if you’re into that sort of thing.
Back-to-school is nearly upon us, and I think in some places the kids have gone back already. If you’re looking for something delicious for the upcoming cooler evenings, this recipe is one to try. You can’t go wrong with cheese and sausage meat. And this is a sneaky way to incorporate those vegetables. 😉
Love stuffed peppers but you’re in a rush? Try my easy stuffed pepper soup or my Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup.
This recipe will make 6 fairly large bell peppers or 8 small-to-medium ones.
How to make sausage stuffed peppers
- Cook the rice (or use already cooked rice if you happen to have some lying around).
- Prep your ingredients.
- Brown the sausage and make the stuffing mixture.
- Stuff the peppers and bake them covered for 40 minutes at 400F.
- Add the rest of the cheese and finish cooking the peppers uncovered for 5-10 minutes.
Pro tip: Want to make this dish spicy? Use hot Italian sausage meat or add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the mix.
I’d serve these stuffed peppers with a salad – they’re pretty filling on their own.
How to reheat stuffed peppers:
Microwave the stuffed peppers for 3-5 minutes (microwaves vary so check them as needed) or reheat them in the oven (place them in a baking dish and cover it with foil) at 350F until the internal temperature reaches 165F. It’ll vary based on the size of the peppers and whether they’re straight out of the fridge or not, but I’d check them after 20 minutes or so.
More recipes with sausage that you may like:
- Zuppa Toscana (Sausage, Bacon, Potato, and Kale Soup)
- Sausage and Parmesan Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
- Tuscan Sausage Pasta
- One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage
I hope you’ll try this easy sausage stuffed peppers recipe!
Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
Sausage Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked rice I used white jasmine rice
- 6 large bell peppers any color
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound Italian sausage meat
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese blend, divided
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you don't have cooked rice, make some (this step can be done a day or two ahead). I usually just make 1/2 cup uncooked rice which ends up making a bit more than you need for this recipe, and then I use the rest for other things.
- Preheat the oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position. Meanwhile, prep your ingredients. Cut the tops off the peppers as if you were carving a pumpkin (try to do it as evenly as possible so the filling doesn't fall out). Remove any seeds. Chop up the usable stuff from the pepper tops (you'll add it to the filling).
- Place the peppers cut-side up in a baking dish (mine was a 9x13). Pour one cup of water into the bottom of the dish (the peppers will steam and cook faster).
- Add the oil, onion, and chopped up pepper tops to a skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the sausage meat to the skillet. Cook it, breaking up the sausage meat as you go along, until it's browned and cooked through (about 8 minutes). Spoon out most of the fat.
- Stir in the garlic and diced tomatoes and give it a good stir. If there's lots of liquid, let some of it cook off, but we do want some moisture in the peppers, so don't let it go dry.
- Stir in the cooked rice and 1/2 of the cheese. Season the mixture with salt & pepper as needed. Spoon the mixture equally into each pepper.
- Cover the baking dish with foil. Place it in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Take the dish out of the oven. The peppers should be still a little bit firm to the touch (we don't want them going limp and falling apart). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top. Return the peppers to the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Try to find bell peppers that are roughly the same size. Also, the ones with 4 "bumps" on the bottom are less likely to fall over, so I look for those.
- I used a bit over a pound of ground mild Italian sausage meat. Anything in the ballpark is fine.
- Cooking technique adapted from The Kitchn.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made theses they are absolutely delicious 😋
My whole family devoured them !!!
Awesome!! Thanks for commenting, Johane!
Cheddar cheese just doesn’t seem right with Italian sausage, try asiago or provolone.
Lots of people like cheddar, but yes, your suggestions for sure work too!
This recipe is a winner! My husband and I both like to cook and provide little critiques of each other’s meals. Tonight I made these stuffed peppers and he was wowed. “No feedback! I wouldn’t change a thing.” Super yummy! As a bonus, we have two toddlers and this was really easy to serve deconstructed. They had white rice, raw bell pepper, and plain mild sausage all set aside before everything was mixed together in the filling. They ate early while the peppers baked, then played while we ate. The best we can do for a date night these days! 🙂
Wow that’s awesome!! 🙂 I’m so glad that you were able to adapt it for the toddlers, too!
I’ve been making traditional stuffed peppers my entire married life. We still like the familiar flavors of the recipe passed down from my mom, but — this new twist with the Italian sausage is right on up there with being a definite favorite! I used half ground turkey and half sausage, as I wasn’t sure if my hubby would want it with all sausage. I also used hot Italian sausage and it turned out amazing! With us, spicy is always a good thing. I’m so glad I came across your recipe — thank you Natasha!
I’m so glad you gave this a try! 🙂 You’re very welcome!
It is in the oven and smells great. I did alter the recipe a bit hope you don’t mind! I added the garlic to the peppers before the sausage, and I substituted the rice for some Panko breadcrumb to lower the carbs a bit. And I switched the cheddar for some mozzarella. This is very similar to a zucchini boat recipe I learned from my mom, so I’m sure it’s gonna be great!
Sure, cooking is all about switching things up. 🙂 I hope you enjoyed the peppers!
Do I spray the baking dish before I add the stuffed peppers?
Yes 😊
I added mushrooms and chili powder and a little tomato sauce on top of the cheese at the end. VERY TASTY!
Excellent!
Once again, a fabulous recipe! I just discovered your web site about 1 month ago and have made 5 of your recipes and all of them a hit with my husband. Thank you so much!!
Wow… I am so glad you found me, Mary!! So pleased you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks so much for commenting! 🙂
The peppers are in the oven. The filling tasted very good so I am sure supper will be a hit. They really are easy to make. A keeper.
Yay! So glad to hear it.
I make the same stuffed peppers. I use quinoa instead of rice and add spinach. It’s a nice change from rice.
Good idea!
When is the garlic added? I just went ahead and added it with the Sausage
Sorry about that… just updated the recipe. 🙂 What you did is just fine haha.
I loved this dish. It was as good, if not better reheated!