Easy Italian Stuffed Peppers - Savory Tooth (2024)

Updated Jun 22, 2021Published Jan 23, 2017 By Julia 19 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.

Summary:

Bell peppers are generously stuffed with sweet Italian sausage, white rice, sautéed onions, and garlic. They're baked in the oven alongside a slightly spicy tomato sauce with balsamic vinegar.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

5 from 11 votes

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Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

▢ 2 large green bell peppers, seeded and halved lengthwise
▢ 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (Note 1)
▢ 5 cloves garlic, minced
▢ 1 teaspoon table salt
▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
▢ chopped fresh chives, for garnish
▢ finely grated asiago cheese, for garnish

Sauce:

▢ 1 small onion, diced
▢ 8-ounce can tomato sauce
▢ 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil

Rice:

▢ 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
▢ 1 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook Rice: Combine rice and water in small saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Cover with lid and simmer until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Make Sauce: Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add diced onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer half of onions to small bowl; set aside. Add tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, and cayenne to pan. Stir until combined, about 1 minute. Pour sauce into baking dish (Note 2).
Stuff Peppers: Mix raw sausage, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in large bowl until combined. Stir in reserved onions and cooked rice. Generously stuff four bell pepper halves with mixture.
Bake: Place stuffed pepper halves in baking dish over sauce. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until meat and peppers are cooked, about 10 minutes. Garnish with chives and asiago cheese, and serve (Note 3).

NUTRITION

Makes 4 Servings

Amount Per Serving (1 stuffed pepper half with sauce):

Calories 460 (46% from fat)
Total Fat 24g	37%
Saturated Fat 8g	40%
Cholesterol 70mg	23%
Sodium 1750mg	73%
Net Carb 39.5g
Total Carb 42g	14%
Dietary Fiber 2.5g	10%
Sugars 7g
Protein 20g

Vitamin A 14% · Vitamin C 108% · Calcium 4% · Iron 16%

PHOTOS

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Sausage. Use raw sausage, which is not browned prior to stuffing. The sausage cooks in the oven along with the raw bell peppers.

(2) Baking Dish. Select a high-sided baking dish that is large enough to hold all four bell pepper halves but not so large such that the pepper halves tip over. I use a 2-quart oval baking dish that snugly holds the stuffed peppers together.

(3) Serving / Make Ahead. Serve hot as a main dish, alongside artichokes, mashed cauliflower, or Greek salad. To make ahead, prepare the sauce and stuffed peppers (without baking), and refrigerate them separately. About an hour before serving, preheat the oven and follow the last instruction step for baking.

(4) Adjusting Yield. This recipe can be doubled or tripled; all you need is a larger baking dish to accommodate all of the stuffed peppers.

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About Julia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth, and lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Since 2015, she has been sharing simple recipes for tasty dishes in a user-friendly format. She typically prefers savory foods over sweet, hence the name of the site. Contact her at julia@savorytooth.null.com.

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Lyn

I doubled this recipe, but rather than 2 lbs sausage I mixed in 1 lb ground chicken with 1 lb sausage and also mixed in a 14 oz can tomato sauce and a half cup of parmesan cheese in stuffing. It was enough to stuff 6 large peppers. Excellent!

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5 years ago