Stuffed Peppers
These easy Stuffed Peppers are packed with Italian sausage, ground beef, rice, fire-roasted tomatoes, and marinara, then topped with freshly grated cheese. No pre-cooking the peppers—just stuff and roast to perfection!
Servings: 4 servings (6 stuffed peppers)
Cost: $6.81
Equipment
- 9 x 13-inch baking pan 9 x 13-inch
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1-1/2 cups diced yellow onion 1 medium onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage mild or hot
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large beef bouillon cube see note 1
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup Marinara sauce I like Rao’s
- 6 large bell peppers yellow, red, and orange; tops and cores removed
- 1-1/4 cup freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- Freshly chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Place rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse in cold water for 2–3 minutes or until water runs clear. Place uncooked rice in a bowl and soak in cold water while you bring a very large pot of water to boil over high heat. Once boiling, salt the water (a teaspoon or so). Drain rice through the sieve and add to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes (do not reduce temperature; it should be boiling). Drain rice and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once oil is shimmering, add onion and cook until soft, about 5–8 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add ground beef and Italian sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 5–8 minutes. Drain any fat and return the pan to stovetop. Reduce heat to low.
- Stir in cooked and drained rice, undrained diced tomatoes, oregano, thyme, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper (or to taste). Crumble in the bouillon cube and add Worcestershire sauce and marinara. Simmer 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until liquid has slightly reduced.
- Meanwhile, remove tops of the peppers and pull out the core and seeds. Place hollowed-out peppers (without their tops) in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Drizzle oil over peppers (about 1 tablespoon). Stuff peppers evenly with the filling; you should use all the filling among the 6 peppers. Cover peppers with their tops. Place in the oven 35 minutes, uncovered, or until peppers are crisp-tender. Remove from oven and remove the tops of the peppers (set aside). Divide cheese evenly among the top of the peppers. Return to oven for another 5–10 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted on top. Remove, garnish with fresh herbs if desired, and serve with the tops on the side.
Notes
Storage: To freeze peppers, cook and cool them, then cover the pan with foil and wrap it in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. They’ll last up to three months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Serving: 4servings | Calories: 479kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 28.1g | Fat: 25.8g | Cholesterol: 82.2mg | Sodium: 991.6mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 16.1g