A classic recipe, these Stuffed Bell Peppers are filled with ground beef, Italian sausage, rice, and vegetables. They are hearty and healthy dinner idea.
Have lots of garden fresh peppers? After you try these stuffed peppers, check out this Steak Stir Fry with Peppers or Sausage and Peppers Pasta.
It’s funny how you learn to appreciate things as an adult that you did not like as a child.
Let’s talk about gardening.
Growing up, my dad had a big garden, and part of our chores was to weed that garden every Saturday. It was my least favorite chore, so I didn’t really appreciate that garden when I was a kid.
Today, though, I see so much more than just the pain of weeding – because the payoff is so, so worth it. There is nothing like fresh vegetables, straight from the garden.
If you’re garden consists of bell peppers, (or if you just pick up a bunch of peppers at the store while they are inexpensive this time of year!), you need a good stuffed bell pepper recipe in your life. And this one is my favorite!
Ingredients:
Rice: I typically use white rice in my stuffed peppers, but this can easily be changed! You can use brown rice, or even another grain like quinoa or use cauliflower rice for a low carb version. It is a great way to use up leftover rice, as well. If you are are changing this up, you’ll want 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice or whatever substitution you are using.
Peppers: I talk more about the peppers below, but I love to use a variety of colors.
Ground Beef & Sausage: My favorite way to make these stuffed peppers is with a mix of ground beef and sausage. Feel free to use all of one or the other, though. You could also use ground turkey.
Onion & Garlic: These are both for flavor.
Corn: I love to add in some frozen corn, but fresh corn works, as well. Not a fan of corn? Use diced zucchini or mushrooms or any other veggie you like.
Tomato Sauce: This brings everything together so don’t skip it!
Worcestershire Sauce: This will give the filling some depth of flavor.
Spices: I like to use a mixture of fresh oregano and Italian seasoning. This can be changed up pretty easily to your tastes, though. And of course don’t forget to season with salt and black pepper!
Cheese: We usually use Monterey Jack cheese and Parmesan cheese. Again, this can be changed for different cheeses, as well. Mozzarella cheese would work well. I do recommend grating it fresh so that it melts nicely.
How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Start by cutting your peppers. You want to just cut the tops off, making a kind of bowl where you’ll put the filling. Once you cut off the top, scoop out the membranes and the seeds.
- To make the filling, start by cooking your rice. While the rice is cooking, cook your ground beef and Italian sausage.
- When the meat is about halfway cooked, add in the diced onion. You can also add in some diced peppers, cut from the tops of the peppers that you took off. Once those are softened, add in some garlic.
- Once everything is cooked, stir some frozen corn, tomato sauce, spices and cheese.
- Fill the peppers with the filling.
- Top each filled pepper with some more tomato sauce, then bake until the peppers are softened and tender, about 45 minutes. A few minutes before the peppers are finished, top with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven to melt the cheese.
- Let the peppers sit for a few minutes before serving.
What Kind of Peppers to Use
There is no right answer here – you can get creative with the peppers! Traditionally, you’ll want to use bell peppers. Red, yellow or orange peppers will be a bit sweeter than green peppers, but I love them all in this recipe. You can even even use the purple bell peppers you can sometimes find at the farmer’s market. I say you use whatever you grew or whatever has the best price at the grocery store.
You can also use other peppers such as poblano peppers or any other pepper that is big enough to fill. (You can also stray from the typical and make these Stuffed Poblano Peppers!)
What to Serve with Stuffed Bell Peppers
I love that you have your protein, grain and vegetables all in one! But here are some side dishes that would be great to serve alongside stuffed bell peppers:
Caesar Salad with Pasta
Broccoli Salad
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Smoky Butter
Crown Ruby Fruit Salad
Bacon Blue Cheese Coleslaw
Tomato and Herb Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
The first trick is to make sure that your baking dish fits the peppers fairly snugly. They will hold each other up if they fit well in your dish. You can also cut off a sliver from the bottom of the pepper that will help the peppers to stand up.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you reheat the peppers, they will soften up even more, but I actually really like the leftovers! You can reheat the peppers in the oven, or for a couple minutes in the microwave.
I don’t! I’m baking these for a longer period, so the peppers get nice and tender during the bake time. If you want to cut the baking time, you can partially bake the unfilled peppers while you are preparing the filling.
You can! If you have some extra time in the morning, fully prep the peppers but don’t bake them. Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate until dinnertime, then bake the peppers as outlined in the recipe. Yow might need to add a few extra minutes since they will be cold when going into the oven.
More Garden Fresh Recipes
Glazed Carrots
Cheddar Corn Fritters
Corn Chowder with Bacon
Zucchini Cobbler Bars
Tomato Tart with Bacon and Gruyere
Cheesy Italian Stuffed Tomatoes
Zucchini Muffins
Tomato and Basil Bake
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1 cup water
- 6 bell peppers
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 can 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Place the rice and the water in a saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.
- Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes, leaving the pepper intact. Place the peppers, cut side up, in a casserole dish. Take the tops and dice them, discarding the stems.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef and sausage. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat. When it’s about halfway cooked, add the diced peppers (I don’t usually add all of them, probably about half) and the onion. Cook until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the frozen corn, half of the tomato sauce, the Worcestershire sauce, oregano, and the Italian seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked rice and the Monterey Jack Cheese.
- Fill each pepper with the meat and rice mixture. Top with the remaining tomato sauce.
- Bake the peppers for 45 minutes, or until the peppers have softened. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the peppers, then cook a few additional minutes, or until melted.
- Let the peppers sit for a few minutes before serving.
kellypea says
Oh. My. Goodness. Do you know that stuffed peppers are one of my deep secret closet food fantasies? My mother used to make them and I’ve done so a few times over the years, but not for a while. I’ll be all over these, and will post YOUR recipe. WOOT. My tastebuds are going nuts!
Ivonne says
Isn’t your own garden just the best thing ever?! And you’re right, when you’re a kid you just don’t appreciate it enough.
Congratulations on your garden and thanks so much for bringing these gorgeous stuffed peppers to our party!
Sara says
I’m so jealous! We’ve got 3 pepper plants but only one teeney tiny pepper so far. These look so good.
Lis says
How did you know I was hoping and praying that someone would make stuffed peppers? I love them SO MUCH!
Yours look really too good for just pictures – I think it’s just a waste to have them plastered on your blog – quite possibly they’d live a better life sitting on a plate in front of me. Yes, I think that would be fitting. 😀
Thank you SO MUCH, Deborah! We will be honored to place these on the Festa table!
xoxo
Kelly-Jane says
Stuffed peppers as so yummy, mmmmm.
Kevin says
I have found myself wishing that I had a garden several times this summer. Both for growing my own fruits and vegetables and for being able to have a grill. The stuffed peppers look nice and sound tasty. I am thinking a nice and spicy Italian style sausage.
Cynthia says
These are bound to be a hit at any party!
Ellie says
Woah, check out those peppers!! I am utterly jealous of your green thumb and gardening space, and seeing this has reminded me that I really need to get off my arse and try out the stuffed pepper recipe I’ve been eyeing for awhile 🙂
sher says
Oh those take me back to when I was a kid. My mom made them and I don’t know why I haven’t made any. Congrats on your garden! Each year will be a great experience.
Mandy says
I can imagine your joy of harvesting and eating what you planted in the garden. I would to have my own garden one day!
Nirmala says
These look so good! I’ll have to try them without the meat or maybe substituting with tofu.