Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Every time I make stuffed peppers, I forget how delicious and satisfying they are. This version is filled to the brim with Italian sausage, which brings some heat, uses leftover rice (which you might already have in your fridge from takeout!), and is topped off with melty cheese. It is such an easy recipe and so flavorful. Plus – they keep really well in the fridge for leftovers for later! They even microwave really well! They also don’t really require too many ingredients and are easy to customize based on what you have. Especially during these crazy times, substitution options are a must!

Making the Stuffed Peppers

First you will prepare the peppers for stuffing by slicing the tops off and cleaning out the seeds and white parts with a spoon. Throw away the stems from the top, but keep the rest of the pepper you cut off and chop that up to add to your filling. Don’t let anything go to waste! You will add that to your filling along with the onion and garlic. Then from there it’s super easy! First you will cook the onion, garlic, and pepper tops together over medium heat until fragrant. Then add your sausage and cook until you no longer see pink.

Once your sausage is browned, you will add your cooked rice, crushed tomatoes and cheese. Then just stir to combine and you have your final stuffing! You will want to taste your stuffing here and adjust the seasoning as necessary. I like to use leftover tomato rice (basmati rice cooked with tomatoes, bay leaf, garlic, onion, and salt), which already has a lot of flavor on it’s own. The additional garlic, onion, and the spices in the Italian sausage will bring a lot of flavor to the mix. But if you’re using plain brown rice, for example, you will need more seasoning! Or if you decide to use only sweet sausage, you might want some red pepper flakes to bring a little heat. I have added a break down below of how to update the recipe based on some substitutions.

Once your stuffing is finished based on the substitutions below, you will stuff your peppers and bake! You’ll cook them covered until the peppers get tender and then uncover them, add some cheese, and bake for 10 more minutes until bubbly and browning.

Substitutions and Modifications

The Rice

As I mentioned above, I like to use leftover tomato rice for this dish. But I am probably the only person who has this leftover in their fridge. So there’s lots of things you can use for this dish instead.

1. Leftover white or brown rice (like what you might get from Thai, Chinese, Indian, etc. takeout) – This a great option to use for these stuffed peppers. I love the idea of using leftover rice because it eliminates an extra step of having to cook rice first and it’s a great way to use leftovers that might otherwise get thrown away. You might not have a full 2 cups of leftover rice, which is fine!
   Adjustment: A lot of restaurant rice already has salt, but it will be missing other flavoring. So increase your garlic by one clove and use a medium onion instead of a small one. If you are short on rice, you can just omit it or you can add extra meat.
2. If you have no leftover rice, you can make a fresh batch of basmati or brown rice according to package directions. Generally package directions just ask you to use water and add no additional flavoring.
   Adjustment: You can make your rice according to package instructions, but using stock in place of all or half of the water. You can also add seasoning like bay leaf and salt while cooking. For the stuffed peppers, increase your garlic by one clove and use a medium onion instead of a small one.

The Meat

I like to use a half and half mix of hot and sweet Italian pork sausage for these stuffed peppers. You’ll get some fennel flavor from the sweet sausage and the kick from the hot sausage which is an awesome combination. But if you don’t have that on hand, there are other things you can use.

1. If you don’t like spice, you can use only sweet Italian sausage. But you might want to add a pinch of red pepper flakes just to add the slightest bit of kick.
2. You can use Italian chicken sausage in place of pork sausage with no additional adjustments.
3. You can also replace with ground meat in the same quantity (beef, chicken, turkey, etc.) but ground meat doesn’t have all of the built in flavor of sausage, so you’ll want to add additional seasoning.
   Adjustment: I would add two additional cloves of garlic, use a medium onion instead of a small one, and would add a pinch of red pepper flakes, additional salt and pepper, as well as dried Italian seasoning.

The Cheese

You can use basically any shredded melty cheese that you like or have on hand. Cheddar, Monterey jack, and mozzarella are all great options. You can even use packaged cheese mixes like shredded Mexican cheese blends or three cheese for pizza. Use whatever you have!

Print Recipe

Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

These stuffed peppers are packed with a mix of hot and sweet Italian sausage, rice, tomatoes, and cheese! They come together quickly, use leftover rice (or you can make a fresh batch!), and are great as leftovers.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Servings: 6 peppers

Ingredients

• 6 bell peppers, any color I like to use a mix of colors because it’s pretty! But you can pick the peppers you like best. Just try to find ones that are wide and round so they are easy to stuff
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil separated
• 1.5 lb Italian sausage, casings removed (mix of hot and sweet) I do half and half, but if you like things a little less spicy, use more sweet than hot
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups cooked rice I always use leftover rice, but you can also make basmati or brown rice according to package directions.
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack or mozzarella cheese plus more for sprinkling on top
• Salt and pepper to taste This will change based on the sausage, rice and even canned tomatoes you use, so make sure to taste as you go!

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Slice the tops off of the bell peppers, discarding the stem but keeping the rest of the pepper that you cut off.
• Dice the tops of the bell peppers to use in your stuffing. Set aside with your diced onions and minced garlic.
• Using a spoon, remove the white inner part of the bell peppers and all of the seeds. Place the prepared peppers in a 9×13 baking dish and drizzle the outsides with 1/2 tbsp. of the olive oil. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan or pot, heat the remaining 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes, until they become fragrant but have no color.
• Add your Italian sausage cook until you no longer see any pink, breaking up the sausage with the back of your spoon as you cook. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
• Add your rice, crushed tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir to combine. You will want to taste the filling here to see how much salt and pepper you will need to add.
• Scoop your filling into your prepared peppers and cover with tin foil. Cook for 30-35 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the sides are wrinkly.
• Remove the tin foil and top the peppers with additional shredded cheese.
• Continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. If after 15 minutes, you still want your cheese meltier, you can broil on high for about a minute.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Notes

You can store leftover, cooled stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. To reheat, you can use a microwave or cook them in the oven again at 400F for about 30 minutes. You can also wrap the cooled stuffed peppers tightly in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight plastic bag to freeze. You can cook them from frozen in the oven or allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat the next day.