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    Home ยป Recipes ยป One Pot Meal Recipes

    Sausage Stuffed Peppers

    Published: Aug 11, 2023 by Ned Adams ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 35 Comments

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    Branded split image of sausage stuffed peppers.
    Branded image of Sausage stuffed peppers sliced open to show meat and rice mixture.

    Sausage Stuffed Peppers is a hearty and easy dinner recipe using simple ingredients yielding big, bold flavor in every bite. These Italian sausage stuffed peppers make for a wonderful weeknight meal as well as something fun when entertaining.

    If you love to to cook sausage and bell peppers together, try our Sausage, Peppers, and Rice Skillet and Skillet Barbecue Chicken n’ Sausage.

    Branded image of a skillet full of cheese topped sausage stuffed peppers.
    Jump to:
    • What are stuffed peppers?
    • Recipe ingredients
    • How to make Sausage Stuffed Peppers
    • Adaptations and variations
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Our favorite tools to make Sausage Stuffed Peppers!
    • Other Related Sausage Inspired Recipes
    • Get the Recipe

    What are stuffed peppers?

    Stuffed peppers are pretty much what they sound like peppers that have been stuffed with some kind of filling. Several cuisines worldwide have a version of stuffed peppers usually consisting of meat, rice, various vegetables, and in many cases, cheese.

    Once the filling mixture has been made, it's stuffed into the hallowed out pepper and baked. It's a simple dish but packs a lot of flavor.

    Recipe ingredients

    Labeled ingredients for making sausage stuffed peppers: bell peppers, onion, pasta sauce, Minute rice, Italian sausage, Italian blend cheese, parsley, granulated garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
    • Bell Peppers — Choose plumb bell peppers to allow for more stuffing. Any color will work. Green bell peppers are often a bit less expensive than yellow peppers, orange peppers, and red bell peppers
    • Italian Sausage — We used a package of sweet Italian sausage not in casings. If you use the links, remove the casings and crumble the meat to brown. If you like spicy, use hot Italian sausage.
    • Pasta Sauce —We used a jar of marinara. Use your favorite brand or any of the flavored and seasoned varieties. Homemade sauce works wonderfully too.
    • Minute Rice — The rice will fully cook inside the peppers.
    • Cheese — We used an Italian blend of cheeses and added more grated mozzarella cheese.
    • Produce — One yellow onion and fresh parsley.
    • Seasonings — Granulated garlic, Italian seasoning blend, salt, and pepper.

    How to make Sausage Stuffed Peppers

    Bell peppers being prepped for stuffing, tops removed, de-seeded and deveined.
    Step 1
    Diced bell pepper tops and diced onions sauteing in a cast iron skillet.
    Step 2
    Italian sausage has been crumbled into the skillet to be cooked with the sauteing onions and peppers.
    Step 3

    Step 1 — Preheat oven to 350°F. Prep the peppers by slicing the tops off. Then scrape out the seeds and veins. Dice the tops of the peppers but remove the core.

    Step 2 — In a large skillet on medium high heat, saute the diced onions and bell peppers. If your skillet is not non-stick, you may need to add a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to soften.

    Step 3 — Crumble in the Italian sausage, mix it in well and continue to cook until the pork sausage is mostly done, another 2-3 minutes.

    Freshly diced parsley and the seasonings of salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian blend seasoning has been added to the cooking meat and vegetables.
    Step 4
    Uncooked Minute-brand rice has been added to the skillet.
    Step 5
    Pasta sauce is being stirred into the meat and rice filling for stuffed peppers.
    Step 6

    Step 4 — Sprinkle in the seasonings and chopped fresh parsley. Stir well and reduce head to medium.

    Step 5 — Stir in the rice until it is completed combined with the sausage and vegetables.

    Step 6 — Slowly stir in the pasta sauce, reserving about a cup to be added to the bottom of the skillet later, and heat though. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of cheese.

    Pasta sauce has been spread around into the bottom of a skillet and a bell pepper has been stuffed with the meat and rice mixture and placed in the skillet.
    Step 7
    Aluminum foil covers the peppers in the skillet and is in the oven to bake.
    Step 8
    Grated cheese tops the nearly cooked bell peppers.
    Step 9

    How to make the stuffed peppers stand upright

    If the bell peppers won't stand flat, you can trim the bottom of the peppers to make them even and able to stand up right. Test if any need trimming before filling. If they will be nestled snugly in the skillet, it won't be necessary to trim the bottoms.

    Step 7 — Stuff each of the peppers to just above the top, leaving a bit of room for the filling to expand while the rice cooks and to add the cheese topping near the end of the baking time. Once all the peppers have been stuffed, pour the remaining pasta sauce into the now empty skillet. Place each pepper in the skillet.

    Step 8 — Cover the stuffed peppers with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.

    Step 9 — After the peppers have cooked for 40 minutes, remove the foil and top each pepper with the remaining cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly, melted, and browned.

    TIP — For camp oven, outdoor cooking instructions, see recipe card.

    Freshly baked sausage stuffed bell peppers in a skillet with melted cheese on top.

    Adaptations and variations

    Meat —Use half lean ground beef and half Italian sausage. Or skip the ground beef and use ground turkey. Chicken sausage and turkey sausage are also wonderful options if they've been blended in the Italian style.

    Rice — Using instant rice is simple and convenient but there's so many other wonderful rices out there you could use. Brown rice. Wild rice. Jasmine rice. Basmati rice. Cauliflower rice. And of course, long grain white rice. If you use any rice other than instant, it must be fully cooked rice or it will be still be mostly raw at the end of the cooking time.

    Sauce — Swap out the pasta sauce and use tomato sauce. Add your favorite Italian seasonings to give it flavor like thyme, oregano, fresh basil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and more.

    Cheese — Using only mozzarella cheese will work, but even cheddar cheese will work in a pinch. Really, any shredded cheese will do this fabulous recipe justice.

    Mix-ins — This is where the possibilities are endless. Diced tomatoes, chopped mushrooms, fire roasted tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, and diced zucchini are just a few options.

    A single sausage stuffed peppers on a white plate sitting in a small pool of pasta sauce.

    Recipe FAQs

    How long will leftover stuffed peppers stay good?

    If you store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, they will last 3-4 days.

    Should peppers be boiled before stuffing?

    They do not have to be. If you do blanch them before stuffing, they will be softer and need less baking time.

    Can I make these cut in half lengthwise?

    Absolutely but you may need a bigger skillet, large baking dish or baking pan.

    A plated stuffed bell pepper has been sliced open to reveal its meat and rice mixture filling with a salad and garlic bread in the background.

    Our favorite tools to make Sausage Stuffed Peppers!

    Image of Lodge 10.25" Cast Iron Pre-Seasoned Skillet

    Lodge 10.25" Cast Iron Pre-Seasoned Skillet

    Buy Now →
    Image of BuzzyWaxx Original Blend - Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Seasoning

    BuzzyWaxx Original Blend - Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Seasoning

    Buy Now →

    Other Related Sausage Inspired Recipes

    • A hearty serving of Sausage Tortellini Casserole on a white plate with a piece of garlic bread and a fork.
      Dutch Oven Sausage Tortellini Casserole
    • Close up view of the freshly baked Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash in a cast iron pan.
      Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash
    • A large portion of sausage stuffing served on a blue plate with a fork.
      Skillet Sausage Stuffing
    • Cooked Dutch oven peppered bacon meatloaf garnished with fresh parsley
      Dutch Oven Peppered Bacon Meatloaf

    If you tried these Sausage Stuffed Peppers or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

    Get the Recipe

    A plated stuffed bell pepper has been sliced open to reveal its meat and rice mixture filling with a salad and garlic bread in the background.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 34 votes

    Sausage Stuffed Peppers

    Sausage Stuffed Peppers is a hearty and easy dinner recipe using simple ingredients yielding big, bold flavor in every bite.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 566kcal
    Author: Ned Adams
    Cost: $10
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 10" cast iron skillet

    Ingredients

    • 7 bell peppers
    • ½ cup onion diced
    • 1 lb sweet Italian sausage ground
    • 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 2 teaspoon granulated garlic
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
    • 1 cup instant rice uncooked
    • 24 oz pasta sauce
    • 2 cups Italian blend cheese shredded
    • 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
    US Standard - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350º F.
    • Slice the tops of the bell peppers off. Then scrape out the seeds and veins. Dice the tops of the peppers but remove the core. You'll need ยฝ cup of chopped tops.
    • In a large skillet on medium high heat, sauté the diced onions and bell peppers. If your skillet is not non-stick, you may need to add a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to soften.
    • Crumble in the Italian sausage, mix it in well and continue to cook until the pork sausage is mostly done, another 2-3 minutes.
    • Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh parsley. Stir well and reduce head to medium.
    • Stir in the rice until it is completed combined with the sausage and vegetables.
    • Stir in the pasta sauce (but reserve about a cup for later) and heat though. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of cheese.
    • Stuff each of the peppers to just above the top.
    • Once all the peppers have been stuffed, pour the remaining pasta sauce into the now empty skillet. Place each pepper in the skillet.
    • Cover the stuffed peppers with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
    • At the end of the cooking time, remove the foil and top each pepper with the remaining cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly, melted, and browned.

    Outdoor Camp Oven

    • Heat coals in a charcoal chimney and do the prep work for preparing the recipe.
    • Once hot, place 9-10 coals on bottom (camp table, fire pit, etc).
    • Nestle camp oven on top of the coals.
    • Follow directions above for making the recipe.
    • Cover with the camp oven lid. Place heated coals over the entire lid.
    • Use a lid lifter when adding the cheese and then serving.

    Notes

    How to make the stuffed peppers stand upright

    If the bell peppers won’t stand flat, you can trim the bottom of the peppers to make them even and able to stand up right. Test if any need trimming before filling. If they will be nestled snugly in the skillet, it won’t be necessary to trim the bottoms.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 566kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 1481mg | Potassium: 887mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 5088IU | Vitamin C: 190mg | Calcium: 228mg | Iron: 4mg

    Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

    Did you try this recipe?Leave me a comment and rating below or Tag @DutchOvenDaddy on Instagram to show us your photos!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 34 votes

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      Recipe Rating




    1. TAYLER ROSS

      August 21, 2023 at 9:30 am

      5 stars
      This is my new favorite stuffed pepper recipe! I've made it several times and it always turns out perfctly!

      Reply
    2. Ali

      August 19, 2023 at 8:37 am

      5 stars
      I love stuffed peppers but never tried then with sausage, these ones look delicious, can't wait to make them!

      Reply
    3. Andrea

      August 19, 2023 at 8:11 am

      5 stars
      This easy, flavor packed stuffed pepper recipe is perfect for my family. Looking forward to trying it.

      Reply
    4. Kechi

      August 19, 2023 at 7:47 am

      5 stars
      I double batched this recipe and itโ€™s the best thing ever!!! Also, I used Spicy maple Italian sausage and everything came out do good!!!

      Reply
    5. whitney

      August 19, 2023 at 7:38 am

      5 stars
      These look so good! I've only had them made with regular beef so the italian sausage sounds like a kick it needs! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
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    the Dutch Oven Daddy! Iโ€™m a full-time computer nerd and part-time cook. My passion is cast iron cooking with tips, tricks, and delicious recipes. I love using my recipes to bring together family and friends. I believe everything is made better in cast iron!

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