Stuffed Peppers are an easy, all-in-one dinner made with colorful bell peppers, a savory beef and sausage filling, and plenty of marinara sauce. They’re make-ahead friendly, freezer-friendly, and perfect for busy weeknights.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Stuffed Peppers
- Flavor: Rich, savory, and comforting, every bite is packed with seasoned meat, tender rice, sweet bell peppers, and tangy marinara.
- Why Make It: Cooking the rice right in the tomato mixture helps it soak up the sauce and keeps the filling flavorful.
- Serving Suggestions: These peppers are a complete meal on their own, but they’re delicious served with a crisp green salad and warm garlic bread for soaking up the extra marinara sauce.
Total Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes Servings: 6 Cooking Method: Oven Baked
Ingredient Notes
- Bell peppers: Any color works. Green peppers have a slightly sharper flavor, while red, yellow, and orange peppers are sweeter.
- Meat: Lean ground beef makes the filling hearty without becoming greasy, while Italian sausage adds richness and plenty of flavor. Use mild, sweet, or hot Italian sausage depending on your preference, and be sure to drain any excess fat after browning the meat.
- Long Grain White Rice: Uncooked long grain white rice simmers in the tomato mixture, absorbing all of the delicious flavors as it cooks. If using cooked rice instead, omit the water and simmer the filling just until everything is heated through and well combined. If using brown rice, make sure it is precooked.
- Marinara Sauce: Choose a marinara sauce you enjoy, as it adds flavor to both the filling and the peppers while they bake. Since some sauces are saltier than others, taste the filling before adding any extra salt.
How to Make Stuffed Peppers
- Cut and clean out the peppers, and then boil.
- Cook the filling in a skillet.
- Fill the peppers.
- Bake (full recipe below).
Stuffed Pepper Pointers
- For Softer Peppers: Boil or air fry them before filling. For tender-crisp peppers, skip that step.
- Drain the Peppers: Draining them well after boiling prevents a watery dish.
- Taste the Filling: Taste before stuffing because marinara sauce and sausage can vary in saltiness.
- Do Not Pack Tightly: Use a spoon to gently press the filling into the peppers, but do not pack it too tightly.
- Spooning the Sauce: Spoon from the bottom of the dish over the peppers before adding cheese for extra moisture and flavor.
Save Every Stuffed Pepper
- Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in the microwave, covered loosely, until heated through. For the oven, place peppers in a baking dish with a little marinara or water, cover with foil, and heat at 350°F until warm.
- To Freeze: Assemble the peppers without baking and cool the filling completely first. Cover tightly and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed, adding about 15 minutes if needed.
More Stuffed Pepper Favorites
Did you enjoy the following Stuffed Peppers Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
- 6 medium bell peppers any color
- 8 ounces lean ground beef
- 8 ounces Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can canned petite diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup long grain white rice uncooked
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ½ cups marinara sauce divided
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Cut off the tops of the bell peppers. Discard the stems, finely chop the tops, and set aside for the sauce. Core the peppers, discarding the membranes and seeds.
- To cook the peppers, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the peppers for 5 minutes and then drain them well. Alternatively, air fry the peppers at 400°F for 5 minutes.
- For the filling, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, Italian sausage, diced onion, and minced garlic. Cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains. Drain the fat.
- Add diced tomatoes with their juices, water, Worcestershire sauce, rice, the diced pepper tops, Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cover. Cook until the rice is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, adding more water if needed. Remove from the heat and stir in ½ cup of the marinara. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Place 1 ½ cups of marinara sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the peppers, cut-side-up, and divide the rice mixture evenly into the peppers. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the top.
- Cover tightly with foil, bake for 35 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil and spoon the sauce from the bottom of the dish over the peppers. Top with cheese (if using) and bake uncovered for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is fully melted.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Rice: If using cooked rice, skip the water and simmer the rice in the sauce for about 5 minutes. Brown rice should be pre-cooked.
Peppers: For firm to tender-crisp peppers, skip the boiling step and bake as directed. I prefer the texture when the peppers are softer.
Seasoning: Marinara sauce can vary in salt levels and seasonings. Taste a bit of the filling and add salt to taste.
Additional vegetables, such as diced zucchini or chopped mushrooms, can be added to the filling.
Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 397 | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 980mg | Potassium: 1023mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 4384IU | Vitamin C: 168mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pork
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I cook mine 1 hr. & don’t cover. A topping of tomatoe sauce, mustard, brown sugar is delicious
Your topping sounds so amazing!
Your stuffed pepper recipe was delicious- huge hit !
Thank you Mary!
OUR TRADITIONAL STUFFED PEPPER. BUT YOUR RECIPTE YUMMY THANKS
Made the stuffed peppers for dinner last night. Really a great recipe . Looking forward to do it again.
So glad you loved them Jim!
What is the purpose of putting the sauce in the pan before it’s being baked? Wouldn’t it burn to the pan, making it hard to scrub off?
It doesn’t burn to the pan, the peppers will also release moisture.
My husband loves them! It is a really good recipe. I added a TBS of Tomato paste to the mix because I like a deep rich tomato flavor but the recipe is outstanding as is. I missed/don’t see where it said to add the marina sauce into to the meat mixture prior to stuffing which i caught when I saw the video. My peppers were about to go into the oven so I just stirred in the amount I had poured on top and when mixed added more to the top. They are wonderful. The melted cheese on top…..yummmmmm.
I have the same question, in the video it shows mixing marinara sauce into the meat mixture, but doesn’t say it anywhere in the recipe itself. Either way, my wife and I loved it, our 2 year old even loved it. Can’t wait to make it again, I think I might even try it with ground chicken and turkey next time.
Pete, I’m so glad to hear that your family loves these stuffed peppers! Great idea to try them with ground chicken or turkey! In step 7, we use the marinara on the bottom of the pan, then top the peppers with the remaining marinara. Hope that helps.
This is the first time in 52 years of marriage that I made stuffed peppers. These were absolutely fantastic!! I will definitely be making them again in the near future!!
I’m so glad you loved these Elaine!
Red or yellow peppers are much better since they are sweeter.
I was just wondering if you can use wheat rice? I know I would have to cook the wheat rice first . They say wheat rice is a little chewy. So I well cook It longer than white rice.
I haven’t tried it but I’m sure it would work!
What is the name is the first kitchen gadget you used in the pan? I must have one!!
I call it a meat chopper (I don’t know if that’s the ‘real’ name) and you can find them here on Amazon or at Walmart!
You can use a potato masher. I’m sure you have one of those laying around!
I got mine from Pampered Chef.
This was sooo good. The filling it self could be a main dish. Next I’ll probably use less of the diced tomato cause i don’t really like tomatoes. This was PERFECT!!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Nick!
I use an electric frying pan to cook the filling. I also use ground venison and stews tomatoes. Then I spoon the mixture into the peppers and set them on top of the filling left in the pan and set on simmer until the peppers are cooked. This is good for those who don’t like the peppers but gives the filling a good flavor. Also I like the crunchy pieces of mixture in the frying pan. Yummy!
Great tip, thank you!
Made this last night. They were delicious! Added additional oregano and Italian spice. Topped with mozarella cheese.
I’m so glad you loved them!
If you cook these in a slow cooker there is no need to blanch the peppers, they come out nice and soft. I would put some water in the bottom rather than the sauce. 6 hours on low.
Thank you for sharing!
Can I use minute rice?
I have only made the recipe as written.
wHAT KIND OF RICE DO YOU USE? lONG GRAIN OR INSTANT?
I use long grain white rice. Enjoy!
My family loves these. We even like them for a Christmas Eve supper (red and green, lol) . Sometimes the peppers are just too big and overwhelming so we stsryedcmaking stuffed pepper “rings” making three or more rings from each and having lots of extra stuffing. Love your recipe.
I love the stuffed pepper rings idea! Thank you for sharing!
Oh my, yes to all of this. The end of the summer is the perfect time to have a huge grillout in the backyard.
This recipe sounds amazing! Question though, if using cauliflower rice, do you need to pre-cook the cauliflower rice or simply follow the same directions? Thanks!
It should be fine just as is. Enjoy!
I’m in the 35 minutes now.. The stuffing was great tasting.. Can’t wait for cheese topping and to be able to cut in that bell… Thank you , Very easy to follow!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, it’s a favorite for us too!
Hi! Just came across this recipe and can’t wait to try it (after heatwave is over)! Just one question, is rice a long grain rice or an instant rice?
I use long grain white rice. Enjoy!
these were the best stuffwd peppers I’ve ever made over the last 40 years. My new go ro recipe
Oh Kathy, you just made my day! Thank you so much and I’m so glad you loved the peppers!
Thankyou Kathy! You have made my day! I’m sure your recipies will be a smash!