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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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 plan on making this tomorrow night. Just a quick question. Do you think adding the uncooked rice and water to the meat would overcook the meat? What about cooking the rice separately and then adding to the meat mixture??
Hi Joe, we add the uncooked rice to the meat mixture in step 5. I hope that helps!
whenever a recipe calls for cooked hamburger l always boil it in water and drain it l gained this info from a class after my husband had a heart attack its healthier for your heart because it drains a lot of fat from the hamburger l also boil it for spaghetti, sloppy Joe’s and a lot of other foods
Thanks for sharing that top, Sheila!
Made this while I was doing my canning of other things. Made enough for 20 servings.to freeze as well. My husband says this is the best I’ve made in 35 yrs :)
I could not find my mother’s recipe for peppers so I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. I am truly grateful to find this recipe for easy stuffed green peppers from spend with pennies. It is the best my wife and have ever eaten!
This recipe is absolutely awesome & delicious!!!
I’m dying to try this recipe but the amount of each unedited is missing. Can you provide that information?
Hi Kimberly, what information are you looking for? I can definitely help you find it!
I have made these several times and each time they come out awesome! My very picky 5 year old begs me to make these, and even my 8 year old loves them! Definitely a keeper and in constant rotation at our house! Thank you so much for this excellent recipe!!
WOW-theses were amazing! A bit of work with prep and cooking times, but definitely worth it. I’ve never parboiled the peppers before, but it really made them softer and less tough. The filling had just enough heat. Thanks for sharing!
I love the flavors and softer pepper results of this recipe. my only change is that I use a full cup of rice and usually it is a wild rice mix from rice select (for more texture and “mouth feel”) oh, and I now always buy a mix of bell pepper colors
also, i usually don’t have sausage in smaller portions and my ground beef is frozen in full pound portions, so I use a pound of ground beef and just double my seasonings. this recipe is my go to for stuffed peppers. thank you for sharing!!!
I picked up 5 peppers at the farmers market and thought I would try making stuffed peppers. I used 1lb of Italian sausage, because that is what I had. The filling is great and the peppers are in the oven as I type. I tossed the extra filling in and around the pan. Smells great. Thanks!
Loved this dish! Made for the second time tonight with only a few tweaks for personal preferences. My husband dislikes garlic, so I added some chopped celery instead for additional flavor. I dislike Worcestershire sauce so I subbed soy sauce and eliminated the salt. The mixture of the two meats, as well as the marinara sauce, gives this dish depth of flavor. This recipe has replaced my old one that I had made for decades! Tonight I am using Rotel tomatoes for some heat. I love a recipe that is adaptable to what we like as well as what is in my pantry. Thanks.
I’ve made these a few times before and they are absolutely the best.
I also tried them smoked.
I simply just skipped the last 30 minutes of cooking time from your wonderful recipe and put them in my smoker for about an hour.
Not only was your flavourful taste still there but it added a subtle beautiful smoke flavor.
I love following all your recipes but sometimes add a twist.
Thank you
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Joe!
everyone loved them! I served with Mac and cheese, corn and green beans. I have leftover meat filling and will have to see what else I can use it one. one of my dinner guests suggested making stuffed shells with the filling.
the only thing is that 15 minutes at 400 degrees in the oven made the peppers VERY soft. I only did 35 minutes at the end and they were perfect. I suggest maybe only 10 minutes to soften the peppers.
another win for me thanks to Spend With Pennies!
At the end of gardening season (or if you can find bigs ones at the grocery store), I really like to use this stuffing and put it in big zucchini boats! Just scoop out the seeds, fill with the filling and bake with cheese on top! Yum!
Oooo, delicious! I love zucchini boats!
Hands down, the most flavourful stuffed peppers I have ever had. I loved the addition of the Italian sausage, as it gave the filling more punch. The marinara recipe was perfect and contributed to the success of the dish.
This recipe is definitely a keeper!
These were hands down the BEST stuffed peppers I had ever made/had!!!! They were nothing but a flavor bomb in your mouth!
my mother made the best stuffed Pepers and cabbage rolls, she made hers entirely different! she mixed the uncooked Rice and onions add tomatoes sauce raw hamburger and salt and pepper packed it in the peppers! she pored enough water in the bottom to keep them moist! Covered with Foil! they cooked slowly for Hours! they were always perfect! You’re way” Takes less time ! I’m willing to save time! No harm trying something New! I ll let you know how I do!
I can’t wait to hear how they go Patsy!
love stuff peppers but minus the rice. will try this recipe without the rice
These look great could I perhaps use just ground beef?
Absolutely! If using only ground beef you may want to increase the Italian seasoning.
I have made this recipe multiple times and my family continues to ask me to make these peppers. I LOVE boiling the peppers. Fantastic recipe!
Holly,
Thank you a lot.