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’m an Irish girl who married an Italian, and I never thought I’d ever be able to make a dish that was better than my mother-in-laws.
Well, this dish helped me do just that! My husband said this blew my mother-in-law’s version out of the water! I stuffed the peppers with garlic and herb cauliflower rice and served them with a side of Spanish rice.
My goodness. Delicious!
You go girl! So happy we could help you do that Allison!
This recipe looks delicious! We are trying to reduce the amount of meat we eat. Do you think this recipe will be as good if I use 1/2 pound of ground beef and one can of black beans (in lieu of sausage)? Thank you for sharing!
Hi Erica, We have only made this recipe as listed but if you give it a try let us know how it turns out!
I put an egg In mine and top them with partially cooked bacon; then Italian grated cheese mix.
Oh, yeah. I’ve always precooked the rice. Does this really work? I may try it on 1/2 recipe some time.
Those sound like tasty toppings for stuffed peppers Louise!
Lovely and tasty yummy
Glad you enjoyed it Naomi!
Can you use tomato sauce instead of marinara sauce
While I have only made this recipe as written, I think that you could make that substitution with good results.
Yes I’ve done that many times.
Stuff peppe
DELISH!
Thank you Vicky!
I made this tonight and my husband said this was his favorite recipe! I have to agree it is a winner and I will make it our go-to. Only thing I added was a little more garlic, doubled the Italian seasoning, and added some cheese to mixture before stuffing. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Yay Angie, so glad you both loved it!
I tried this recipe tonight for the first time. First, I have to say that the step to boil the peppers first was a game changer for me. I feel like my peppers cooked more evenly. Definitely do not skip that step. I increased garlic cloves to 4, because we really like our garlic. I also tossed the diced up peppers in with the meat, onion and garlic, while browning. Finally, I added the marinara to the stuffing mixture as it was simmering, rather than placing it on top of the stuffed pepper. I prefer more of a tomato presence in my pepper stuffing and adding the marinara to the stuffing did not affect the way the rice cooked or the consistency of the stuffing, in my opinion. It made the stuffing very flavorful. Overall, a fantastic and satisfying stuffed peppers recipe. I will definitely be using this one again!
Thank you for sharing your tips. So glad you loved these!
❤️ By far the best peppers I have ever made. Everyone loved them. ❤️
I am so glad your family enjoyed this recip Debbie!
Very good! We loved it! I’ll be making these again for sure. I followed the recipe pretty close but I made extra because I had 2 lbs. of meat. Perfectly seasoned!
Glad you enjoyed it!!
This recipe is great and very easy to prepare. I did modify it somewhat though. For one thing I used home ground and processed pork sausage only (my wife is allergic to beef). I also added a little fresh ground black pepper and about a half cup of white wine. To quote my wife, ‘this can show up again’.
A bit of wine would add great flavor! So glad these were a hit with your family!
So easy and the best stuffed peppers I’ve ever had. Very flavorful!
I’m so glad that you love the peppers Marilyn! They really are so easy!
Loved this recipe my kids weren’t a fan, but they are toddlers so who knows if they really didn’t like it or not. My husband however raves about it all night!
Glad to hear that your husband enjoyed the peppers Katie!
I’ve made these before, amazing btw I halved it because it’s just my bf and I buuuut due to popular demand I’m going full throttle here. Is it it ok to premake the stuffing so I can just make it easy to throw together or is it better if the stuffing is hot?
Making the stuffing ahead will be just fine, it may need a few minutes of extra cook time if the filling is chilly. So glad you both love them! :)
I make this in a huge batch and freeze the portion sizes in freezer bags, then when I want to make it I only need to buy the peppers. saves room in freezer also
Great tip, thank you for sharing Therese!
Great recipe
Thank you Ricky :)
Looks great
Thank you Pam! Enjoy!
Holly: Where can I find a masher like you used to separate the meat, please!
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!
This recipe was easy to follow and quite delicious.
Happy to hear you love these stuffed peppers Adam!
Sooo good !! So flavorful ! Can’t wait to make them again. Thank you !
Glad you loved them Stephanie!