Classic Stuffed Peppers

Three stuffed peppers in a white bowl with sauce.

5 from 50 votes

Classic Stuffed Peppers

You'll love my Classic Stuffed Peppers, filled with a mixture of ground beef, Italian sausage, brown rice, tomatoes, cheese, and seasonings, it's sure to please.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time2 10

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, Italian - American, Poland

Servings:

Calories: 342kcal

Ingredients

Rice

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice brown or white
3 cups chicken stock or water - (2 cups for white rice)

Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cup onion diced
1 teaspoon garlic finely minced
2 cups marinara sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar -optional
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Peppers

5 large bell peppers halved lengthwise and seeded with stem removed.
1 pound lean ground beef
½ pound sweet Italian pork sausage casing removed- or replace with ground beef
12 oz diced tomatoes canned
2 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic finely minced
1 tsp salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup Locatelli Romano or Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Rice

Add the rice and chicken stock to a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce temperature to low heat and cover the saucepan.
Let the rice simmer until the liquid has been absorbed. 40 to 45 minutes for brown rice (20-25 minutes for white rice). Set the cooked rice aside until needed.

Peppers

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the peppers in half longways, removing the stem and the seeds. Place the pepper halves cut side up in a 9×9 or 9×13-inch baking dish. Drizzle the peppers with olive oil and season with salt.
Place the baking dish on the center rack of a 350-degree preheated oven and roast the peppers for 15-20 minutes, until slightly browned and tender. *After the peppers cool, discard any liquid that may have accumulated in the bottom of the papers or baking dish.

Sauce

Add the olive oil, onion, and garlic to a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Cook the onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes or until softened. *Remove ½ cup cooked onion from the pan and set aside until needed.
Add the marinara sauce, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper flakes into the saucepan with cooked onion.
Mix until well combined and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Pour the sauce mixture into a 9x9 or 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Assembly and Baking

Add the raw ground beef, raw Italian sausage meat, diced tomatoes, Italian parsley, basil, reserved cooked onions, garlic, salt, and black pepper, into a large bowl.
Mix the ingredients just enough to combine.
Add the cooked rice and grated Romano cheese to the ground meat mixture. Mix the rice and cheese into the meat mixture until combined.
Stuff the bell pepper halves with the rice mixture.
Place stuffed green bell pepper halves in the baking dish on top of the tomato sauce.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
Place the baking dish on the center rack of the 350-degree preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake for 18-20 minutes until the meat is fully cooked and the peppers are tender.
*The internal temperature of the filling should be at least 165 degrees.
Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and chopped parsley. Bake until the cheese has melted.
Feel free to substitute cheddar or Monterey jack cheese for the mozzarella.
*Skim off any excess grease from the sauce before serving the stuffed peppers.

Notes

Variations on the recipe:

Vegetarian: Replace ground beef with impossible beef, cooked lentils, quinoa, or tofu.
Mediterranean: Add feta cheese, olives, and chopped spinach to the beef mixture.
Mexican: Add ground turkey, black beans, corn, and chili powder to the beef mixture. Top with salsa and avocado.
Greek: Use ground lamb and add chopped kalamata olives, feta cheese, and diced tomatoes to the beef mixture.

You can substitute the ground beef and sausage meat with ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork or any combination of your choosing.

What kind of bell peppers should I use?

Most people use green bell peppers, but I prefer a mixture of red, yellow, orange, and green. You’ll find the red bell peppers have a sweeter flavor, as do the yellow and orange. But any type of large bell pepper can be used.

What kind of rice should I use?

I used brown rice to make my stuffed peppers, but you can also use long or short-grain white rice. You could also use your favorite grain instead of the rice or use a combination of rice and grains.

Nutrition