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    Home » Pork » Hot Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

    Hot Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

    March 13, 2019

    12477 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These hot Italian sausage stuffed peppers are as colorful as they are flavorful. Stuffed bell peppers with rice, hot Italian sausage, aromatics, and topped with melty cheese. This easy stuffed bell pepper recipe is a quick and easy dinner and meal prep recipe.

    close up photo of stuffed yellow pepper in a baking dish filled with sausage and rice

    Why this recipe works

    stuffed pepper ingredients uncooked on cutting board. Bell peppers lined up in back, spices in jars, ad herbs

    Bell peppers are the perfect vegetable to stuff with ingredients. Stuffing bell peppers are great for meal prepping, low carb eating, and an extra layer of flavor to accompany other ingredients.

    How-to cut a bell pepper

    steps removing seeds out of a bell pepper

    First you need to cut and clean the peppers. You can either stuff them vertically or horizontally. I’ve done them both ways. With both, you want to remove the seeds, stem, and the white flesh inside (it can make the pepper bitter). I use a pairing knife to shave the white flesh out or you can use your fingers and pull it out.

    Bell pepper color

    hollowed out bell peppers on top of wooden cutting board

    You can use any combo of bell pepper colors. I typically do not use green bell peppers because they are the least ripe of the bunch, but since you’re putting them in the oven to cook you probably won’t notice that much of a flavor difference.

    Cooking the stuffing

    crumbled italian sausage in a skillet

    Hot Italian sausage: Hot Italian sausage typically comes in a link. Remove the skin prior to cooking and as you cook break it into smaller pieces. For smaller pieces, you can chop on a cutting board after cooking. Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage to leave the juices behind, it will help flavor the rest of the ingredients!

    onions sauteing in a pan

    Onion: Put the onion into the sausage juices and you’ll see them immediately take on that color and all the flavor. Sauté until they begin to soften, then add in the minced garlic.

    fire roasted tomatoes in a saute pan

    Fire roasted tomatoes: I like to use fire roasted instead of plain diced tomatoes, because it gives an extra layer of flavor to the dish. Herbs: I add in some dry herbs: thyme, basil, and oregano. Then a secret ingredient… Worcestershire sauce! (just a touch).

    large skillet on the stove top with rice, hot italian sausage, and tomatoes inside

    Rice: Next, I add back in the hot Italian sausage and rice I cooked on the side. I add in a little chicken broth because you don’t want the stuffing to dry out when you put them in the oven to bake.

    Stuffing Peppers

    red bell pepper with a flat section shaved into the back for stability

    Bell pepper tip: Since bell peppers are rounded, you want to secure them so they don’t roll and the stuffing falls out. Take your pairing knife and carefully shave a flat spot on the bottom so the pepper sits flat in the baking dish.

    7 bell peppers in a baking dish with stuffing inside and unmelted cheese sprinkled on top

    Spoon the filling into each pepper and top with some cheese. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the peppers are easily pierced and tender. Remove the foil at the end to brown the cheese under the low broiler.

    Final Dish

    baking dish filled with sausage stuffed bell peppers

    Carefully remove the Italian sausage stuffed peppers from the oven and top with fresh parsley.

    Storing the bell peppers

    close up of red stuffed bell pepper in a baking dish

    You can store the bell peppers in the refrigerator for 3 days to enjoy throughout the week. You can also freeze them individually for meal prepping purposes.

    baking dish filled with sausage stuffed bell peppers

    Looking for more recipes with Italian sausage?

    • Meatball Pasta Bake
    • Stuffed Zucchini Rolls
    • Stuffed Acorn Squash
    • Hot Italian Sausage White Bean Soup
    • Meatballs and Homemade Sauce
    • Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

    Made this recipe and loved it? Leave a star rating below!

    close up photo of stuffed yellow pepper in a baking dish filled with sausage and rice

    Hot Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

    Hot Italian sausage stuffed peppers with fire roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, flavorful rice, a ton of spices topped with delicious cheese and fresh parsley. Perfect for dinner and meal prep!
    4.57 from 86 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Pork
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: dinner, hot italian sausage, meal prep, sausage stuffed peppers, stuffed peppers
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 692kcal
    Author: Stephanie

    Equipment

    • Lodge Enameled Skillet
    • Le Creuset Stoneware Rectangular Dish
    • Can Opener
    • All-Clad Essentials Nonstick Sauce Pans, Set of 2
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound hot Italian sausage casings removed
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 cup white rice cooked to package instruction (do not overcook)
    • 14 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • ½ yellow onion chopped (⅓ cup)
    • 4 bell peppers cleaned stems and seeds removed
    • ½ cup chicken broth
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • ¼ cup Italian blend shredded cheese
    • Garnish: fresh italian flat leaf parsley roughy chopped

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
    • Cook rice according to package instructions, do not overcook, better to be a tad al dente because you’ll be putting into the oven.
    • In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil and the hot Italian sausage. Cook the sausage, breaking it up into smaller pieces as you go, until fully cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage, place in a bowl, and set aside. Leave juices in the pan. 
    • Lower the heat to medium and add in the onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional minute. Add in the fire roasted tomatoes, the Worcestershire sauce, and the herbs/spices: basil, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Add the sausage back in, the cooked rice, and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and allow the flavors to meld for 5 minutes while you prepare the peppers.
    • You can cut the peppers either horizontally or just cut a whole in the top and stuff them vertically. Either way you want to remove the stem, the seeds, and the white flesh from the inside using a pairing knife. Place the peppers in a baking dish, if they are having trouble standing shave a flat spot on the back of them with a pairing knife.
    • Using a spoon, stuff the peppers with the sausage mixture, top with cheese, and cover with foil. Place in the oven for 30 minutes (peppers should be fork tender). Remove the foil and low broil the cheese for 5 minutes or until lightly browned/melted. Remove from the oven and serve with fresh parsley on top.

    Notes

    • You can use any combo of bell pepper colors. I typically do not use green bell peppers because they are the least ripe of the bunch, but since you’re putting them in the oven to cook you probably won’t notice that much of a flavor difference.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 692kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 1576mg | Potassium: 653mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3842IU | Vitamin C: 157mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg
    Made this recipe?Mention @GirlWithTheIronCast or tag #girlwiththeironcast!
    « Baked Chicken Parmesan
    Vegetable Lo Mein »
    12477 shares

    Originally Published: March 13, 2019 Post Updated: November 15, 2022 Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten-Free, Italian, Low Carb, Pork, Recipes, Rice Tagged With: Basil, Bell Peppers, garlic, Onions, Oregano, parsley, Thyme, Tomatoes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shwrrie

      March 03, 2023 at 10:29 pm

      Absolutely love this recipe! The only thing I would change is instead of adding the chicken broth which makes it a little runny, add a bit of marinara instead. Still amazing!

      Reply
    2. Nancy

      February 18, 2023 at 7:20 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is terrific! Made for my husband tonight. Did half the hot sausage and used chopped mushrooms to decrease calorie count but still very flavorful. Did not use chicken broth. Used juice from fire roasted tomatoes and still moist and not mushy. Precooked peppers in microwave cut side down in a little water covered for 3-5 min on high. Peppers came out perfect when stuffed.

      Reply
    3. Angela

      January 26, 2023 at 2:23 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Will make again

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        January 26, 2023 at 2:24 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it Angela!

        Reply
    4. Laura S

      October 09, 2022 at 8:13 pm

      This is one of my favorite recipes and it gets better every time I make it. This last time though, I got extra lazy and decided to just skip the stuffing part and chop up the 4 bell peppers into squares and just added them to the complete mix in the skillet. They steamed a bit to get soft and then I added cheese to serve. It was just as delicious and much faster to cook and even easier to eat! Thanks again!

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        October 09, 2022 at 8:18 pm

        Such a great idea Laura! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and found a way to make it your own! Cheers

        Reply
    5. Amy

      July 11, 2022 at 12:36 am

      5 stars
      It has been ages since I had stuffed peppers since I never liked them before. I made this recipe with the only changes being that I used brown basmati rice and garlic fire roasted tomatoes. I also only used red peppers because of personal preference. I am sold. Easy peasy and full of flavor!

      Reply
    6. Aynsley Oller

      June 08, 2022 at 11:56 am

      5 stars
      Our family so enjoyed this meal. All four kids (ages 6-11) were particularly excited to see I had made this meal. I personally appreciated how easy it was to make and that it can be made dairy without changing the recipe a great deal.

      Reply
    7. Ashley

      May 19, 2022 at 9:05 pm

      We love, love, love this recipe! I use mild Italian sausage and skip the pepper flakes, so that my toddler will eat it. I also add chopped spinach for some greens. Kale or broccoli would work too. You can’t go wrong with this dish!

      Reply
    8. Beth Bilous

      August 24, 2021 at 7:31 pm

      Could I use sweet Italian sausage or do you think it would not be as good with sweet sausage/

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        August 24, 2021 at 7:32 pm

        Hi Beth, you can totally use sweet Italian sausage!

        Reply
    9. Donna

      June 30, 2021 at 6:13 pm

      5 stars
      Really great! I used canned tomato sauce because I hate the texture of diced tomatoes and about half the rice. I also added bread crumbs to hold the mixture together. Instead of chicken broth I mixed hot water with a Knorr cube. Also added some greens I had to use up ( spinach/chard). Overall, delicious!

      Reply
    10. Gertrude

      December 03, 2020 at 7:30 pm

      Just made these tonight with a few substitutions and they were great. I used a can of tomato soup as I was only making a half recipe and only had a 28 oz. can of tomatoes. I cooked the rice first as I use long grain and I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough time to cook the rice. I will definitely make these again. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        December 03, 2020 at 7:33 pm

        Gertrude, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
        • Christie

          April 02, 2021 at 4:42 pm

          Hi! So is the recipe three cups of cooked rice?

          Reply
          • Stephanie

            April 02, 2021 at 4:49 pm

            Hi Christie, it’s 1 cup rice which will result in 3 cups once cooked

            Reply
            • Christie

              April 07, 2021 at 7:34 pm

              Thank you!

      • Linda

        August 01, 2021 at 9:28 pm

        Just made this but subbed quinoa for the rice because I already had it made. It was delicious! Thank you 😊

        Reply
        • Stephanie

          August 01, 2021 at 9:29 pm

          Such a great idea to use quinoa! Glad you enjoyed it Linda!

          Reply
      • Christina

        February 11, 2023 at 6:04 pm

        5 stars
        This is great! Tons of flavor…so good and easy! Do you think the staffing mixture can be frozen for future stuffing?

        Reply
        • Stephanie

          February 11, 2023 at 6:05 pm

          Hi Christina, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes you can freeze the stuffing, but recommend using fresh bell peppers.

          Reply
    11. Steve

      July 04, 2020 at 5:10 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was easy and tasty. I made it with tri-color quinoa Instead of rice, and put 2% Italian cheese in mix and topped with Parmesan.

      Reply
    12. Stephanie

      June 04, 2020 at 7:17 pm

      5 stars
      These are the best stuffed peppers I have ever eaten! Do you happen to have nutritional info?

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        June 05, 2020 at 11:37 am

        I’m so glad you love these stuffed peppers Stephanie! Sorry the nutrition info wasn’t showing, I just fixed it. Each pepper is about 200 calories, keep in mind this is just an estimate and it varies based on different brands and ingredients.

        Reply
      • Erin

        November 16, 2020 at 5:36 pm

        Can you substitute rice for quinoa? If so how much would you need?

        Reply
        • Stephanie

          November 16, 2020 at 5:39 pm

          Hi Erin, yes you can use quinoa. I would prepare 1 1/2 cups quinoa, according to package instructions.

          Reply
    13. Sherrie

      October 31, 2019 at 9:41 pm

      5 stars
      I made these for the second time tonight. By far the best stuffed peppers I’ve ever made. The only alteration I made the second time was I added a little less rice and added some Italian bread crumbs to hold the stuffing together. Much easier to work with and oh boy! So tasty! This will be my go to stuffed pepper recipe from now on.

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        October 31, 2019 at 9:43 pm

        I’m so glad you loved them sherrie!

        Reply
        • Jennifer

          June 19, 2020 at 3:05 pm

          I have a quick question. When you say one cup of rice, do you mean one cup cooked or one cup uncooked (which yields about 3 cups cooked, right?)?

          Reply
          • Stephanie

            June 19, 2020 at 3:07 pm

            Hi Jennifer! Sorry I wasn’t more specific, 1 cup uncooked

            Reply

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