Italian Peppers (Stuffed Bell Peppers)
Bell peppers filled with ground beef, rice, tomato sauce, a blend of melty cheeses, and Italian spices. Easy for meal prep, as a weeknight dinner, or for hosting!
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 266kcal
Equipment
- Medium to Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers (any color)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (or ½ of a medium onion)
- 1 pound ground beef (90% lean)
- 1 Cup cooked rice (white or brown rice)
- 1 , 15oz can tomato sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 + ½ Cups mozzarella cheese, divided (⅓ goes into the filling, ⅔ is used for topping)
- ½ Cup parmesan cheese, divided (shredded or 'shaky'/crumbled parmesan both work. ½ goes in the filling, ½ is used for topping)
- optional: fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Cook the rice (if needed). If you don't have leftover rice in the fridge, cook ½ Cup dry white or brown rice per package instructions.
- Make the filling. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat sauté the onion with the olive oil until the onion begins to soften and brown (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add the beef, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks, and cook until browned, no pink remaining (about 5-7 minutes). Turn off the heat and remove any excess fat/liquid from the pan.
- Stir the cooked rice, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into the beef and onion mixture. Then stir in ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese and ½ of the parmesan cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. For easiest clean up, line your baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.
- Stuff the peppers. Arrange your peppers cut-side up on the baking sheet. Divide the filling evenly between the peppers, gently pressing the filling into the crevices of each pepper and smoothing out the top.
- Bake. Bake the stuffed peppers for 20-minutes (the peppers won't be fork-tender yet, but you should be able to poke a fork into them with just a little resistance).
- Top with cheese. Top the stuffed peppers with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
- Bake the cheese-topped peppers for an additional 10-minutes, until the peppers are fork tender and the cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy! Option to top with fresh basil for serving.
Video
Notes
Storage and Reheating: Cool then store stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying. To reheat, cut the peppers into a few smaller pieces and either microwave them or warm them up in the oven until heated to your desired temperature.
Recipe Variation Ideas
- Use a different grain. If desired, swap out the rice 1-for-1 with quinoa, farro, orzo, or cauliflower rice! If using orzo, under cook it slightly before stuffing your peppers to avoid it getting mushy.
- Use a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage. This works best if you're doubling or tripling the recipe (since you can most often buy each of these in 1 pound portions). If you're doubling, use 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of Italian sausage (mild or hot per your preference). If you're tripling the recipe, use 2 pounds of ground beef and 1 pound of Italian sausage.
- Add spinach to your filling! You can add up to 1 Cup of fresh spinach, de-stemmed and cut into ribbons, to your filling if desired.
- Add some spice with a shake of red pepper flakes. Either add a pinch to the beef filling mixture, or set it out for people to add to their own when serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 606mg | Potassium: 528mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2300IU | Vitamin C: 81mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 2mg
