Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers with Homemade Marinara
I love any recipe where you can make it bit by bit throughout the day. You can clean as you go, stay busy but not too busy, and the kitchen stays warm. Anyone else?
Either way, this stuffed peppers recipe checks all the boxes for me. I like to make it, I like to eat it, and it freezes perfectly. Adding sausage and the perfect amount of seasoning makes these just right.
This recipe is worth making because it’s actually good…tender peppers that hold their shape, a filling that’s packed with flavor, and it freezes perfectly for busy weeks. Plus, you can make each component ahead of time, so dinner isn’t stressful.
A Newsletter you’ll love
Daily recipes from the farmhouse, Sunday meal plans, seasonal ideas, straight from my kitchen to your inbox.
I promise to keep your email address safe. Unsubscribe at any time
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Choose a sweet or mild Italian sausage if you don’t want this too spicy.
This freezes great, so if you want to double or triple this recipe and freeze some for later, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Equipment
- 12-inch skillet
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- 9×13 baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- Ladle or spoon
- Broiler (optional)
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup uncooked rice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup canned diced tomatoes (do not drain)
Roasting Peppers
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 bell peppers (any color is fine)
- dash salt and pepper
Meat Mixture
- ¾ pound Italian sausage
- ½ pound ground beef
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt (divided)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (divided)
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Final Assembly
- all the components you made
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional for garnish)
How to Make Stuffed Peppers
If your peppers won’t stay upright, just slice a tiny bit off the bottom so they sit flat.
Step One: Make The Sauce
Make the sauce first because it needs time to simmer. Heat some olive oil in a big skillet and throw in the chopped onion. Let it cook for about 5 minutes – you want it soft, not brown. Add the garlic for a minute (don’t let it burn or it’ll taste bitter), then dump in your crushed tomatoes and all those seasonings. Let it bubble away on low heat while you do everything else.
Step Two: Cook The Rice
Heat oil in another skillet, add the raw rice, and stir it around for a few minutes. This step matters as it keeps it from getting mushy. Season it, then add your broth, diced tomatoes, and half a cup of that marinara you just made. Cover it and let it simmer for 20 minutes, then turn the heat way down for another 15. If it’s still a little crunchy, splash in more broth and keep cooking.
Step Three: Roast The Peppers
Heat your oven to 400°F. Cut the tops off, scrape out all the seeds and white stuff inside. Brush them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stand them up in a 9×13 pan and roast for 20 minutes. They’ll get tender but still hold their shape. Once the peppers are done, remove them from the oven and turn your oven down to 350°F so you’re ready for baking them.
Step Four: Cook The Meat
Brown the sausage and ground beef in a clean skillet. Add garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper at the end. Drain off the grease.
Step Five: Mix It All Together
Mix the rice, meat, a cup of marinara, and both cheeses together in the skillet. Stir until it’s combined.
Step Six: Assembly Time
Spread about ¾ cup of marinara on the bottom of your pan (this keeps the peppers from sticking), put the peppers back in, and stuff them. Top each one with more marinara sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. (Remember the oven should be at 350 now.)
Step Seven: Finish With Cheese
Pull off the foil, top each pepper with more cheese, and bake another 10 minutes. If you want them golden, put them under the broiler for a minute or two.
Serving & Storing
You can serve stuffed peppers with soft homemade yeast rolls and a simple green salad. They don’t need much else on the side!
You can prep everything in advance. Roast the peppers, cook the filling, and store them separately in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready, stuff the peppers, bake, and top with cheese.
To store, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When reheating, cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until warmed through.
To freeze, assemble the stuffed peppers without baking. Wrap each pepper individually in plastic wrap and then in foil to prevent freezer burn. Place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To cook from frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed, adding 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
Questions and Troubleshooting
Just a little of the bottoms so they have a flat area to stand on, but don’t cut through or your filling will come out.
This is why we roast them first. It will help them soften but keep their structure. Make sure your filling isn’t too wet either. If the rice is too wet, let it cook uncovered a few extra minutes to absorb the extra liquid.
Sure, just roast the peppers for 5-7 minutes less than the recipe says.
You can wrap some foil around the pepper to keep it together and to hold the filling inside.
More Cozy Dinner Recipes
- This sausage-stuffed acorn squash recipe has similar flavors and is perfect for fall.
- Try this basic fried rice recipe for an easy and delicious way to use leftover rice.
- Crockpot cheesy chicken broccoli rice is easy, delicious, and perfect for lazy days.
- Cilantro lime chicken rice is loaded with flavor and simple to make.
Printable Recipe
Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
- 12-inch skillet
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- 9×13 baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- Ladle or spoon
- Broiler (optional)
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup uncooked rice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup canned diced tomatoes (do not drain)
Roasting Peppers
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 bell peppers
- dash salt and pepper
Meat Mixture
- ¾ pound Italian sausage
- ½ pound ground beef
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt (divided)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (divided)
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Final Assembly
- all components you made
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional for garnish)
Save This Recipe
I’ll send you a link so you can find it later.
You'll join my email list which you will love. And if you don't, unsubscribe in one click. ❤️
Instructions
- Make the marinara sauce. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Then, add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Next, add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer while you prepare the rice.
- Cook the rice. In a separate 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the uncooked rice and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Then, season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and ½ cup marinara sauce. Stir to combine. Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes. If the rice isn’t fully cooked after this time, add ¼ cup of broth and cook for a few more minutes until done.
- Prep the peppers. While the rice cooks, prepare the bell peppers. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the core and thick membranes using a sharp knife. Then, brush the inside of each pepper with olive oil and sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Place the peppers in a 9×13 pan, spacing them 1-2 inches apart. Roast the peppers for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
- Cook the meat. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F after the peppers have roasted. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a cleaned skillet. Then, add the Italian sausage and ground beef, cooking until no longer pink. Next, add minced garlic, oregano, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, then drain any excess grease.
- Mix the filling. Once the rice is done, combine it with the cooked meat mixture and stir in 1 cup of the marinara sauce. Add ½ cup of shredded mozzarella and ¼ cup of grated Parmesan to the rice and meat mixture, stirring until everything is well incorporated.
- Assemble the peppers. Carefully remove the roasted peppers from the pan. Then, spread ¾ cup of marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of the 9×13 pan. Return the peppers to the pan, and generously fill each pepper with the rice and meat mixture. Once filled, spoon about 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce over each stuffed pepper. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
- Add the cheese and broil. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of mozzarella over each stuffed pepper. Then, return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. For a slightly browned top, switch the oven to broil and cook for 1-2 minutes, keeping a close eye to avoid burning.
- Serve. Garnish the stuffed peppers with chopped parsley if desired, and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love it if you would leave a review!Love,
These peppers were fantastic!
Hey Michele, thank you so much! I am happy you loved them!
Love all your receipts.
thank you dottie!