Through the years I’ve made my share of stuffed green peppers. My dad always had a garden and a never ending supply of green peppers. When life gives you green peppers, you make every kind of stuffed pepper imaginable! While I consider all the versions amazing, I come back to this my tried and true favorite pepper recipe: stuffed with long grain rice, Italian sausage, ground beef, dried spices and topped with melted and lightly browned Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses. My mouth waters every time! Sooo Good! Okay, I know, what some of you are thinking! I know you’re out there, and you don’t want to hurt my feelings! Go ahead and say it, you don’t like peppers. I get it, because I’ve got one of those people in my household too. But wait, you non-pepper lovers, there is hope….this recipe makes a lot so you just take that extra filling and add it to a ramekin. Everyone’s happy!
My Favorite Stuffed Green Peppers
A tasty green pepper (no boiling required) stuffed with long grain rice, Italian sausage, ground beef, dried spices and topped with melted and lightly browned Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.
Ingredients
- 1 C long-grain rice
- 6 large green bell peppers cap end cut off and diced and seeds removed
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 16 ounces Italian turkey sausage
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 tsp. ground fennel
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
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Cook rice according to package directions, or use rice cooker or instant pot. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
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Preheat oven to 375F. Cut off the stem end of peppers, then dice the end part and set aside. Cut peppers in half and hollow them out and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in the prepared baking dish.
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Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet, then saute diced pepper and onion for 2-3 minutes.
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Remove sausage from the the casing. Add the sausage and ground beef to the pepper and onion mixture and cook until it’s lightly browned, breaking apart as it cooks.
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Add the tomatoes, fennel, oregano and cook about 5 minutes until the juices cook up. Then add cooked rice and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese, season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
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Stuff the peppers with the filling mixture. A half cup measuring cup works well. Use the bottom of the measuring up to press the mixture down so it’s tightly packed into the pepper.
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Bake peppers for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and add the grated mozzarella and extra Parmesan to the top of each pepper. Put peppers back into the oven and bake about 10-15 minutes more, until cheese is melted and lightly browned, and peppers are tender. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Do not skip the fennel, it makes these amazing!
I used to pre-cook the peppers. But now I just stuff the peppers raw, and they turn our delicious. If you have any extra filling, add it to a small baking dish. If you have any non-pepper lovers, they will be forever grateful.
Leftover peppers freeze well.