BEST Ever Easy Stuffed Peppers (5 Ingredients)
Easy, cheesy, sausage and rice stuffed bell peppers - just five ingredients and ready in 20 minutes for the perfect weeknight meal!
Servings: 8 peppers
Ingredients
- 8 bell peppers tops cut off and seeds and membranes removed
- 1 pound mild or spicy ground Italian sausage for alternative protein options, see notes
- 3 cup cooked Spanish style rice or white rice, see note
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 15-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- cilantro or green onions for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large baking dish and arrange bell peppers standing up. (If they want to tip over you can always cut off the very bottom 1/8 of an inch or so to flatten them out and help them stand!) Transfer to preheated oven and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. (Move ahead with Step 2 while peppers are baking!)
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook sausage for 5-6 minutes, breaking apart with a spatula or spoon as it cooks, until well browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to a platter, cover to keep warm, and set aside.
- Add rice, water, and tomatoes to the pan, give it a good stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce to LOW, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir sausage and 1/2 cup of the cheese into the pan. Spoon mixture into the baked peppers and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with green onions or cilantro if desired and serve.
Notes
Sausage alternatives: This recipe also works well with ground beef, ground chicken, and ground turkey! For any of these options whisk together the following seasonings and add to the pan while browning (step 2): 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon Italian herb blend
Save time: You can use pre-cooked rice or minute rice and skip the rice boiling step.
Pepper tops: Don't waste the pepper tops! Feel free to chop them up and include them in the rice mixture.
Nutrition
Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 469mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3861IU | Vitamin C: 152mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 2mg
