This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This sausage stuffed peppers recipe is a hearty family meal that’s loaded with Italian sausage, rice, and tomatoes, and it has plenty of melty cheese! It’s simple to make.
Try my Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup or Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash next.
Why you’ll love it
To me, there’s something so appealing about hollowing out bell peppers and stuffing them with a bunch of goodness until they’re almost overflowing. These sausage stuffed peppers are an easy way to incorporate vegetables and a pop of color onto your plate!
They’re packed with flavor from the meaty tomato and rice filling and topped with lots of melty cheddar. There’s not a lot of ingredients either! The hardest part is waiting until they’re baked and the peppers are tender and the filling is piping hot and delicious.
What you’ll need
- Cooked rice – jasmine rice is my preference
- Bell peppers – grab large ones so that the filling fits
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onions and garlic – savory standards. I like sweet onions like Vidalia.
- Italian sausage – I use mild
- Diced tomatoes – a pantry staple in my home! They’re canned at peak ripeness.
- Cheddar cheese – the pre-shredded bagged kind works great here
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- You can comfortably fit these in a 9×13-inch baking dish, and use these silicone oven mitts for safety!
- Here’s my Le Creuset skillet.
- This is my trusted can opener for over 10 years now.
How to make sausage stuffed peppers
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the rice if you haven’t already. Preheat the oven and prep the ingredients. Place the peppers in a baking dish along with 1 cup of water to help them steam. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and chopped pepper tops in the olive oil.
Add the sausage to the skillet, and cook until browned and cooked through. Drain the excess fat. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes. Let it reduce a bit but not completely. Add the rice and half of the cheese, and combine well. Season with salt & pepper.
Spoon the mixture evenly into each pepper. Cover with foil, and bake for the allotted time. Remove from the oven, then sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Return the baking dish to the oven, and bake until hot and bubbly.
Helpful tips
- If your peppers are tipping over a bit, simply level them out by cutting a small sliver off the bottom.
- The little bumps/lobes on the bottom of a pepper don’t have an impact on its sweetness (that’s a myth). I like four so that they’re more stable!
Substitutions and variations
- If you’d like to make this spicy, use hot Italian sausage or add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the mix.
- Any long grain white rice works or even brown rice if you’re not into jasmine.
- I like an assortment of colors for the bell peppers, but use your favorite! Green ones are typically the least sweet.
What to serve with Italian sausage stuffed peppers
- I like to serve these baked stuffed peppers with a salad since they’re pretty filling on their own and a complete meal with a starch, meat, and veggies.
- Try your favorite salad greens with my Creamy Balsamic Dressing, reader favorite Italian Dressing, or my Homemade Ranch Dressing.
- But hey, Cheesy Garlic Bread is a good idea any day of the week!
Leftovers and storage
- These are great for making ahead/meal prep if you’re into that! They will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight when ready to heat.
- Microwave the stuffed peppers for 3-5 minutes (microwaves vary, so check them as needed).
- Or reheat leftover stuffed peppers in the oven at 350F until they’re 165F in the middle. Check them after 20 minutes.
If you made these stuffed peppers with Italian sausage, please leave a star rating and review below! Or tag me on Instagram so I can see how yours turned out.
Sausage Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked rice I used white jasmine rice
- 6 large bell peppers any color
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound Italian sausage meat
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese blend divided
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you don't have cooked rice, make some (this step can be done a day or two ahead). I usually just make 1/2 cup uncooked rice which ends up making a bit more than you need for this recipe, and then I use the rest for other things.
- Preheat the oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position. Meanwhile, prep your ingredients. Cut the tops off the peppers as if you were carving a pumpkin (try to do it as evenly as possible so the filling doesn't fall out). Remove any seeds. Chop up the usable stuff from the pepper tops (you'll add it to the filling).
- Place the peppers cut-side up in a baking dish (mine was a 9×13). Pour one cup of water into the bottom of the dish (the peppers will steam and cook faster).
- Add the oil, onion, and chopped up pepper tops to a skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the sausage meat to the skillet. Cook it, breaking up the sausage meat as you go along, until it's browned and cooked through (about 8 minutes). Spoon out most of the fat.
- Stir in the garlic and diced tomatoes and give it a good stir. If there's lots of liquid, let some of it cook off, but we do want some moisture in the peppers, so don't let it go dry.
- Stir in the cooked rice and 1/2 of the cheese. Season the mixture with salt & pepper as needed. Spoon the mixture equally into each pepper.
- Cover the baking dish with foil. Place it in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Take the dish out of the oven. The peppers should be still a little bit firm to the touch (we don't want them going limp and falling apart). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top. Return the peppers to the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Notes
- Try to find bell peppers that are roughly the same size. Also, the ones with 4 “bumps” on the bottom are less likely to fall over, so I look for those.
- Cooking technique adapted from The Kitchn.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on August 6, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
I made theses they are absolutely delicious 😋
My whole family devoured them !!!
Awesome!! Thanks for commenting, Johane!
Cheddar cheese just doesn’t seem right with Italian sausage, try asiago or provolone.
Lots of people like cheddar, but yes, your suggestions for sure work too!
This recipe is a winner! My husband and I both like to cook and provide little critiques of each other’s meals. Tonight I made these stuffed peppers and he was wowed. “No feedback! I wouldn’t change a thing.” Super yummy! As a bonus, we have two toddlers and this was really easy to serve deconstructed. They had white rice, raw bell pepper, and plain mild sausage all set aside before everything was mixed together in the filling. They ate early while the peppers baked, then played while we ate. The best we can do for a date night these days! 🙂
Wow that’s awesome!! 🙂 I’m so glad that you were able to adapt it for the toddlers, too!
I’ve been making traditional stuffed peppers my entire married life. We still like the familiar flavors of the recipe passed down from my mom, but — this new twist with the Italian sausage is right on up there with being a definite favorite! I used half ground turkey and half sausage, as I wasn’t sure if my hubby would want it with all sausage. I also used hot Italian sausage and it turned out amazing! With us, spicy is always a good thing. I’m so glad I came across your recipe — thank you Natasha!
I’m so glad you gave this a try! 🙂 You’re very welcome!
It is in the oven and smells great. I did alter the recipe a bit hope you don’t mind! I added the garlic to the peppers before the sausage, and I substituted the rice for some Panko breadcrumb to lower the carbs a bit. And I switched the cheddar for some mozzarella. This is very similar to a zucchini boat recipe I learned from my mom, so I’m sure it’s gonna be great!
Sure, cooking is all about switching things up. 🙂 I hope you enjoyed the peppers!
Do I spray the baking dish before I add the stuffed peppers?
Yes 😊
I added mushrooms and chili powder and a little tomato sauce on top of the cheese at the end. VERY TASTY!
Excellent!
Once again, a fabulous recipe! I just discovered your web site about 1 month ago and have made 5 of your recipes and all of them a hit with my husband. Thank you so much!!
Wow… I am so glad you found me, Mary!! So pleased you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks so much for commenting! 🙂
The peppers are in the oven. The filling tasted very good so I am sure supper will be a hit. They really are easy to make. A keeper.
Yay! So glad to hear it.
I make the same stuffed peppers. I use quinoa instead of rice and add spinach. It’s a nice change from rice.
Good idea!
When is the garlic added? I just went ahead and added it with the Sausage
Sorry about that… just updated the recipe. 🙂 What you did is just fine haha.
I loved this dish. It was as good, if not better reheated!