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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.
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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!
Mine are ready to go in the oven for dinner. The only change I made was using rotel tomatoes.. because that’s what I already had. I’ve already done a taste test of the stuffing and it delicious. Thank you Natasha for sharing your yummy recipes💜
You are very welcome, Diane!! 😀 Hope you love them!
Update: They are delicious! My hubby said these are the best stuffed peppers I’ve ever had💜💜
😀
I just came across this recipe a few months ago and I’m obsessed! I use hot sausage and they are delicious! Can’t wait to have my guests try tonight.
I hope they leave me some leftovers. 😋
No doggie bags to go 🤣
Hehehe thanks, Judy! 😀
These were so great. I used rotella instead of plain diced tomatoes and I only didn’t have enough cheddar so mixed it with shredded mozzarella and these were the best. Thanks for the recipe!!!
You are welcome!!
Yummy dish! So easy to put together and delicious. Just served it with a side salad and that was plenty. Can’t wait to make again!
Thank you so much, Vicky!! 😀
Can these be frozen?
I haven’t personally tested that, but I think it’s worth trying. If you’re making the whole batch ahead, though, you may want to add the cheese upon heating them up since dairy doesn’t always freeze too well.
Have you ever made this with a can of rotel tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes?
Nope, but I think that would work great!
I’m going to try it. I’ll let you know. It’s what I have in the pantry. 🙂
Made this tonight with bell peppers from the garden – they were all different sizes but it still worked perfectly. Yum yum yum!!!
That’s awesome!! So glad you enjoyed it!
I am plannong to make this, it sounds delicious and an interesting change from my traditional ground beef one. I always wanted to try one with sausage.
One question- can the tomatoes be eliminated?
Hi Lena! I suppose you could, but I am a bit concerned they might be a little dry.
Bought too many bell peppers and sausage at Costco so this recipe was the perfect solution. Served it with a side salad and it was amazing! Thank you
Awesome!! I’m so glad you were able to use them up. 🙂
can I make the mixture and keep in the fridge and make a few days later?
I think that should be fine.
Obsessed! A meal all in one! Second time making this tonight!
Yay!! 🙂