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Italian Stuffed Peppers

These Italian stuffed peppers are so flavorful with the mixture of ground beef, rice, onions and Italian seasonings. Easy enough for a weeknight meal. Fancy enough for a dinner party.

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Italian Stuffed Peppers

Classic Stuffed Bell Peppers

When I was growing up, my mom never made this dish. It was not until I was married and my mother-in-law made this dish. It has become one of my favorite meals.

This can be an easy weeknight meal that is quick to prep, easy, and delicious!

No need for a side dish because this is a complete meal wrapped in a sweet bell pepper.

This may look fancy, but it is really so simple to make. You will look like a chef!

Red and Yellow Peppers
Red and Yellow Peppers

What is a Bell Pepper?

They are planted each year in gardens and they are actually classified as a fruit because of the seeds inside. However, they are often thought of as a vegetable because they are so versatile in cooking.

The most commonly found bell peppers are green, orange, yellow, and red.

Green peppers are have a little more bitter taste; whereas, the orange, red, and yellow are a bit milder and sweeter.

However, not to worry which color you have, you can interchange any colored bell pepper for this recipe.

Preparing the Peppers for Baking
Preparing the Peppers for Baking

Stuffed Peppers are Great for Meal Prepping

These can be made ahead of time and be stored in the refrigerator a day or two before baking. Additionally, they can be frozen before baking or after baking.

When I made stuffed peppers today, I doubled the recipe and made eight stuffed peppers.

Four were for us to enjoy this evening and the other four I froze; two in each container. This will be an easy and delicious weeknight meal in a month or so.

Make sure to label and date your containers.

Cooked Bell Pepper
Cooked Bell Pepper

To Pre-Boil or Not

Some recipes call for boiling the peppers 3-5 minutes before adding the filling. This will help the dish cook in the oven faster and assure a soft, tender pepper.

You can even pre-cook them in the microwave for 5 minutes. Just be sure to place the peppers in a microwave safe baking dish add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the dish.

If you choose to do that, make sure that you clean your peppers, removing the inside seeds and membrane, before adding to the boiling water.

However, it is not necessary to pre-boil the peppers before stuffing with the delicious mixture. Just leave enough time to bake longer in the oven.

Par-Boiling Peppers to Soften
Pre-Boiling Peppers to Soften

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

This is also a slow cooker friendly recipe. Cook on low for 4 hours or until the peppers are soft.

Keeping the Pepper Tops or Dicing Them for the Filling

Today, I tried to be fancy and kept the tops of the pepper intact so I could place them back on top once the filling was added. However, you can certainly dice up the tops and add then to the ground beef and rice filling mixture.

Preparing Green Bell Peppers
Preparing Green Bell Peppers

How About Sweet Pepper Soup?

Really scrumptious. My daughter and I can’t decide on which is out favorite. We do like the soup for a cold winter meal; however, the stuffed peppers are delicious for any time of the year. If you want to give the soup a try, you can get that recipe here.

Want a Healthier Option for this Recipe?

Use ground turkey or chicken. Add brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice instead! Tastes amazing while cutting down a few calories.

Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers
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Italian Stuffed Peppers

These Italian stuffed peppers are so flavorful with the mixture of ground beef, rice, onions and Italian seasonings. Easy enough for a weeknight meal. Fancy enough for a dinner party.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Make ahead, oven roasted, recipe
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 548kcal

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Ingredients

  • 4 medium to large Bell Peppers
  • 1 1/2 Lbs. Lean Ground Beef
  • 1 medium Onion Diced
  • 1 Cup Rice Cooked
  • 2 Tsp. Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder Can use fresh minced garlic
  • 1 Tbl. Dried Parsley
  • 1/2 Tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 Tsp. Pepper
  • 30 Oz. Tomato Sauce 2 cans
  • 1 Cup Chicken Stock
  • 1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese Shredded

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut off tops of bell peppers. Remove seeds and membranes. Rinse bell peppers. If necessary, cut thin slice from bottom of each pepper so they stand upright. Set aside.
    Cleaning Bell Peppers
  • Brown ground beef and onions in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add rice, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper; mix until well blended.
    Ground Beef Mixture
  • Add 20 ounces of the tomato sauce to the ground beef mixture.
    Add Tomato Sauce to Ground Beef Mixture
  • Add the remaining tomato juice and chicken stock to the baking dish.
  • Stuff the peppers with the meat and rice mixture and place them in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
  • Remove foil. Sprinkle stuffed peppers with cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. 
  • To serve, cut stuffed peppers in half and spoon sauce from dish over each half to serve.

Your Own Private Notes

Nutrition

Calories: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 1660mg | Potassium: 1589mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1160IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 214mg | Iron: 9mg
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I hope that you liked this recipe. If you are looking for more ideas on what to make, here are a few other recipes that you may enjoy.

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