Description
A delicious Italian sausage and rice filling stuffed into colorful bell peppers brushed with olive oil. Make ahead food at it’s finest.
Ingredients
Scale
Peppers and Stuffing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 4 ounces Italian sausage, hot or mild
- 2 tablespoons Salt and Pepper each
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 2 cups cooked Jasmine rice
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley leaves
- 6 orange, red, or yellow bell peppers
For Serving
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 and 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until soft and lightly browned. Add beef and sausage and season the meet with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, breaking meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned. Mix in the garlic and cook just for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and drain mixture in a colander for at least 1 minute.
- Transfer the meat to a large mixing bowl and mix in the rice, both cheeses, tomatoes, parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place in the fridge and chill for at least 20 minutes. (If you are cooking the peppers right away, skip the fridge and wrapping the peppers in step 3.)
- Spoon filling into each half pepper. Wrap each pepper in two layers of plastic wrap and one final layer of tin foil. Place in the freezer until firm. The peppers can then be placed in large zip lock bags and stored for up to three months.
- When ready to serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Unwrap the bell peppers and save a couple pieces of foil. Cover filling sides with cut or torn pieces of foil that are sprayed with cooking spray (so the cheese in the stuffing won’t stick). Using skewer or fork, pierce the foil with a few holes to vent. Place them foil side down over the vents of a broiler pan-top or, if you don’t have a broiler pan handy, on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet. Brush the peppers with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Bake until the peppers are spotty brown, about 25 to 35 minutes. Flip them over with tongs and remove the foil. Cover the filling with shredded mozzarella and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: American