Easy Sausage Stuffed Peppers
- PREP 10min
- COOK 45min
- TOTAL 55min
These easy stuffed peppers with sausage are hearty, flavorful, and simple. Instead of blanching the peppers before stuffing them, we place them into the oven while it heats up. As the oven heats up, make the sausage filling.
You Will Need
3 medium bell peppers
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 pound bulk Italian sausage like chicken, pork or turkey sausage
1 (10oz) bag frozen spinach, thawed
3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tablespoon
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup (113g) ricotta cheese, 4 ounces
A handful of sliced cherry tomatoes, optional
1/4 cup (28g) shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 ounce
A handful of fresh basil leaves, optional
Directions
Slice the peppers in half through the stem. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Rub the pepper halves inside and out with a teaspoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the pepper halves cut side down in one layer in a baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). The peppers will par-bake as the oven heats up.
Meanwhile, heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and the sausage and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. As the sausage cooks, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up into small pieces in the pan.
Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for one minute.
Add the tomatoes and the thawed and ringed-out spinach. Cook until heated through, and the liquid has reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the ricotta cheese. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
When the peppers start to soften and release some juices (10 to 15 minutes), you can remove the baking dish with peppers from the oven. Flip the peppers, then divide the filling between them (about 1/2 cup of filling per pepper half).
Top peppers with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, then bake until the cheese melts and the peppers are soft; about 20 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Sausage: Look for uncooked bulk chicken, turkey, or pork sausage. If you buy sausage formed into links, remove the casings by cutting a slit down the sausage and pulling the casing away from the meat.
- Fresh spinach: Substitute 1 ½ pounds of fresh spinach for the frozen spinach and add the fresh spinach directly into the pan with browned sausage.
- Storing: Baked stuffed peppers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
- Make ahead filling: The filling can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.