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You’re going to love these juicy Italian stuffed peppers. You can take your pick from any color of sweet bell peppers you prefer, and then fill them with a delicious Italian sausage, tomato, melty mozzarella, garlic, and rice mixture. They bake in the oven until the cheese on top is melted and the filling is hot. This stuffed pepper recipe filled with this Italian-style filling is such a treat – they’re so satisfying and tasty! Italian comfort food the whole family will love!
Stuffed peppers are always great for dinner and this Italian stuffed peppers recipe boasts plenty of amazing Italian flavors everyone at the dinner table will enjoy.
You might also enjoy ground beef stroganoff, skillet sausage and peppers, chicken stuffed poblanos, or Thai chicken soup.
Why You’ll Love It
Everyone loves this recipe: This is such an easy meal to cook and everyone always enjoys it. You’ll also like making it because it’s a cheap and cheerful dish that’s so rich in flavor!
It’s freezer-friendly: Do you want to do some meal prep? You can double or triple the recipe and freeze portions to enjoy in the future.
It’s a nutritious choice: There are whole grains, proteins, vitamins and minerals in this recipe. Bell peppers are a great source of fiber, vitamins, potassium, and folate.
Stuffed Italian Peppers Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Bell peppers: I like to use red bell peppers and sometimes orange or yellow. Green peppers can be a little bitter but you can use any colors you prefer.
Rice: Long grain white rice is good for making Italian stuffed peppers. You can use brown if you prefer (it has a longer cooking time). You can also use leftover cooked rice or even microwave rice.
Tomatoes: You need diced fire roasted tomatoes and tomato paste to make a rich tomato sauce.
Chicken broth: This adds another flavor to the Italian stuffed peppers. You can sub vegetable broth or water if you want.
Mozzarella: Cheese melting over the top of these stuffed peppers is one of the best things about them.
Italian sausage: Use mild or spicy Italian sausage, whichever you like best.
How to Make Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Cook the rice: Cook the rice and set aside.
Prepare the peppers: Finely chop the pepper tops and put the rest in a baking dish.
Make the sausage stuffing: Fry the sausage in a splash of olive oil and then add the onions and pepper tops, the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and rice.
Fill the bell peppers: Stuff the peppers with the rice and sausage mixture.
Bake the stuffed peppers: Add chicken broth to a baking dish and add the stuffed peppers in there. Bake for half an hour, add cheese on top and bake some more, then serve hot, garnished with parsley.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, ensure your sausage and chicken broth are gluten-free. Don’t worry about the rice, as that is naturally gluten-free.
Spice it up: Use spicy Italian sausage or even cook some spicy ground beef if you prefer a little more heat. You can also add some hot sauce or extra red pepper flakes.
Vegetarian version: Swap the Italian sausage for your preferred vegetarian protein and use vegetable broth or water in place of the chicken broth.
Another cheese: You can use half mozzarella cheese and half another type if you like. Anything goes, such as Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, fontina, provolone, parmesan cheese, or colby jack to name a few.
Sneak in extra veggies: Finely chopped zucchini and carrots, thinly sliced mushrooms, and green peas are a colorful, tasty addition to the filling of this Italian stuffed peppers recipe.
Another protein: Ground beef or ground turkey or chicken are good in this recipe, or even ground pork.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Begin the meal with something light, perhaps Italian tuna and potato salad.
Side dishes: Stuffed peppers pair nicely with watermelon cucumber salad or polenta fries.
Dessert: Luscious lemon tart is a great dessert option.
Drinks: Treat your taste buds to a refreshing spicy watermelon margarita.
How to Store Italian Stuffed Capsicums
Store: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Freeze: If you want to freeze these, do so after cooking them. Put them in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: You can reheat these in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Top Tips
Instant rice: Save time by using a couple of microwaveable rice pouches instead of cooking it from scratch.
Choosing peppers: As the bell peppers are the main ingredient in this Italian stuffed pepper recipe, you need to pick out nice fresh ones. Look for shiny, bruise-free peppers. The more bumps a pepper has on the bottom the sweeter it is, so one with 4 bumps will be sweeter than one with 3. Green bell peppers are the least sweet.
Garnish ideas: I usually add some chopped parsley on top of my Italian stuffed peppers as a garnish. If you prefer to use a sprig of basil or another kind of herb, anything works. A sprig of fresh basil complements the Italian flavors in the stuffed peppers.
Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers FAQs
Yes, swap the rice for cauliflower rice (grated cauliflower). You don’t need to precook it because it will soften in the oven as the stuffed peppers cook.
Don’t want to have rice? You can swap it for another grain like quinoa, farro or couscous, following the directions on the package to cook them before making the Italian stuffed peppers.
Half a cup of uncooked rice makes between 1 and 1½ cups of cooked rice. If you’re making the rice first, use half a cup of uncooked rice. If you’re starting off with leftover cooked rice or another grain, just measure out 1½ cups.
You don’t want to use one that’s too big, otherwise the peppers might tip over. I use these which are a great size for making 6 stuffed peppers. And it’s perfect for making lasagna recipes, too!
Stuffed Italian Bell Peppers Recipe
Italian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- ½ Cup long grain white rice, uncooked, or 1½ Cups cooked rice
- 6 bell peppers, seeds and membranes discarded
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Pound Italian sausage, mild
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 Cloves garlic, minced
- 14½ Ounces canned tomatoes, fire-roasted and diced
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- ¼ Teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- ½ Teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Cup chicken broth, or water
- 1 Cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- chopped parsley, fresh, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package instructions, set aside.
- Remove tops from the bell peppers and discard the seeds and ribs. Place the whole peppers in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Finely chop the tops of the peppers and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add onions and reserved diced pepper tops to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and cooked rice to the skillet. Stir until ingredients are combined.
- Loosely fill each bell pepper with the sausage and rice mixture. Pour 1 cup of chicken broth or water into the bottom of the baking dish. Place stuffed peppers into the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of the peppers and to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and serve, garnished with chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
Choosing peppers: As the bell peppers are the main ingredient in this Italian stuffed pepper recipe, you need to pick out nice fresh ones. Look for shiny, bruise-free peppers. The more bumps a pepper has on the bottom the sweeter it is, so one with 4 bumps will be sweeter than one with 3. Green bell peppers are the least sweet.
Garnish ideas: I usually add some chopped parsley on top of my Italian stuffed peppers as a garnish. If you prefer to use a sprig of basil or another kind of herb, anything works. A sprig of fresh basil complements the Italian flavors in the stuffed peppers.
Nutrition
This Italian-style stuffed peppers recipe is easy to make, a powerhouse of nutrients and also, most importantly, delicious! If you’re a fan of bell peppers and you love Italian flavors, juicy pork (or beef or chicken) and cheese, there’s nothing not to love with Italian stuffed peppers. They’re a family-friendly dish boasting lots of bright colors and a range of flavors and textures. This recipe deserves a place on your regular meal rotation!
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Such a hearty and comforting dish! The melted cheese made these peppers absolutely irresistible.
These Italian stuffed peppers are so flavorful and hearty—definitely making them again!
These Italian stuffed peppers are comfort food perfection—cheesy, savory, and totally satisfying!
I always like making stuffed peppers because the dish is so aromatic. But this one is next level!