Italian Stuffed Peppers
These easy Italian Stuffed Peppers feature your favorite pizza-inspired flavors!
• Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Freezable • Make Ahead • Gluten Free •
Servings: 6 stuffed pepper halves
Ingredients
- 8 ounces extra-lean ground beef
- 8 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage (bulk, or links cut open)
- ¾ cup chopped sweet onion
- ½ cup chopped green pepper
- 1 cup of your favorite pizza sauce
- ½ cup chopped turkey pepperoni (see note)
- ½ cup shredded part-skim (reduced-fat) mozzarella cheese
- 3 bell peppers (we prefer red peppers), halved vertically and cored
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Cook beef, sausage, and chopped onions and green peppers in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat until cooked through (about 7-8 minutes), stirring to crumble the meats. Drain.
- Stir in pizza sauce and pepperoni and continue cooking until warmed through, about 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in shredded mozzarella and remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 475 °F.
- Brush halved peppers on both sides with oil and place in an ungreased, broiler-safe baking dish. Season the insides of the peppers evenly with salt and black pepper.
- Roast peppers for 8-10 minutes, until mostly cooked through. (You can adjust this time slightly depending on how cooked you like your peppers. We prefer ours still a little firm.)
- Remove peppers from oven and preheat broiler.
- Carefully fill each pepper half evenly with about ⅔ cup of warm filling and lay a thin slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each.
- Broil for approximately 5 minutes (depending on how close your peppers are to the flame), keeping a close watch to be sure the cheese is lightly browned and bubbled but not burned.
- Serve and enjoy (or see notes below for making these ahead).
Notes
Chopping pepperoni: As shown in the photo in the post, I recommend stacking several pieces of pepperoni on top of each other and then making 2 vertical cuts and 2 horizontal ones, to yield 9 little sections from each piece of pepperoni.
Make-ahead tips: You can make the filling earlier in the morning or the day before. Re-warm before continuing with the recipe.
Alternately, you can make this recipe entirely ahead for meal prep, since the peppers reheat well. We like to re-warm individual peppers at 50% power in the microwave for quick lunches and meal prep dinners later in the week.
Freezing: The finished stuffed peppers can also be frozen, although they will tend to give off liquid when re-heated, and the peppers will end up softer. I generally wrap each stuffed pepper individually and pop them into zippered freezer bags, then reheat each one as needed for quick lunches. To reheat directly from frozen, unwrap and cook for about 6 minutes in the microwave at 50% power (add about 3-4 minutes per pepper for each additional pepper).
Nutrition
Serving: 1 pepper half | Calories: 331 | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0g | Unsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Carbohydrates: 13g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g
* Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
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