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Italian stuffed peppers on a white serving platter

Italian Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Italian Stuffed Peppers are tender bell peppers filled with ground beef, rice and marinara sauce, and they're topped with mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. They're a hearty, delicious dinner that can be made entirely in advance!
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 3 very large bell peppers use (4) if medium sized
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 1 lb. grass fed ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 cup cooked rice white or brown rice
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1/3 cup freshly chopped basil

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease an 9x13" baking pan.
  • Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom and remove the seeds and white membranes. Brush each bell pepper halve with 1 tablespoon of the oil (inside and outside), then pre-bake for 20-30 minutes or until slightly softened (it could take a bit longer depending on the size and thickness of your bell peppers).
  • While the bell peppers cook, prepare the filling. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 3-5 minutes until softened. Add the ground beef, breaking in to chunks with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and cook 30 seconds longer. Drain excess grease as necessary.
  • Add the marinara sauce, rice and parmesan cheese to the beef mixture, stirring well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
  • Divide the filling between each bell pepper (don't be afraid to overfill!), then top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes more until the cheese has melted and the pepper has reach the desired doneness. Remove from heat and sprinkle with fresh basil. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Pro tip: Cooking time will vary based on the size of your bell peppers.
  • You can pre-bake the peppers and assemble the entire dish 1-2 days in advance then bake it off when you're ready for an easy weeknight dinner.
  • Leftover white or brown rice work perfectly in this recipe. You can also use quinoa or substitute the rice with cooked cauliflower rice to make it low carb.
  • The ground beef may be subbed with your favorite ground meat, or use beans to make this recipe vegetarian.
  • Omit the cheese to make this recipe dairy-free.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pepper, Calories: 380kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 898mg, Potassium: 727mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 3202IU, Vitamin C: 112mg, Calcium: 218mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!