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!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 380kcal
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).3 very large 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.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 onion, 1 lb. grass fed ground beef, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Add the marinara sauce, rice and parmesan cheese to the beef mixture, stirring well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.2 cups marinara sauce, 1 cup cooked rice, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 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!1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup freshly chopped basil
Video
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