Sausage, Mozzarella & Basil Stuffed Peppers
My grandma loved stuffing any vegetable that she could get her hands on. She routinely made stuffed peppers, stuffed zucchini and stuffed eggplant, to name a few. I imagine that it was an easy and cost-effective way to use up the exorbitant amount of vegetables that came streaming out of my grandfather’s garden. Being the awful, veggie-hating child that I was, when served one of her stuffed vegetables, I would eat up all of that yummy filling and leave behind a picked-at vegetable carcass. The worst part? I haven’t grown out of that; it’s still how I eat my stuffed peppers, even though I actually do like peppers. I really need to start being a better eater! I always thought that stuffed peppers were a very Italian dish (most likely because my grandma was always serving them up), but after a little research, I found that they’re actually enjoyed by many different cultures, in a variety of ways. Note to self: get your hands on chiles rellenos as soon as possible!
Last year when my Chief Culinary Consultant’s parents were up in Pittsburgh for the holidays, his mom whipped up some stuffed peppers for dinner. She used some hot turkey sausage from a local turkey farm, and wow! Talk about a transformation! That simple swap of using sausage instead of ground beef resulted in the best stuffed peppers any of us had ever eaten. She loaded them with lots of cheese and other seasonings, but the sausage stole the show. I can’t imagine stuffed peppers any other way now.
Stuffed peppers are one of those easy meals that can be made even easier by making them ahead of time and freezing them. You can do it one of two ways: either make the filling and portion it out in smaller containers and freeze; or, you can assemble the peppers, but instead of baking them, set them on a baking sheet in the freezer until they are set, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in airtight containers in the freezer.
I had the opportunity to give some new Glad Freezerware a spin recently and found that they were perfect for this particular job. If you have any freezer-friendly meals that you plan to make, these would be a huge help. Whether you do once-a-month-cooking to stock your own freezer, or maybe making some meals for a friend who’s having a baby, you can easily store many meals in these containers. They’re BPA-free and can go from the freezer straight to the microwave, so reheating your meal is a breeze. Planning ahead makes me feel so… organized. I need to do it more often! ;-)
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I’d like to set aside maybe a day a month to focus on stocking the freezer with some easy meals, since some days I can get too wrapped up in baking and forget to eat real food. It would be great to be able to pull something out of the freezer and just pop it in the microwave or oven. Do you stock your freezer? If so, what are some of your favorite freezer meals?
Now, you must try these best-stuffed-peppers-ever-invented! Go all out and make some mashed potatoes to go along with them – a match made in heaven!
One year ago: Grilled Corn
Two years ago: Pea in a Pod Baby Shower Cookies
Three years ago: Pizzelle – Italian Waffle Cookies
Sausage, Mozzarella & Basil Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers, tops cut off, core and seeds removed and discarded
- 1½ pounds (680.39 g) Italian sausage, sweet, mild or hot
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (316 g) cooked white rice
- 15 ounces (425.24 ml) canned tomato sauce
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 14 ounces (396.89 ml) canned beef broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over a high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the bell peppers. Cook until the peppers just begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes, using a spoon to keep the peppers submerged in the water. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove peppers from the pot, drain off excess water, and set aside to cool.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sausage, onion and garlic together until the sausage is browned and no longer pink. Remove from the heat and stir in the rice, tomato sauce, cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the peppers cut-side up in a baking dish large enough to hold them all (it will vary depending on the size of your peppers). Using a large spoon, divide the filling evenly amount the peppers. Drizzle a little of the beef broth evenly over top of the peppers, and then pour the rest into the bottom of the pan. Bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
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We never had stuffed anything while I was growing up! (Unless you count the turkey). I didn’t have my first stuffed pepper until a year or so ago. I love the sound of these, the cheese and basil really make it sound great. And serving these with mashed potatoes – I would have never thought of that!
Those look great! I love stuffed peppers – especially with fresh herbs!
My mother used to serve these for dinner all the time. I’ll have to try this…
Hoping to make these soon when my peppers come in from the garden! Love the tip about making them ahead and freezing!
Sounds like comfort food to me and served along with mashed potatoes….delicious.
How fun, this sounds absolutely delicious!!
I bet these are yummy! I think I’ll use this recipe to make a Greek version.
Love stuffed peppers! I always thought they were an Italian thing too, until I met my Lebanese friends. They just seem to use different spices and techniques. You might the peppers more if sauteed instead of boiled. My Grandma did it this way; using her meatball mixture, which you could easily sub sausage for the ground beef. This way, the filling is pretty ‘solid’ and won’t fall out. Then just saute them in a pan making sure all sides get browned…this way adds a lot of flavor to the peppers. I like to also throw some onions and garlic cloves in towards the end, adding additional flavor. Then top them with a spicy tomato sauce…Perfection! Thanks for sharing :)
yummmm! looks so cheesy and delicious! thanks for sharing!
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Sorry about my earlier post. I accidentally hit submit.
I typically freeze chili, any variety of soups, tuna / chicken casserole, but my all time favorite thing to freeze is lentils. They are super healthy, packed with fiber and protein and they are also low in fat. I make a bowl of rice to go along and I dinner ready!
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
So healthy!
Can’t wait for my peppers to come in my garden!!!
I’ve never made my stuffed peppers with sausage before… all of the recipes I have tried call for ground beef… definitely willing to give something new a try!!
This is such a perfect recipe! The best part is your sharing how to freeze these – I’ve never thought of freezing them fully stuffed!
This looks great!!!
Those look so good! I have to get better at freezer meals too. I am in desperate need of the organization and time savings.
LOVE stuffed peppers, but i’ve never had them with this type of Italian-esque filling. Excited to try them! I will probably top mine with additional Mozz cheese. :D
I have never thought of using sausage before. Love the idea and the fact that you can freeze them!
Please please please make some chile rellenos!! I moved to Nashville TN a few years ago and havent found a mexican place that matcheswhat I left behind. I would love to see your spin on it!
I never ate stuffed peppers until I was an adult, but I really like them. I’m looking forward to testing them out with sausage. My freezer is stocked with frozen fruits for smoothies, the ice cream drum for my ice cream maker, and meat my daddy always brings me from the butcher. It takes me forever to get through the meat because I’m not a huge meat eater, but I always have something in there if I need to whip up a meal for friends.
I’m a pepper stuffer too. I haven’t made them in a while but I like to use red peppers and, like everyone else, I use chopped meat (chopped sirloin if I can find it). This looks tasty though.
These look yummy and I bet the sausage version would be GREAT!
You should try using red bell pepper, maybe the sweetness of them would be better for you:)
I eat stuffed peppers the same way as you – all the filling and none of the pepper. I actually usually only make 2 actual stuffed peppers and make the rest as large meatballs. That way it gets the pepper flavor but no waste of peppers. I am going to have to try a sausage version.
I’ve never tried stuffed peppers but these look and sound so good!
I love stuffed peppers…including the pepper. My Mom filled the peppers after cutting them in half long ways. Like little boats for my pepper hating brothers.
You might try that some time. Green pepper regatta! :)
I bet this is great!
I wish I could get my resident cooking consultant (and critic) to share my love of stuffed vegetables, especially peppers. He just might go for sausage stuffed something, though. He loves sausage. And I always have meatballs in the freezer for quick meals. (And sometimes they’re sausage and ground beef mixed!)
Stuffed Peppers are my favorite meals! I love them, but I never had one with sausage, I normally use ground beef. I freeze mine too!!! Have a great weekend!
I’m all about freezer meals as we are about to have baby #2 soon! I will add this to our list of must make recipes :)
Would these work on the grill? I have a BBQ veggie rack from pampered chef and you stick a prong though the veggie but I am wondering if everything would just oozze out
Hi Nicole, I’m not sure how you would do these on the grill, but if you try, you just need to make sure they stay right-side-up the entire time, or the filling will fall out.
I wish I was better at freezer meals! It sounds like a great way to plan ahead…which I’m terrible at. Maybe I should work on it :) The stuffed peppers look delish!