These Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers are packed full of a delicious mixture of spicy Italian sausage, marinara sauce, rice, savory spices topped with sharp cheddar cheese. Baked to perfection, this is a comforting classic that even your pickiest eater will enjoy!
Serves 6
It's been documented that Pimientos Rellenos, or stuffed peppers have been around since the late 1800s. There are many variations that can be found in street food in China, Basque Country in Spain, and in Guatemala where it is covered in an egg batter and then fried. (1)
These Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers are budget-friendly and come together fast making them perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. They also freeze absolutely beautifully, making them one of my favorite freezer meal preps.
I love growing my own bell peppers in our backyard garden, but the next best thing is to shop from your local farmers! Local farms and farmers markets often have a vast array of colorful peppers to choose from. I enjoy using a mixture of colors simply because it's just so much fun, but you can certainly use store-bought green bell peppers. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe!
To Make These Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers you will need:
Bell Peppers
Fresh bell peppers that are bright and firm are ideal. You don’t want to use peppers that are wrinkled, have soft spots, moldy stems, or simply don’t appear to be the best.
Spicy Italian Sausage
We love the spiciness ground Italian sausage brings to this recipe. An Italian sausage that has a mix of fennel, garlic, and paprika offers a savory, sweet aroma and provides texture. If you want a milder flavor profile, ground beef will work just fine.
Rice
I typically use just a pantry-staple, long grain white rice. However, Jasmine or Basmati rice would be absolutely delicious!
Yellow Onion
You can use a white or Vidalia onion, but a simple yellow onion will get the job done. I actually prefer to use yellow onions in this recipe because they offer a strong but mild onion flavor that doesn’t overpower the other ingredients.
Seasoned Black Beans
I keep a pretty healthy stash of home canned seasoned black beans in our pantry because we just love them. We use them as a topping for tacos, in chili, or even just a simple meal of rice and beans. Home canning your own black beans is super easy and more affordable than store-bought canned beans. I use the canning recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.
The use of seasoned black beans in this recipe is going to offer not only a ton of extra flavor but an extra boost of protein as well!
Mariana Sauce
Like my seasoned black beans, I also keep a pretty nice stash of Homemade Mariana Sauce on hand. It is so easy to make that making a double or triple recipe for later is a no-brainer! If using a store-bought sauce, I recommend choosing one of a higher quality like Rao’s.
Spices
This whole recipe is pretty customizable but probably the most by the amount of spice you prefer. I usually go a little on the low end of heat scale because my kiddos don’t care for too much spice, but if you live on the wild side, feel free to spice it up!
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
My heart says that sharp cheddar cheese is the one and only clear choice here, however, a mozzarella or provolone will probably be pretty darn good as well. I’m just a Seriously Sharp White Cheddar Cheese kinda girl.
Let’s Make Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers!
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.
Cook ground Italian sausage and onion in a large Dutch Oven until meat is browned and onion is translucent.
Sauté rice with the sausage and onion mixture for about 1 minute.
Add water and bring to a boil. Boil for approximately 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cover with lid.
While the rice mixture is resting, wash bell peppers and carefully cut off the tops.
Place the peppers in a 9x13 baking dish.
Remove the lid from the rice mixture and give it a good stir.
To the rice mixture, add the black beans, marinara sauce, tomatoes with chilis, spices and one cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir well to combine.
Evenly distribute rice mixture among the six bell peppers.
Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the bell peppers are softened.
Top each bell pepper with remaining cheese and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Ingredients
6 large bell peppers
1-pound spicy Italian sausage
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups seasoned black beans, drained
3 cups Homemade Marinara Sauce
1 cup diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large Dutch oven, cook ground Italian sausage and onion until meat is browned and onion is translucent.
Add one cup of rice, sauté for approximately 1-2 minutes.
Add two cups of water to the meat and onion mixture. Boil for approximately 7 minutes.
Remove from heat and cover with lid. Allow to rest uncovered for approximately 15-20 minutes.
While the rice mixture is resting, remove the tops of peppers. Rinse peppers with cool water.
Place peppers into a 9x13 baking dish.
To the rice and sausage mixture, add seasoned black beans, marinara sauce, tomatoes with chilis and spices. Add in one cup sharp cheddar cheese. Gently stir to combine thoroughly. Place peppers cut side up to baking dish and spoon rice mixture into each pepper until evenly full.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until peppers are tender. Top peppers with the remaining one cup sharp cheddar cheese and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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