Stuffed Peppers just like Mom made. Easy dinner time comfort food that will bring everyone to the dinner table! Tender peppers with a homey tasty filling!!
I love this recipe! It makes a simple, fairly healthy, comfort food dinner that brings a smile to my face as I pull it out of the oven. It reminds me of something my mom would have made for the family on an evening when there was still a chill in the air. Usually, for me, comfort food and fairly health don’t go together in the same sentence!
The comfort food I generally crave has lots of fat and white carbs. Well, this dish happily doesn’t have either. The original recipe is from, none other than the amazing, Emeril. I’ve changed it very little making a minor adjustment to add a bit more nutrition and less fat. I have added more salt and pepper. I think when you’re making simple dishes like this the salt and pepper ratio is more important than ever. I remember when I was first married; I had dinner with one of my mothers in law dear friends. Her name was Gloria and she was a legendary cook. She told me that if you don’t get the salt and pepper right in a dish, it’s never going to taste great. Frankly, I think she was right on the money. Luckily, no one in my fam has a health issue with salt so I’m pretty liberal with it. Any time I’m seasoning a dish and the flavor isn’t quite singing, I add a little more salt. When it’s right, I start hearing a lovely song coming right out of my food!
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 (2 each color) red, yellow, and orange bell peppers tops cut away and seeds and stems removed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground bulk Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2-3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- pinch white sugar
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers (6) until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil (1 tablespoon) over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions (1 cup) and chopped bell peppers (1 cup) and cook, stirring until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the beef (1/2 pound), Italian sausage (1/2 pound), garlic (1 1/2 tablespoons), parsley (1/4 cup), salt (2-3 teaspoons), black pepper (1 teaspoon), and pepper flakes (1/4 teaspoon). Cook until the meat is browned, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon to break up the lumps, about 6 minutes.
- Add the rice (2 cups), tomato sauce (8 ounces), and a pinch of sugar and stir well. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
- Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom, about 1/8-inch deep. Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture and place them in the baking dish. Sprinkle the tops with cheese (1 cup). Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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- Bell Peppers: I like to use a mix of colors because I think they're prettier that way. Feel free to choose any color you like. I also remove the ribs (and of course the seeds!) before stuffing.
- Rice: When I’m making stuffed peppers with rice, I prefer to use white rice. Brown rice works really well too, and is generally higher in fiber, according to Healthline Just my personal opinion, so go with your preference.
- Meat: I like a combo of ground beef and Italian sausage. If you'd like, you can switch the beef and make them with ground chicken or turkey, there still delish.
- Red Pepper Flakes: I suggest omitting these if you're serving these to young kids or guests who like mild food.
Nutrition
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes…
Source: From Emeril Lagasse
These look great, I'm having them for lunch tomorrow! You have spelled parsley wrong on the ingredients list!
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Wish I was there enjoying some of that beautiful weather. The picture of the peppers is fabulous.
This looks so tasty! I wish my bf would eat peppers… I want to make these for dinner!
I always love the idea of stuffed peppers but have never made them like this. These look amazing…
LOVE stuffed peppers! They look warm and satisfying!
Mmmmmmm….stuffed peppers. I just love these. It was a dish my Mom made often and I still love to make them. I love the colorful peppers and the brown rice is a good touch too!! Plus, the combo. off beef & pork together – perfect!
I am a big fan of stuffed peppers! These look great. I agree about the salt and pepper. When I was first married, I was trying to be healthy and used very little salt, and my meals were just terrible…lol I noticed how much my mother-in-law used (lots!) and her food was so good. Since then, I use it liberally too:)
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I literally just made stuffed green peppers for dinner tonight! Looks like we were on the same wavelength. They are delicious!
These stuffed peppers look like wonderfully healthy comfort food. I'm putting this on my meal planner.
I'm not a big fan of bell peppers but the stuffing sounds awesome! I haven't made an Emeril recipe yet – I think I should change that soon!
LOVE LOVE LOVE stuffed peppers. Even in summer they are one of my favorite. I set up my Big Green Egg as a ceramic coal fired oven (like I do for pizzas but at a lower temp) and cook them outdoors. Amazingly good.