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Tender bell peppers stuffed with a savory mix of ground beef, Italian sausage, rice, fire-roasted tomatoes, and cheddar cheese, baked covered for perfect tenderness.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 bell peppers (any color combination, tops removed, seeds and membranes removed)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • ½ pound Italian sausage
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning
  • 14 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a casserole dish with non-stick spray.
  2. Slice the tops off the peppers, remove seeds and membranes, and trim a tiny slice from the bottom if needed to make peppers stand upright.
  3. Stand the peppers upright in the prepared baking dish.
  4. Chop the pepper tops (minus stems) finely and set aside.
  5. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  6. Add ground beef and Italian sausage to the skillet and brown, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
  7. Drain excess fat from the skillet.
  8. Add diced onion and chopped pepper tops to the meat and season with Montreal steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper flakes (if using).
  9. Cook and stir until onions and pepper pieces soften, about 5 minutes.
  10. Lower heat to medium-low and stir in drained fire-roasted tomatoes and cooked white rice.
  11. Simmer the filling for 5 minutes to meld flavors and reduce moisture.
  12. Stir in half of the shredded cheddar cheese.
  13. Spoon the filling generously into each prepared bell pepper.
  14. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar cheese on top of the stuffed peppers.
  15. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
  16. Optional: Broil for 1–2 minutes at the end to brown the cheese, watching closely to prevent burning.

Notes

To help peppers stand upright, trim a tiny slice off the bottom., Make-ahead: Assemble and refrigerate covered for up to 2 days before baking. Add 5-10 minutes to baking time if baking cold., Freezing: Freeze assembled unbaked peppers tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before baking., Cooked baked peppers can also be frozen individually wrapped for up to 3 months., Reheat in oven at 350°F covered loosely with foil for 15-20 minutes if refrigerated, longer if frozen; optional broil to brown cheese., Microwave reheating is also possible, heating individual peppers covered for 1-3 minutes., If filling appears dry when reheating, add splash of tomato sauce or water and cover while warming.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://margorecipes.com/old-fashioned-stuffed-bell-peppers-recipe/