Italian Stuffed Peppers Recipe

These Italian Stuffed Peppers are the ultimate summer comfort food! Stuffed bell peppers are sweet and tender with a hearty filling of ground beef, rice and marinara sauce, and they’re topped with melty mozzarella cheese. They’re a lighter take on comfort food yet every bit as satisfying. It’s an easy dinner that can be prepped entirely in advance so it’s great for busy weeknights or entertaining!

Author: Flavor the Moments

Meal Type: Eggs Free

Cuisine: Italian

Difficulty: HARD

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 455 kcal per serving

Ingredients

2 tablespoons - olive oil
3 - bell peppers
½ - onion
1 lb - grass fed ground beef
3 cloves - garlic
2 teaspoons - Italian seasoning
a pinch of salt
¼ tsp - black pepper
2 cups - marinara sauce
1 cup - rice white or brown rice
½ cup - parmesan cheese
1 cup - mozzarella cheese
⅓ cup - basil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease an 9×13" 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).
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.
Add the marinara sauce, rice and parmesan cheese to the beef mixture, stirring well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
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!

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