These sausage stuffed peppers are a satisfying twist on classic stuffed peppers and on the table in 35 minutes. The sweet bell peppers are stuffed with a savory blend of sausage, hearty quinoa, garlic, fresh herbs, and topped with cheese. A recipe the entire family will love! Serve with a side salad or our favorite crispy baked fries.
In This Post
As you know, I'm all about sharing dinner recipes that work for the everyday family– the ones you pull together FAST before the chaos begins, the ones that require minimal effort after a long day but still taste delicious, and especially the ones that minimize dishes. These sausage stuffed peppers fit the bill perfectly; satisfying, quick, easy, and absolutely hit the spot. Trust me, they'll leave you feeling like you just nailed dinner!
The Best Sausage Stuffed Peppers Recipe
- Quick and easy to pull together
- Comes together in just 25 minutes!
- Wholesome and satisfying
- Super flavorful filling from the spices and herbs
- Lots of textures
- A wonderful make-ahead recipe
- Easily customizable and versatile
Grab These Ingredients
- Bell Peppers: You want to use large bell peppers that have somewhat even bottoms so they can easily stand up in the baking dish. You can use any color that prefer— though our favorite is red bell peppers.
- Sausage: We usually use hot Italian sausage, but you can use your favorite. It's easier to buy it ground though you can use links, just be sure to remove it from the casings. You could also use turkey or chicken sausage. See the recipe notes.
- Vegetables: You can add your favorite vegetables to the filling, we love to use mushrooms and onions. I find that using onion adds lots of additional flavor while the mushrooms add heartiness to the filling.
- Spices: We're using a combination of Italian seasoning, dried oregano, fresh parsley, garlic, salt and pepper for flavor.
- Chicken Broth: We need some liquid to keep the filling moist and hold together. I find that using chicken broth adds the most flavor, though in a pinch you could use equal parts tomato sauce or even water.
- Quinoa: Make sure the quinoa is cooked prior to using it for the filling. You can could also use white rice, brown rice, basmati rice, or even wild rice — all cooked prior to adding it to the filling.
- Cheese: We're only topping the stuffed peppers with cheese so you want it to be good quality. Some great options for this recipe are white cheddar, asiago, provolone, or pepper jack.
How To Make Stuffed Peppers
The process to making stuffed peppers is easy and straight forward. Here's an overview of the process with the more detailed recipe below.
- Cut the Peppers: You want to slice off the top of the peppers and then pull out the de-vein and de-seed. If you have little hands to help, pulling out the insides is a fun activity for them!
- Bake the Peppers: While you make the filling you want to pre-bake the peppers. This allows the peppers to cook slightly so they will be tender after they bake with the filling.
- Make the Filling: Combine all the filling ingredients into a large skillet. You want to cook the sausage until it's fully cooked through and all the vegetables are soft.
- Stuff the Peppers: Scoop the filling evenly into the bell peppers, filling them all the way to the top.
- Bake the Peppers: Bake the peppers for about 20 minutes covered in aluminum foil. Then, remove from the oven, top with cheese and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Other Variations & Substitutions
- Meat: You can easily use sweet or spicy sausage, completely swap it for ground beef (like traditional stuffed peppers) or another type of meat that you prefer.
- Rice: We love the heartiness of quinoa but you can replace it with any type of cooked rice like in this recipe.
- Vegetables: You can add your favorite vegetables to the filling, we love to use mushrooms and onions. The onion adds lots of additional flavor.
- Cheese: Add your favorite cheese– we love pepper jack or white cheddar cheese.
What to Serve with Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Crispy Baked French Fries
- Roasted Asparagus
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Ridiculously Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Quinoa & Sausage Stuffed Peppers
Description
These sausage stuffed peppers are a satisfying twist on classic stuffed peppers and on the table in 35 minutes. The sweet bell peppers are stuffed with a savory blend of sausage, hearty quinoa, garlic, fresh herbs, and topped with cheese. A recipe the entire family will love! Serve with a side salad or our favorite crispy baked fries.
Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers, any color
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb sweet, mild or hot Italian sausage
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- ½ cup chopped mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 ½ cups cooked quinoa
- 1 ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut about ¼ inch off the top of the peppers. Remove the core and seeds using your hands. Place the peppers in a 11x7-inch or 9x13-inch baking dish, this will depend on the size of the peppers. Bake the peppers for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. You can make the filling while the peppers bake– the filling will be done in just about the same time.
- Heat the olive oil, sausage and onions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions begin to soften, then stir in the mushrooms, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt and pepper. Break up the sausage with a spatula as it cooks until the sausage is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 ¼ cup of cheese and the cooked quinoa.
- Spoon the filling evenly into each bell pepper, filling all the way to the top. Cover the peppers tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, top each bell pepper with the remaining cheese. Bake for 3-5 minutes, uncovered, until the cheese is melted.
- Carefully remove the bell peppers from the baking dish using tongs. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The raw bell peppers can be prepped up to 1 week in advance. The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- Freezing Instructions: Baked unfilled or filled peppers (without cheese on top) can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake covered at 400°F for 35 minutes, remove from the oven, top with cheese and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Sausage: You can use sweet, mild or hot Italian sausage. You can also replace the sausage with chicken sausage, ground beef or ground turkey.
- Chicken Broth: I find that using chicken broth adds the best flavor, however in a pinch you can use tomato sauce or water. If using water, you may need to add another pinch of salt.
- Vegetarian? Easily replace the meat with beans– we've used black beans and pinto beans.
Nutrition
Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 531mg | Potassium: 796mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 5596IU | Vitamin C: 240mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 3mg
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Mirelle says
what a lovely recipe. I used hot sausage for my family and only put mushrooms in half of them as my sons don't like it and served them with your french fries. was delicious! will make again!