It has been cold and rainy for the last few days and I was craving some comfort food yesterday so I made stuffed bell peppers with chicken Italian sausage, rice, and spinach with some leftover marinara sauce. They were simple to make, smelled fantastic while baking, and tasted great. My husband and I liked them while my kids thought they were just okay.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Chicken Italian Sausage, Rice, and Spinach

Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked jasmine rice, cooked per package instructions
2 tsp olive oil
½ sweet yellow onion, diced
5 chicken Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
½ tsp dried oregano
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup of baby spinach, chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (plus more for garnish)
1 ½ cups of marinara sauce, divided
3 bell peppers 1 orange, 1 yellow, 1 red, seeded
Parmesan, shredded

How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers with Chicken Italian Sausage, Rice, and Spinach

Prepare rice, per instructions.

While rice is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Add the chicken Italian sausage, the casings removed. Using a potato masher, mash the sausage while it cooks until crumbled. Add the minced garlic, oregano, fennel, and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sausage is cooked, stirring often. Add prepared rice, spinach, and basil along with 1 cup of marinara sauce and mix thoroughly. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large glass baking dish, add 1-1 1/2 cups of water. Cut the bell peppers in half, lengthwise, then remove the seeds. Scoop meat mixture into each pepper half until it’s heaping full and place into baking dish. Add a spoonful of the remaining marinara sauce to each pepper then top with sprinkled Parmesan cheese.

Bake covered in tin foil for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve. Enjoy.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Chicken Italian Sausage, Rice, and Spinach

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 55

Total Time: 1 10

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: pepper halves

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup of uncooked jasmine rice cooked per instructions
2 tsp olive oil
½ sweet yellow onion diced
5 chicken Italian sausage links casings removed
2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
1 tsp fennel seeds crushed
½ tsp dried oregano
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup of baby spinach chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped (plus more for garnish)
1 ½ cups of marinara sauce divided
3 bell peppers 1 orange, 1 yellow, 1 red
Parmesan shredded

Instructions

Prepare rice, per instructions.
While rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until tender.
Add the chicken Italian sausage, the casings removed. Using a potato masher, mash the sausage while it cooks until crumbled. Add the minced garlic, oregano, fennel, and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sausage is cooked, stirring often.
Add prepared rice, spinach, and basil along with 1 cup of marinara sauce and mix thoroughly. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large glass baking dish, add 1-1 1/2 cups of water.
Cut the bell peppers in half, lengthwise, then remove the seeds.
Scoop meat mixture into each pepper half until it’s heaping full and place into baking dish.
Add a spoonful of the remaining marinara sauce to each pepper then top with sprinkled Parmesan cheese.
Bake covered in tin foil for 40 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve. Enjoy.

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22 Comments

Looks so good! I’ve always wanted to try to make stuffed peppers, you made it look so doable!

Now those are some stuffed peppers I would eat!! My mom used to make stuffed peppers when I was a kid and they never looked or sounded this good… if only she would have stuffed them with this…. we wouldn’t have fought so much!! lol

Now these are some stuff peppers I could enjoy!! Whenever I hear stuffed peppers I think of the ones my mom made when I was a kid… and let’s just say they were not that appealing. If only she had been just a little more creative (and cooked those suckers a little less) she and I probably wouldn’t have fought so much at dinner time!! lol