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

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

It has been cold and rainy for the last few days and I was craving some comfort food yesterday. I grabbed a few bell peppers, chicken Italian sausage, rice, onion, and leftover marinara sauce and made these stuffed peppers. They were simple to make, smelled fantastic while they baked, and tasted great. My husband and I really liked them while my kids weren’t the biggest fans. Their loss.

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

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, 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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Servings: 6 pepper halves

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 skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Add the chicken Italian sausage, 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 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 additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve. Enjoy.
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22 Comments

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. We had this for dinner with Sweet Italian Basil Sausage mmmm so good thumbs up from the parents AND the 8 year old… 🙂

  4. I have made these with the MINI PEPPERS (red yellow green) and used as hot appetizers with toothpicks and they went fast.