Spicy Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers are loaded with Italian flavor and just a hint of heat. (And if spicy isn’t your thing, skip the crushed red pepper and you’ll have an Italian-style meal that will make everyone happy.)
Served with a salad or warm garlic bread, this is a hearty meal that comes together without any fuss.
Just cook the meat, stuff the peppers, and let them roast away while you kick back on the couch with a book. Sprinkle the warm peppers with cheese just before serving and you’ll have an easy dinner on the table.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
These Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers are one of my husband’s favorite meals. I’ve been making them for at least 8-10 years now and I double this recipe almost every time I make them.
The meat mixture freezes perfectly on its own and the stuffed peppers freeze well too. I often freeze the cooked peppers individually for quick and easy lunches.
To make the recipe even easier, you can also use cooked rice leftover from a previous meal. Make rice as a side dish for your lunch and use the leftovers in stuffed peppers for dinner!
My kids and I typically eat one pepper each and my husband will eat a couple of them. They’re filling, delicious and enthusiastically enjoyed by everyone.
I’m a big fan of freezer meals and meals I can make ahead with ease. They let me have all the convenience of frozen and fast foods while saving money and delivering the great taste of homemade meals.
For more freezer friendly lunches and dinners, check out Sean’s favorite Hearty Italian Vegetable Soup and my favorite Chicken and Bacon Stir-Fry. Both of those meals freeze beautifully and work great for quick and easy reheating.
These Southwest Chicken Tacos are a big hit and the fact they’re freezer friendly just makes them better. This Chicken Tuscan Pasta Bake also works great as a freezer meal. For easy mornings check out these freezer-friendly Breakfast Burritos.
Stuffed Bell Peppers are so incredibly easy to customize based on your family’s tastes. You can play with different pre-made spaghetti sauces, adjust the spices and try different kinds of cheese on top of the cooked peppers.
Feel free to use this recipe as a jumping off point for making the Stuffed Peppers of your dreams. I love the ground beef in the original version but sausage crumbles and ground turkey would be good substitutes too.
My Spicy Italian Stuffed Peppers have the advantage of being convenient, easy, customizable and kid-friendly to boot. As far as weeknight meals go, can we ask for anything more?
How To Freeze Stuffed Peppers
- Prepare the filling, let cool and transfer to a zip-close freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating or stuffing the filling into peppers to bake. This Unstuffed Bell Pepper Skillet recipe is a great option for a freezer meal with this filling as well.
- The cooked stuffed peppers can also be frozen once they have cooled. Place them in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator prior to reheating the peppers in the microwave.
Kitchen Tip: I use this skillet and this sheet pan to make this recipe.
Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the rice and the water in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. While the rice is simmering, cook the ground beef with the onions in a large skillet.
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Add the olives, mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes to the skillet with the meat. Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes.
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While the filling is simmering, split the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Place the peppers on a large sheet pan and set aside. Add the cooked rice to the skillet with meat and stir to combine.
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Spoon an equal amount of this mixture into each bell pepper. Pour the remaining spaghetti sauce over the top of each pepper.
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Cover loosely with foil and bake 50 minutes in the oven. Remove foil and sprinkle with your favorite cheese. I use mozzarella, Monterrey Jack or pepperjack most of the time. Place back in the oven just until the cheese is melted, approximately 10 minutes. Enjoy!
{originally published 7/8/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 3/6/19}
Sonia (Nasi Lemak Lover) says
I wish to try this out one day, look absolutely delicious !
Tricia @ saving room for dessert says
My husband would love these! He adores peppers and ground beef. Thanks for the great recipe.
The Slow Roasted Italian says
This looks great Mary. Interesting list of ingredients. But, I love the combination. Right now I am going to stick to my hearty protein peppers, but these will be on my list soon enough!
sweetcarolinescooking.com says
These peppers sound amazing, Mary! I can understand why you double the recipe every time. I'm sure I would do the same!
Anncoo says
Never tried having meat stuffing in peppers, looks very delicious 🙂
Melissa says
Delicious looking stuffed peppers Mary! Glad we discovered each other's blogs!
melonpan says
nice picture wow that looks very delicous. Now i am hungry T.T
i have book the receipe, i will try it out^^
Michelle Potter says
I did these tonight… Made a few changes though & OMG…. AMAZING!! I used Ground Mild Italian Sausage & tiny little round noodles. I also added a lil extra sauce to the bottom of the baking dish! Oh they turned out so good. My kids 14 & 9 each had 2 (it was there 1st time having them & my 1st time making them)I think this is a new household favorite!!
DeAna says
Mmm maybe tonight! Michelle…great idea for a modification too!
Katherine says
Stuffed bell peppers are one of my favorite dishes. Need to try this version!
Hofterzielbeek says
The recipe turned out delicious! Great for leftovers as well. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Brasserie Louis says
That looks so delicious..!! I’ll definitely try this for my family. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.!
Vinny says
Stuffed bell peppers are an all time favorite. However, most of the time I make it the normal way. Will definitely try your version. Thanks a lot for sharing this Mary!
eric levine says
Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.
Thank you, Mary!
Mary Younkin says
That’s awesome, Eric!