Stuffed Italian Peppers
These Stuffed Italian Peppers are classic old-school comfort food and make a great weeknight meal. Inspired by a beautiful, abundant display of peppers at a local farmers’ market, this version varies a bit from the usual filling and contains those Italian American flavors that we all love — Italian pork sausage, ground beef, fresh mozzarella, Pecorino, herbs, spinach and tiny pasta.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound bulk hot or sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
- 1 heaping cup yellow onion, small diced
- 1/2 cup cup (dry) orzo or other small pasta, cooked, drained and mixed with 1 tsp olive oil
- 6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and completely strained
- 1/3 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, small diced (reserve a small amount for the top of the peppers)
- 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (reserve a small amount for the top of the peppers)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 Tbsp finely minced garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
For the Stuffed Peppers:
- 4 bell peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed, rinsed and dried (See NOTE about peppers below.)
- 1 cup marinara/tomato basil sauce
- Reserved cheese from above
- Additional fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350◦F.
- Prep all ingredients according to specifications above, including cooking and cooling the pasta.1/2 cup cup (dry) orzo or other small pasta,
- Mix all filling ingredients together in a small bowl until well-combined, then set aside.1/2 pound ground beef, 1/2 pound bulk hot or sweet Italian pork sausage,, 1 heaping cup yellow onion,, 6 ounces frozen chopped spinach,, 1/3 pound fresh mozzarella cheese,, 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese,, 2 large eggs,, 1 Tbsp finely minced garlic, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1 tsp salt, pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Carefully stuff each pepper half securely with the filling, packing it in.4 bell peppers,
- Cover the bottom of a nonstick 13 ½”x9 ½” baking pan with the marinara, then nestle the stuffed peppers in the pan, arranging them in rows, stuffing side up.1 cup marinara/tomato basil sauce
- Bake them uncovered in a 350◦F oven on the middle rack for about one hour or until they have reached an internal temperature of 165◦F.
- Remove the pan from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 400◦F, then sprinkle the reserved mozzarella and pecorino on the roasted stuffed peppers.Reserved cheese from above
- Return the pan to the oven for another few minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve warm with additional fresh basil. Buon Appetito!Additional fresh basil for garnish
Notes
- Undercook the pasta! It will be cooked again in the oven, so cooking it 1-2 minutes less than al dente is ideal. Be sure to cool the cooked pasta before mixing it with the other ingredients and mix in a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
- This filling mixture can be made in advance and held, covered, in the refrigerator for one to two days until you are ready to use it.
- The peppers can be stuffed and held, raw, in the refrigerator for up to one day before baking.
- If you have filling leftover after having stuffed all the pepper halves, form them into small meatballs and pan-fry them for a snack!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!