Italian Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce
Italian Stuffed Peppers is a classic Italian staple that is so filling AND healthy. With a saucy stuffing in delicious fresh peppers, braised in a tomato sauce, this dish is the perfect weeknight meal!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 563kcal
Cost: $20
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 baking dish
Ingredients
- 8 bell peppers
- 2 lb ground beef
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes (Save ¼ for the pan)
- 1-2 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1.5 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 cup parmigiana cheese
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley with some extra for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan to medium heat. Add olive oil, and once shimmering, add onion and carrot. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Then stir in garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Separate ground beef into pieces and add to the saucepan. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon. Stir the ground beef occasionally until it is mostly browned about 6-8 minutes.
- Combine the tomato paste with the ground beef until there is no more pink remaining. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for 25 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, make the white rice as directed on the package and set it aside.
- Remove the sauce from the heat. Combine the cooked white rice and parmigiana with the sauce in the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Prepare the peppers by slicing off the tops and cutting the peppers in half. Remove any seeds from the inside of the pepper.
- Pour the remaining ¼ of the crushed tomatoes into the baking pan with ½ cup of water. Stuff the half peppers with the stuffing from the pan. Then place the peppers in the baking pan with the tomato sauce.
- Cover the stuffed peppers in mozzarella. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and begins to get a light golden color.
Video
Notes
- You can shape the bottom of the bell pepper with a knife to help it stand easily.
- I like a little bite to my pepper. If you want them softer, leave them in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
- I can never eat all of the tomato sauce just with the stuffed peppers, but sometimes the next day I'll use it to make some pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 748mg | Potassium: 731mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6659IU | Vitamin C: 157mg | Calcium: 303mg | Iron: 3mg
