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4.88 from 16 reviews

BEST Italian Stuffed Peppers

Course: Entrees / i Primi
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina

Ingredients

  • 2 cups arborio rice cooked for 5 minutes
  • 4 large round red bell peppers
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped VIdalia onion. or any white onion
  • 3 large cloves of garlic minced
  • 1-1/2 pounds mild/medium Italian sausage loose meat, not links
  • 2/3 pound lean ground beef
  • ¼ lb. prosciutto chopped up
  • 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Tuscan flavored seasonings
  • 1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Italian Medley Seasonings
  • 1 cup Pecorino Romano freshly-grated
  • 1-1/2 cups Parmigiana freshly-grated
  • 24 oz. can San Marzano peeled Roma tomatoes
  • 1 - 6- oz. can tomato paste
  • 1 cup garden-fresh parsley chopped
  • ½ cup fresh basil chopped
  • 3 jumbo eggs
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese grated
  • To taste: Freshly-cracked sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Fill a tall pot with water and bring it to a boil. Cook rice 1/2 way (half the time indicated on the container of the rice). Drain and set aside.
  • Cut the tops off of the peppers; remove the seeds and any white pith. Cover the peppers with cling wrap and set aside until time to use.
  • Lay out all of the ingredients.
  • Drizzle the olive oil in a wide, tall-sided skillet/frying pan. Heat the oil gently for 60 seconds (being careful not to burn it because olive oil burns easily). Add the chopped onions and saute for 3 - 5 minutes.
  • Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute or two.
  • Add the ground beef and Italian sausage to the pan and cook until nicely browned.
  • ** AT THIS POINT, I season the meat mixture with Mrs. Dash Italian Medley and Mrs. Dash Tuscany herbs (both are salt-free). I also generously sprinkle Nature's Seasonings plus some Accent. No measurements; I just sprinkle generously.**
  • Add the prosciutto and cook for about another 5 - 10 minutes . . . turning down the heat so this mixture does not burn.
  • When nicely browned, add the chopped Italian parsley and basil.
  • Squeeze the tomatoes only (not the juice/sauce) over and into the meat mixture and stir. Save the juice for step #18. Add the tomato paste also.
  • Tip the skillet to one side and remove any grease with a big spoon.
  • Add the half-cooked rice and stir.
  • Add the grated cheeses, except the Mozzarella, and stir.
  • Add the bread crumbs and stir.
  • Add the eggs and stir.
  • At this point: TASTE! Does the stuffing need salt or pepper? Add them now. (I don't have salt listed as an ingredient because too many people in my family have to watch their salt intake and prefer to salt individually after baking. Do what you prefer regarding salt).
  • Spoon the juice/sauce from the tomatoes onto the bottom of the baking dish in which you'll bake the stuffed peppers.
  • Gently stuff the peppers with the meat mixture filling. Stuff as much as possible without breaking the peppers.
  • Place the stuffed peppers into the sauce-lined baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes on the center rack.
  • Leave the oven on. Remove the stuffed peppers from the oven and place the hot baking pan on a protective surface such as a wooden cutting board or wire rack.
  • Remove the foil and generously sprinkle freshly-grated Mozzarella cheese on top of each stuffed pepper. Then sprinkle freshly-grated Parmigiana cheese over the Mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake or broil, uncovered, to brown the cheese on the top -- usually 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it so that the cheese doesn't burn.
  • When nice and golden brown, remove the stuffed peppers from the oven and sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley and basil.
  • Serve immediately.
  • Mangai!

Notes

You can chop up the pepper tops and add them to your filling or you can chop them up and add to a nice vegetable salad -- just use them so they don't go to waste.