Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers With Ground Sausage

Stuffed bell peppers are an easy dinner recipe to make. The classic main dish is filled with a flavorful list of ingredients for a fresh, meaty, cheesy, and savory meal.

The classic recipe is comfort food, and it is a great way to incorporate veggies into your dinner plans.

Baked Stuffed Peppers

This recipe features a combination of sausage, shredded mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo, creating a tasty dish you can’t put down. Even picky eaters love this recipe!

But there is also a lot of variety with this stuffed peppers recipe. You can add ground beef, sausage, or even shredded chicken.

The filled peppers are not only flavorful but filling with all of the delicious ingredients. And it’s a great way to get the entire family to eat their veggies.

For this recipe, I used cooked and crumbed sausage that I bought in a pack at the grocery store. It’s great for those nights when you don’t have a lot of time.

If you have some extra time, you can cook the sausage, drain the grease, and add that to the recipe in place of the pre-cooked sausage.

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Sausage Stuffed Peppers?

You’ll love the selection of simple ingredients for the recipe. You most likely have a lot of the ingredients already in your pantry or refrigerator.

• Bell peppers (any colors)
• Cream cheese
• Sour cream
• Mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Cooked sausage

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

How To Make Stuffed Peppers

1. Rinse the bell peppers and slice off the top. Clean the seeds out of the inside of the peppers, as well as scrape off the membranes on the sides.
2. In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
3. Next, add half of the shredded mozzarella cheese and cooked and crumbled sausage into the bowl and mix well.
4. Stuff the peppers with the cream cheese mixture and bake.
5. Remove the peppers after 30 minutes and place the rest of the shredded cheese on top. Return the peppers to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned on top.

Tools To Make Stuffed Peppers

You only need a few items from your kitchen to make stuffed peppers.

• Cookie sheet baking dish.
• Aluminum foil to cover the cookie sheet.
• Sharp knife to cut the peppers.
• Spoon to scrape the seeds out of the peppers.
• Large mixing bowl to mix the ingredients.
• Wooden spoon or large spoon to mix the ingredients and stuff the bell peppers.
• Oven mitts.

Step-By-Step Instructions For Stuffed Peppers

Start by washing the bell peppers and slicing off the tops (the stem end).

Cut about one inch off the top of the peppers.

Clean the inside of the peppers out, removing the seeds and side membranes.

I usually rinse the peppers out if I have some seeds that don’t want to come out. That usually does the trick.

You can get any color of bell peppers that you’d like. I chose yellow, orange, red, and green bell peppers because having all four added some variety.

There is not a significant taste difference in the colors.

You also need to pick large bell peppers so you have more room to stuff your ingredients.

Add the cream cheese to a large bowl.

It’s best if the cream cheese is room temperature, but if you’re like me and forget to set it out, you can just mix it a little longer with the hand mixer.

You want to get the cream cheese to be able to mix and stuff easily.

Next, add the mayonnaise and sour cream to the bowl.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the ingredients.

Sprinkle half of the cheese into the bowl.

Next, add the crumbled sausage to the bowl and mix well.

I bought some pre-cooked sausage for this recipe to save some time. It came in a 9.6 oz. package, so it’s a little over one cup.

You can also cook the sausage for this recipe–either way will work well.

Mix everything well and stuff into the peppers, and cook for 30 minutes.

Don’t put the cheese on top yet. Otherwise it will burn (speaking from experience). You can add the cheese a little bit before it’s done cooking.

After the peppers cook, add the shredded cheese on top and place it back in the oven to cook until you have browned melty cheese.

You can see me putting the cheese on top in the video, but stuff and cook the peppers for 30 minutes first, and then add the cheese on top before cooking again for 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Optional Ingredients

• Cooked rice (brown rice or white rice).
• Red pepper flakes to sprinkle on top if you like things spicy.
• Black beans
• Sharp cheddar cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Garlic Powder
• Minced onion

Tips and Variety

1. Selection of Bell Peppers: Choose large bell peppers of any color – green, red, yellow, or orange. Each color of bell pepper offers a slightly different flavor, making them a great option for flavor variety.
2. Preparation of Peppers: Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds. For a neat presentation, keep the tops of the bell peppers to place back on after stuffing.
3. Sausage and Rice Mixture: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook your choice of ground meats – like sausage, lean ground turkey, or ground chicken. For a meatless option, consider cauliflower rice or whole grains. Once the meat is browned, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, or marinara sauce for richness. Incorporate cooked long-grain rice or a rice mixture with your choice of seasonings like black pepper, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Stuffing and Baking: Stuff the bell pepper halves with the beef mixture. If you’re meal prepping, wrap the stuffed bell peppers in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an easy meal next time.
5. Serving Suggestions: Serve these easy stuffed peppers with a simple salad or sweet corn for a healthy dinner recipe. The leftovers make a great meal the next day and are easy to reheat.
6. Versatility: This delicious recipe can be varied each time. Try different ground meats, add lime juice for a zesty flavor, or use spaghetti sauce for a different take. For those who enjoy experimenting, adding ingredients like sweet corn or lime juice can enhance the flavor.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

To add a little variety from time to time, give these other options a try.

For Mexican stuffed peppers, use beans, rice, ground beef, red pepper flakes, sliced jalapeños, and Monterey Jack cheese. You can also make your own taco seasoning or add a small packet of the seasoning from the grocery store to the cream cheese mixture to add more flavor.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

To make Italian-style stuffed peppers, you can switch out some ingredients with cooked Italian sausage. Add some Italian seasoning and pasta sauce to the cream cheese mixture before stuffing. Top with Mozzarella cheese.

Cheesy Hamburger Stuffed Peppers

To make cheesy ground beef stuffed peppers, add ground beef (or lean ground beef or ground turkey), shredded cheddar cheese, small slices of pickles and onions, and stuff.

Cook the above items in the same way you would cook the stuffed peppers.

This is a great meal to add variety to the table and make it the way your family loves it. It’s one of those easy dinners that will become a favorite meal.

How To Store Leftover Stuffed Peppers

If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, you will want to add them to the oven or microwave and heat them to the proper temperature.

Recipes that go great with stuffed bell peppers

• Moist Jiffy cornbread – cornbread is always a great addition to any meal, and this is no exception.
• Buttermilk cornbread – adding buttermilk to cornbread always adds flavor, and it’s a great side dish for stuffed peppers.
• Roasted baby carrots – roasted carrots are a wonderful way of adding even more vegetables to the table for the family.
• Green beans and bacon – this is an easy dish to make that goes along well with dinner.
• Slow cooker ranch roasted potatoes from South Your Mouth – the recipe packs a ton of flavor and is a great addition to any meal.
• A simple side salad – toss a salad together and serve on the side.

The Best Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a great way to get the whole family to the dinner table.

The recipe is easy to make, it’s a delicious dinner, and it is the perfect way to add vegetables to the mix.