Stuffed peppers have always come with a cozy vibe. My mom would usually make a huge batch in the winter and we would have some all week long. I have a few fun recipes here on the blog, like my turkey and wild rice stuff peppers and these barbacoa and black bean stuffed peppers, but these spicy sausage and orzo stuffed peppers are my current favs.
The filling for these peppers is boldly Italian… spicy Italian sausage, buttery orzo, salty parmesan, fresh parsley, tomatoes, garlic, onions… it’s all in here and it is delicious.
Let’s get started…
Begin by bringing 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil and cooking a cup of dried orzo for about 12 minutes. You want the orzo to be nice and tender for this filling.
While the orzo is boiling, brown up 16 ounces of spicy Italian sausage and break it up into very small pieces. If you don’t like heat, feel free to use mild Italian sausage!
Once the sausage is cooked through, transfer it into a bowl and set it aside for now.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter into the same pot you browned the sausage in and as soon as the butter has melted, add your diced yellow onion and finely minced garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the garlic and onions have softened, add the browned sausage back into the pot along with 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup of finely shredded parmesan, 14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes and the cooked orzo.
Give everything a good mix and then taste the filling to see if salt or black pepper is necessary. It all depends on how seasoned your sausage is. When I use a good spicy sausage, I usually don’t need to add salt or pepper, but if you use a mild sausage or one without a lot of seasoning, you may need to season the filling.
It is now time to stuff the peppers! Here are some of my pepper stuffing suggestions…
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- Picking your peppers: be sure to pick out some really big peppers, so they are both easy to stuff and can hold enough filling to feel like a full serving.
- Cutting: traditionally, you’ll cut just the very tops off of the peppers, but I love they way they look cut in half vertically. If you cut off the tops, one pepper is usually enough for a serving, but if you cut them in half, you’ll need both. Either way works great.
- Prepping your peppers: be sure to remove all of the seeds and inner membrane before adding the filling. Nobody wants seeds in their filling and the membrane can stay tough even after the peppers become tender, so removing it is high recommended!
- Is precooking necessary? Not at all! Precooking the peppers was one of the reasons I avoided making stuffed peppers originally. It takes time to precook them, plus more time to let them cool enough to stuff them. Giving them a little drizzle of olive oil before stuffing them results in tender peppers every time I have made them, so why precook?
- Leveling the peppers: the last step before stuffing them is to make sure they will sit level in your pot. This is especially important if the peppers are not tightly fit into your baking dish. Use a sharp knife to cut just a little bit off of the bottom of the peppers so they will sit stably in your dish. Be careful not to cut through the bottom of the pepper or your filling will fall out as the peppers soften.
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Now that your peppers are all prepped, stuff them tightly and place them into your baking dish. Add about 1/2 cup of chicken stock into the bottom of the pot to help create a little steam during the bake and bake the peppers uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until the peppers are tender.
Garnish the peppers with some fresh parsley and of course, more parmesan and be prepared for some wonderfully nostalgic comfort food…
The way that the orzo soaks up all of that spicy sausage, sweet tomatoes and garlic is simply delicious. All that with the addition of the fresh parsley and salty parm creates one wonderful meal that really feels like home. You will love these spicy sausage and orzo stuffed peppers.
Spicy Sausage & Orzo Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
- 1 cup of dried orzo
- 16 ounces of spicy Italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup of parmesan, finely shredded
- 14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes
- 8 large sweet bell peppers
- salt and black pepper
- olive oil
- extra parmesan (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Add 2 cups of chicken stock into a saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a simmer
- Once the stock is simmering, add a cup of orzo, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook for 12 minutes
- While the orzo is cooking, cook 16 ounces of Italian sausage until it is browned and cooked through
- Transfer the cooked sausage into a bowl and set aside for now
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter into the skillet you cooked the sausage in and as soon as it has melted, add 2 minced cloves of garlic and a diced yellow onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until they are softened
- Transfer the skillet off of the heat and add the browned sausage back into the skillet along with 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup of finely shredded parmesan, 14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes and the cooked orzo
- Mix the filling well and test to see if salt or black pepper is necessary
- Prepare the peppers by cutting them in half lengthwise or cutting off the tops and removing all seeds and membranes
- Place the peppers into a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil
- Divide the filling between all of the peppers and top with additional shredded parmesan, if desired
- Carefully pour the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock in between the peppers (be careful not to pour it into the peppers)
- Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the parmesan is melted
- Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!
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