I love stuffed peppers. What I don’t love is the ratio of pepper to stuffing. I mean, I get it, the pepper is the healthy part. But the stuffing is the good part. I think everyone knows that.

What I also don’t like is how many peppers get gobbled up, when I thought for sure, this meal was going to yield plenty of leftovers. What I came up with, is the unstuffed pepper. Or some might call it, stuffed pepper casserole. This specific recipe has a tomato sauce base, so it’s more of an Italian take on the classic stuffed pepper

I like to make my rice the day before, just so it’s a little firmer. I always opt for brown rice, because of health, but any rice will work.

Chop your peppers and onions to about this size.

Put your peppers in a pot of boiling water for 4 minutes. Immediately drain and set aside.

Next we’re going to sauté our onions with our turkey breakfast sausage. Last time I was at the store, I found these nifty turkey sausage crumbles. They were really great! So if you’re using these, just sauté your onions, and add the crumbles in at the last minute.

Now it’s time for the layering.

Spray your 13×9 and layer the rice on the bottom. Next the onion and sausage mixture. Last, the peppers. Make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Top with your sauce. Finally, sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake until cheese melts. About 30 minutes. It should come out looking like this.

Enjoy!

Make life sweet and learn all you can.

Unstuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers casserole style

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Course Main Course

Ingredients

3 chopped bell peppers (any color is fine)
1 lb ground turkey breakfast sausage
4 cups prepared brown rice
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu)
1/2 cup chopped onion

Instructions

Spray a 13x9 inch pan. Preheat oven to 350.
Saute' the onion and ground turkey until brown and cooked through.
While doing the above step, throw the peppers into a pot of boiling water for ONLY 4 minutes. You don't want to overcook them, you just want to ensure they have the right texture.
Layer the bottom of the pan with all of the brown rice.
Add the turkey/onion mixture and the peppers. Make sure they are spread out evenly.
Pour the spaghetti sauce over the pan, distributing evenly.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover with foil and bake until cheese melts, about 30 mins.
Enjoy.