Italian Stuffed Peppers

These Italian stuffed peppers are inspired by lasagna but without the noodles. The peppers are layered with meat, sauce, and cheese and then baked for a melted cheesy meal. You only need four ingredients to make this stuffed pepper recipe and it’s ready to serve in 30 minutes.

Sometimes I crave lasagna but I don’t want all of the carbs from the noodles and want something lighter but with the same flavors.

So, I came up with these easy Italian stuffed peppers. They have all of the sauce, cheese, and meat like regular lasagna, but without the noodles. Everything is layered inside the peppers and baked until the cheese is melted and ooey-gooey.

These Italian stuffed peppers are easy to make with just four ingredients and I love that each stuffed pepper is an individual serving. Plus, it’s an easy 30-minute dinner which I love when we have busy work weeks.

Ingredients

• Medium-sized green peppers
• Marinara sauce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Ground beef

How to Prep the Peppers

Bell peppers are great for stuffing because they hold their shape when they’re baked so all the fillings stay nice and snug inside even after they’re baked.

You want to pick peppers that are big enough to hold the ingredients. I use green peppers because they seem to be on sale all the time, but you can use red, yellow or orange bell peppers, too.

Slice the tops of the peppers off so the stem is removed and you have a wide opening so the pepper looks like a bowl. Remove all of the seeds and pull out as much of the white ribs as you can from the inside.

Make the Filling

Cook ground beef in a large skillet or pan on the stove until it’s cooked through and no longer pink. Spoon the ground beef between the hollowed-out peppers and top it with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of cheese. Be sure to fill each pepper to the top with the fillings.

Bake the peppers on a baking sheet in the oven for five minutes at 375°F. Then turn the heat up to 400°F and bake the peppers until the filling mixture is hot and the cheese is completely melted and starting to blister.

Recipe Tips

These stuffed peppers are easy enough for a weeknight but I think they’d be great for a party, too, since each person can have their own.

You can also make these vegetarian by leaving out the meat and adding more cheese or switch out the ground beef for ground turkey if you want leaner meat. Or, for a different flavor, you can use ground pork or crumbled Italian sausage.

For extra Italian flavor, add some dried Italian seasoning to the beef when you cook it. You could also stir in some finely minced garlic cloves and onions.

For easy cleanup, line the baking sheet with foil.

Add some garnishes like chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil. Or sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese over the top before serving them.

You can serve them by themselves or add some pasta or rice on the side.

I love how these turned out – they’re such an easy dinner and the taste satisfies my lasagna cravings without all the carbs.

More Dinner Recipes

• Bang Bang Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Zucchini Noodles with Meatballs
• Crispy Salt and Black Pepper Tofu

Lasagna Peppers

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

These lasagna peppers are an easy and noodle free version of traditional lasagna. The peppers are layered with meat, sauce and cheese and then baked, for a melted gooey meal.

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Ingredients

• 4 medium-sized green peppers
• 1 cup tomato or marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup cooked ground beef

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
• Slice tops off of green peppers so that they resemble bowls. Remove any seeds to hollow out the peppers.
• Add 1/4 cup of ground beef. Then layer 1/4 cup of tomato sauce. Then sprinkle on cheese until the cheese reaches the brim of the pepper bowl. Repeat with remaining peppers. Place peppers on baking sheet.
• Bake for about 10 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn heat up to 400°F so that the cheese begins to bubble and blister. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25of recipe, Calories: 147kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 512mg, Sugar: 2g, NET CARBS: 3

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

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