Pizza Stuffed Peppers are a fun and easy twist on your typical stuffed pepper recipe! Italian sausage combines with flavorful marinara sauce, then gets stuffed inside a bell pepper before it’s topped with cheese and your favorite pizza toppings!
Perfect for busy weeknights or a fun gathering, Pizza Stuffed Peppers are a fun and creative way to enjoy your favorite pizza flavors without the extra crust! Make it a meal by serving it alongside a salad and garlic bread!
My family has what we call Pizza Fridays, and this recipe is one of our favorites in the rotation! We love how easy it is to switch up the toppings, and everybody gets to create their own. For more pizza recipes, try my Pizza Chicken, which is perfect for crazy weeknights, or my Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza to get those extra vegetables in!
All About Pizza Stuffed Peppers
Taste: This recipe has all of your favorite pizza flavors without all of the extra guilt of feeling unhealthy! With flavorful marinara sauce, juicy Italian sausage cooked to perfection, mozzarella cheese, and your favorite toppings all stuffed into one big pepper, it is bound to slide into your family’s weekly meal rotations!
Texture: When you make these Pizza Stuffed Peppers, you won’t feel like you’re skipping out on your favorite crisp pizza! Instead, you’ll be able to enjoy all of your favorite pizza toppings inside a juicy bell pepper. Melty and gooey cheese tops these peppers, along with your favorite toppings that get perfectly crisp once baked.
Pizza Stuffed Peppers Ingredients
- Italian sausage
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Diced tomatoes
- Marinara sauce
- Bell peppers
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Your favorite pizza toppings- I used black olives, spinach, and pepperoni.
Make It Your Own
Pizza Stuffed Peppers are a perfect meal where nobody is fighting over which toppings should be used. Instead, everybody can make their own Stuffed Peppers with whatever toppings and fillings they want! We like to use sausage and pepperoni, but you can also try some of these toppings:
- Pepperoni
- Hamburger
- Onion
- Black Olives
- Spinach
- Ham
- Pineapple
- Mushrooms
- Bacon
How To Make Pizza Stuffed Peppers
Step One: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet, brown and crumble the Italian sausage along with the garlic and seasonings.
Step Two: Once browned, drain the excess grease and add the diced tomatoes with the juice. Reserve 1 cup of marinara sauce and set to the side, but add the remaining jar to the sausage mixture.
Step Three: Add the reserved marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 pan, covering the entire bottom of the pan and set aside. Cut each bell pepper in half and scoop out all seeds and bits, then lay each half in the bottom of the pan with the emptied side of the pepper facing up. Spoon the sausage mixture into each bell pepper half.
Step Four: Top with mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings.
Step Five: Bake in the oven until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!
FAQ’s
How can you tell if the peppers are done cooking in the oven?
The peppers are done cooking when their exteriors are slightly wrinkly and may be slightly golden in color. The cheese on top of the peppers will be melted and bubbly, and any toppings will be slightly crispy and also golden.
What color pepper is best to use?
You can choose the color of pepper you use, based on your personal preference. Yellow and orange peppers are the sweetest, followed by red and green. I recommend using one of each color, but green peppers are a perfect pairing for these pizza flavors.
Can you make this recipe vegetarian?
Yes! You can swap the ground sausage for tofu crumbles or a different meat alternative. You can also use rice or quinoa in place of the sausage.
How do you store Pizza Stuffed Peppers?
Store Pizza Stuffed Peppers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat by placing in the oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, or microwave until the center of the peppers are warm.
Pizza Stuffed Peppers
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 14 oz jar diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 23 oz jar marinara sauce
- 3 large bell peppers any color
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Black pitted olives sliced (for topping)
- Spinach for topping
- Mini pepperoni for topping
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the sausage, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the sausage is browned and crumbled. Drain any grease from the sausage.
- Add the diced tomatoes with juice to the sausage mixture.
- Pour 1 cup of marinara sauce into a bowl and set aside. Pour the rest of the jar of marinara in the pan, stir and let simmer for 8 minutes.
- In a 9×13 baking dish, add the reserved 1 cup of marinara sauce to the bottom of the baking dish, and spread around to cover the entire bottom of the dish. Set aside.
- Slice the peppers in half and clean out the seeds and bits. Set the peppers on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Spoon the sausage mixture into each bell pepper.
- Top the sausage mixture with mozzarella cheese, followed by the pepperoni and the extra toppings.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!
