Stuffed Peppers {Italian Style}
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Italian Style Stuffed Peppers – this is an oldie but a goodie! I’ve been making this recipe for years, but decided to jazz it up for the blog. A quick semi-homemade Bolognese sauce is mixed with orzo pasta then stuffed into bell peppers and topped with breadcrumbs. Bake these bad boys until soft and the tops are crispy!
Why I haven’t shared this before is beyond me. I used to make this recipe for Vin like every week when we were “younger.” I don’t know what happened…life and my dingy mom of two brain at the moment totally forgot about them.
I’m so glad I remembered though…
These are GORGEOUS. So vibrant in color and I love that they are Italian style stuffed peppers. I don’t particularly like Mexican stuffed peppers so I decided to do it my way…the Italian way.
I used orzo pasta instead of rice and made a quick semi-homemade Bolognese that’s meaty and rich.
Best part about these? They can be made 2 days in advance then baked when you’re ready. The sauce can be made in advance, too. If you don’t want to make stuffed peppers, you can use the sauce for spaghetti or spaghetti pie.
What I’m sayin’ is…this is a versatile recipe.
And it’s DELICIOUS. These are so good as leftovers or for lunch the next day. The recipe can be doubled to make more as well.
I’m thinking these are going on my “go-to” list of recipes because I love them so much.
OH! And you can totally sub out the beef and pork for ground turkey or chicken…You can also make these vegetarian if you want, just simply sauté a bunch of your favorite vegetables instead.
Can you tell I’m excited about these?
I would love to connect with you! You can find Stuck On Sweet on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest. Make sure to tag your recipes with #stuckonsweet! xoxo
Don’t forget to pin this recipe to Pinterest by clicking the image below!
- Sauce
- 15 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped (any mushroom will do)
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 ounces pancetta, cubed (Trader Joe’s sells it already cubed in a package)
- 1 pound marinara sauce
- 1/8 cup + 1 tablespoons parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs (any kind will do)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- olive oil
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- To make the sauce add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pot. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. Move mushrooms aside in the pan and add the pork and beef. Cook meat until nicely browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- While the meat is browning, add the pancetta to a small sauté pan and place over medium heat. Cook until deep in color and crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
- Add pancetta to the meat and mushrooms along with the salt, pepper, basil and oregano, and parmesan. Give it a good stir.
- Next add the marinara sauce and water, stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Finally add orzo and simmer for another 10 minutes. Take off heat and let cool. Once cooled shredded mozzarella cheese and stir.
- Remove tops of peppers and scoop out seeds and veins. Fill peppers with the sauce then top with bread crumbs. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
- To make breadcrumbs, simply stir all the ingredients in a bowl.
This was so delicious! Very easy to make.
Thank you!! xoxo