Sep 8, 2011

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

crockpot stuffed peppers 2

It’s starting to be that time of year where the temperatures are perfectly warm during the day and the evenings are nice and cool.  It’s this time of year that I like to start to use my crockpot again.   These can be prepped the day in advance or you can make them the same day – since they are not in the crockpot for that long.   These definitely require some prep – so consider that when doing your meal planning.

crockpot stuffed peppers 3

I will tell you this though – they are totally worth it!   I loved the rich tomato sauce paired with the perfectly cooked rice and sausage.   The peppers were soft but not mushy.   If you’ve got a few peppers left from your garden this year – I highly recommend you try this recipe out. 

crockpot stuffed peppers

Ingredients

  • 4 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
  • 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup Arborio rice
  • 8 oz. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 2 onions, chopped fine
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Cut 1/2 inch off the top of each of the bell peppers.  Discard stems and seeds.   Chop pepper tops into 1/4 inch pieces; set pepper cups aside.

2. Microwave chicken broth and rice in a covered large bowl until liquid is absorbed and rice is nearly tender – 13 to 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up into small pieces until browned – 6 to 8 minutes.  Transfer cooked sausage to a paper-lined plate once cooked.

4.  Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of fat from skillet (or add some oil if needed – I used lean chicken sausage).  Cook onions and chopped pepper until softened and brown – 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic, oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Add tomatoes and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

5. Combine 1 cup of sauce, sausage, 1 cup parmesan cheese and rice.  Transfer remaining sauce to the slow cooker. 

6. Poke 4 holes in the bottom of each pepper cup, using a skewer or knife. Fill each pepper with rice mixture and place upright in a slow cooker.  Top pepper with remaining parmesan cheese.

7. Cover and cook on low until peppers and rice are tender – 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

8. Transfer peppers to a plate.  Stir basil into sauce and season with salt and pepper.   Spoon sauce over peppers to serve.

Source: Cook’s Country Aug/Sept. 2011

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6 comments:

  1. Oo I love that you used hot sausage instead of plain old ground beef. These look really good. I look for every excuse to break out my crock pot, so I'll definitely be trying these. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. I'm a new follower, and this recipe is def saved to my List of Things to try. I also love the sausage vs. ground beef. And I am so looking forward to using my crockpot again, now that I've unpacked it :)
    Hope you have a great week!

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  3. These look delicious. I love stuffed peppers, but haven't had them in years (And never from a crockpot). Maybe it's time to try!

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  4. Christine,
    I love what you've done with this recipe, it's such a classic!!! Stop by crockpotking.com for more recipes!
    Bravo once again on the recipe!!!

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  5. Hi Lauren & Amber,
    your so right about the sausage!!!and it gets better when you add more ingredients from your bag of tricks!!! Stop by crockpotking.com, and say Hi!!! I have a ton recipes. Also look at a couple of e books I have there, on freezer cooking & once a month cooking. Talk about stretching a dollar!!!

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