🍽️

Lasagna Style Stuffed Peppers

Course
Dinner
Servings

2

Tips & Tricks:

  • 🍃 Thaw spinach overnight in the refrigerator.
  • 🍖 Get creative with the meat options. Ground pork, chicken, turkey, or other ground meat are all great options.
  • 🥄 If you want to make your own red sauce be sure to add those ingredients to your grocery list.

Ingredients:

  • 2 red or orange bell peppers
  • 1/2 lb. sweet or spicy Italian ground sausage (in casing is fine)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves or 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano or basil
  • 7 oz ricotta cheese
  • 5 oz frozen chopped spinach - thawed
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan - divided
  • 1 small egg
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups of your favorite red sauce or DIY

[DIY Red Sauce]

Directions:

  1. Veg and Cheese Prep
    1. Halve the bell peppers from stem to bottom. Remove seeds.
    2. Shred mozzarella if you purchased a block.
  2. Prep Baking Dish and Spinach
    1. Coat a sheet pan or baking dish with oil spray (or tinfoil plus oil spray for easy clean-up) and set aside.
    2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set the shelf to the middle position.
    3. Place thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel or between several layers of paper towels and squeeze out as much water as possible.
  3. Cook Meat
    1. In a large skillet heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium heat.
    2. Cook ground sausage (remove the casing if needed), breaking up the meat and flipping until just cooked.
    3. Set Aside to cool slightly.
  4. Ricotta Mixture
    1. While the meat is cooking, in a large bowl add the ricotta, garlic, dried herb of choice, 1/2 the parmesan, egg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
    2. Mix well, until the mixture is evenly combined.
    3. Stir in the drained spinach, using a fork to break it up and distribute it as evenly with the ricotta mixture as possible.
    4. Stir in cooked sausage.
  5. Stuff Peppers
    1. Stuff peppers tightly with ricotta/sausage mixture. Really pack it in as much as possible, and even pile a bit on top.
    2. Place on prepared sheet pan.
    3. Spoon 1/2 cup of red sauce over each stuffed pepper.
  6. Roast Stuffed Peppers
    1. Place the sheet pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
    2. Top the peppers with shredded mozzarella cheese and roast for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  7. Serve
    1. Serve on plates with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired.