Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Peppers
Pizza Stuffed Peppers are a great dinner option when you’re craving pizza but just don’t want so many carbs. And if you like pizza and stuffed peppers, you’re probably going to like these stuffed peppers with sausage and pepperoni pizza flavors!
- 19.5 oz Italian sausage or turkey Italian sausage links, uncooked
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 T minced garlic
- 13 oz. jar Rao's pizza sauce (see notes)
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 3 large bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and stem and seeds removed
- 3 oz. pepperoni
- 2 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a 9" x 13" casserole dish or large baking sheet with non-stick spray or olive oil
- Heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and squeeze sausage out of the casings and add to the pan, breaking apart with your fingers as you add it. Cook until sausage is nicely browned, breaking apart with a turner or potato masher (affiliate link) as it cooks.
- While the sausage cooks, cut 12 pepperoni slices in halves and the rest into fourths. Grate cheese if needed, or measure out desired amount of pre-grated cheese. Cut peppers in half and remove the seeds and cut out the stem end.
- When sausage is nicely browned, push it to the side and add the onions and garlic. Turn heat to medium and cook onions and garlic 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sauce and the dried oregano, turn heat to low, and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened. (You should be able to see the bottom of the pan if you pull your turner across it.)
- Turn off heat, let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then add the chopped pepperoni and 2 cups grated Mozzarella, stirring gently so it's well-mixed with the sausage mixture.
- Fill each pepper with the pizza-stuffing mixture, packing it in so all the stuffing is used. (It's easiest to hold the pepper in your hand over the pan while you fill and then add it to the baking dish.)
- Bake peppers 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and add a generous pinch of grated cheese and four pepperoni halves to the top of each pepper.
- Put back in the oven and bake 25 minutes more, or until the cheese is nicely browned, peppers are cooked, and the stuffing mixture is bubbling hot.
- Serve Pizza Stuffed Peppers hot and enjoy!
Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Peppers have been such a hit on the blog. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that many low-carb eaters crave dishes with pizza flavors! And so many people have enjoyed these stuffed peppers with pizza flavors that they seem perfect to feature for Friday Favorites this week!
My first version of this recipe had lovely green, yellow, and orange peppers. But when I made this again for better photos, I couldn’t find the longer colored peppers, so I had to use all red ones. But by all means, if you find large peppers that are different colors definitely use them.
And if you like pizza flavors but don’t want so many carbs, I hope you enjoy this pizza-flavored take on stuffed Peppers!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- Pork or Turkey Italian sausage links.
- onion
- garlic
- bell peppers
- pepperoni
- Mozzarella cheese
Should you precook peppers for the Pizza Stuffed Peppers?
For many years I thought you had to pre-cook peppers to make stuffed peppers. But then I started simply stuffing raw peppers, which leaves the peppers a bit more crisp in the finished dish. Now I greatly prefer that method.
How low in carbs are the Pizza Stuffed Peppers?
Each large pepper half has only 12 net carbs, with 31 grams of protein! I’m not tagging this recipe as Keto, but if you choose extra-low-carb side dishes you can probably enjoy this for many Keto plans. Check out Keto Stuffed Peppers Recipes for even lower-carb options for stuffed peppers without the carbs.
How to Make Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Peppers:
- When sausage is brown, push it over to cook the onions and garlic.
- Then add the pizza sauce and simmer until the sauce has cooked down a lot; the mixture should be barely wet. (Look for the lowest-sugar sauce you can find.)
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped pepperoni and grated cheese.
- Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, cutting away the stem but trying to leave the end part to help hold in the filling.
- Divide the pizza stuffing mixture between the six pepper halves and bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and put grated Mozzarella and pepperoni halves on top of each pepper.
- Bake about 25 minutes more, or until cheese is nicely melted and browned.
- Serve hot and enjoy! Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen, and these reheat well.
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe for Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Peppers has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
