Looking for a new “twist” on serving spaghetti? Look no further. Spaghetti Stuffed Bell Peppers will surprise and delight the entire family.
Sometimes I do my best thinking while laying awake in the middle of the night trying to fall back asleep. It’s not the ideal situation, but it happens, more times than I care to admit. It was on one of those restless nights that I came up with the idea of stuffing green peppers with spaghetti.
Don’t you just love when a simple single ingredient, like a green bell pepper, can be used as a vessel to house other delicious ingredients? Me too. And, if you have picky eaters in the family, this may be the way to get them to try something they may have otherwise turned their nose up at. After all, who doesn’t like spaghetti, and who wouldn’t be surprised and delighted to see it served in this unexpected way?
Ready to make your own Spaghetti Stuffed Bell Peppers? Here’s how…
Start by cutting off the top of each bell pepper. Remove the ribs and seeds from the inside of the pepper and set aside the tops for later. If the peppers don’t sit straight, slice off a tiny bit from the bottom of the pepper so the peppers won’t fall over when filled. Season the inside of each pepper with a pinch of salt. Wrap each pepper in a damp paper towel and microwave until they’re are soft, but not mushy. Cool.
In a large, high sided skillet, brown the Italian sausage along with ½ teaspoon of the basil, oregano and thyme. Add the diced onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sausage is no longer pink.
Add the tomato purée along with the remaining basil, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the cooked and drained spaghetti to the pan and toss well to coat. Place the softened peppers in a prepared baking dish. Use tongs to fill the peppers with the prepared spaghetti. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Remove the peppers from the oven and top each one with shredded Mozzarella cheese. Return the peppers to the oven and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.
- 6 large green bell peppers
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon dried basil divided
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano divided
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper divided
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ cup diced green pepper from the reserved pepper tops
- 1 can 29 ounces tomato purée
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound spaghetti cooked according to package directions and drained
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- paper towels
- 9 " x 13" baking dish
- cooking spray
- large skillet
- tongs
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Remove top, core, and seeds from the bell peppers. Reserve the tops for later use.
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Season the inside of the peppers with a pinch of salt. Wrap each pepper in a damp paper towel and cook them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes each, until softened but not mushy. Cool.
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Brown the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium/high heat. Stir in ½ teaspoon of the basil, ½ teaspoon of the oregano, ½ teaspoon of the thyme, the garlic, diced onion, diced green pepper (from the reserved tops), the remaining salt, and the black pepper.
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Cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is no longer pink and the onions and peppers have softened.
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Add the tomato puree into the skillet and stir in the remaining oregano, basil, thyme and the Parmesan cheese.
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Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes on low heat.
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Add the cooked and drained spaghetti to the sauce and toss well to combine.
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Use tongs to fill the pre-cooked peppers with the spaghetti and place them in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
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Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.
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Remove and top each spaghetti filled pepper with mozzarella cheese.
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Return to the oven and continue baking for 10 minutes or until the cheese has thoroughly melted.
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Serve hot.
Before cooking, check each pepper to see if they stand straight. If needed, slice a teeny tiny bit of green pepper from the bottom to level them and to prevent them from falling over when filled.
The sausage in this recipe can be omitted if desired. If omitting, cut back on the amount of dried basil, oregano and thyme used as you won't need as much to season the spaghetti.
Other than spending time in my kitchen cooking and baking, my favorite pastime is painting. My all-time favorite things to paint are food blogger logo aprons. Here’s one I painted not that long ago for my blogger friend, Kirsten of Comfortably Domestic. Doesn’t she have the cutest logo? All of the aprons and flour sack towels I paint are completely washable and are bright and vivid. They’re perfect for wearing at home while cooking and baking up a storm, and they’re a super cool way to brand yourself should you ever be lucky enough to appear on TV in a food segment. I’m betting that it won’t be long before Kristen has her time in the spotlight on TV. She is super personable, and her recipes are amazing!
If there is ever anything I can paint for you, from fabrics (aprons and tea towels) to glassware items, please don’t hesitate to contact me by clicking on the little envelope icon found at the top of my site, or by visiting my shop on Etsy and Wazala. Custom orders (like logo aprons) are always welcome and are available in white and black.
Kudos Kitchen by Renée ~ Where food, art, and fun collide on a regular basis.
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
This is such a charming idea! I love your “twist” on sketti!
What a creative idea! Love this!
What a super fun way make stuffed peppers! Plus anything with pasta is always a crow pleaser at my house!
I just love this idea!!!
What a great idea! Simple and fun!
This is such a clever idea! I have a feeling that my family would just love this. 🙂
Such a great idea. My kids would love this!!
These are SO fun! Why have I never come across them before?? Great idea!!
Because I hope I came up with the original idea. That said, it won’t be original for long. Glad you like it. Thanks!
This is such a fun idea, Renee…who can resist a fun (and edible) serving vessel like a bell pepper!