Stuffed Bell Peppers with Orzo (2.0)

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Orzo! Easy to make, delicious and perfect for a weeknight meal! We hope you try this recipe!

We went to Costco yesterday and stocked up on lots of produce. I love Costco for certain things: bathroom and household products, paper products, some cleaning stuff etc. For a family of four, when I buy produce, I know I have to have recipes lined up (and I freeze some) or else the produce goes bad. I’ve mentioned this before but, with Costco, since they are a large warehouse, they receive produce shipments in bulk and often, if you look closely at packed dates (when the produce was packed), it might be a few weeks before it reaches you in Costco. So, by the time you buy it and take it home, the produce doesn’t last very long. Can anyone else relate to this?

At any rate, we picked up apples and bell peppers. I love bell peppers because they are delicious and versatile. You can eat them raw, roasted, diced up in a salad, or baked. You can use them in a pasta sauce, or chili, stews and more.

Here is a recipe I make often because we love bell peppers and orzo. And each time, I add more ingredients and try to change it up. The great thing about this recipe is, you can basically put anything you want inside, so add as few or as many ingredients as you like. Use sausage or change up the protein, or go meatless! Totally up to you.

You will probably have some leftover orzo with veggies (or you can just make more). We usually serve this to the kids since they aren’t big fans of bell peppers like my husband and I. Dinner for everyone!

I hope you enjoy!

Nutritional Benefits of Bell Peppers

Red, Orange, and Yellow bell peppers are full of great health benefits—they’re packed with vitamins and low in calories! They are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. Bell Peppers also contain a healthy dose of fiber, folate, and iron.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Orzo

Print Recipe

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Orzo

Course: Appetizer, Side or Main dish

Servings: 5

Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 large bell peppers any color
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1/2 cup yellow or orange bell pepper finely chopped
• 5 to 6 mushrooms finely chopped (I used cremini mushrooms)
• 2 cups kale finely chopped
• 2 turkey or chicken sausages, finely chopped can substitute with ground beef or pork
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups orzo pasta
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic chopped or minced
• 2 cups water or chicken broth used to cook the orzo
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
• jarred tomato sauce optional
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese or crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375. Remove the tops from the peppers and scoop out the seeds and ribs. Carefully trim the bottoms (if necessary) to ensure the peppers stand straight when upright. Place a steamer rack over a few inches of boiling water, or set a colander over a couple of inches boiling water in a large stock pot. Place the bell peppers in the steamer and cover. Steam for 10 minutes, and move to a baking dish or casserole.
• Chop all of your vegetables (onions, yellow or orange bell pepper, kale, mushrooms etc) and the sausage. I remove the casing from the sausage; this is recommended. Remember, you are using all of this as your filling/stuffing for the bell peppers so you want everything chopped pretty small. When finished, heat olive oil in a pan or wok and stir-fry everything for about 5 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the orzo and brown lightly, and then add the garlic and stir. After 30 seconds stir in the water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
• When the orzo is ready, mix with with your cooked veggies and sausage. Season with some of the parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
• Stuff the peppers with the filling. Drizzle some olive oil over the peppers, pouring a little less than 1 tablespoon over top of each. Arrange the peppers in a casserole or small baking dish and roast for 40-50 minutes, until crispy at the edges and everything is cooked through.
• Heat some tomato sauce about 2-3 minutes before the bell peppers are ready. Then, pour into your serving dish, or on top of your bell peppers; immediately after the bell peppers have come out of the oven. Place onto the dish and sprinkle with mozzarella or feta cheese and garnish with some parsley! Serve immediately while the peppers are still HOT! Enjoy!