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5 from 2 votes

Cheesy Stuffed Peppers with Rocket

Bright and colourful bell peppers stuffed with Italian sausage, arugula, mozzarella cheese, delightful spices and fresh herbs.
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 609kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup leek
    chopped finely
  • ¼ cup onion
    chopped
  • ½ cup celery
    finely chopped
  • ¼ cup Carrot
    grated
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped finely
  • 5 links pork sausage - 5 links remove casing (mild Italian sausages)
  • 5 whole bell peppers
  • 3 cups arugula
    chopped (also known as rocket)
  • 2 tablespoon garlic chives
    optional - chopped
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • salt and pepper
    to taste
  • red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
  • 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese (can use kind of cheese you like-save ¾ cup for the topping)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven 10 190C (375 F).
  • Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds and white pith inside. (Do not throw the tops away the tops as you can remove the stem and chop up the little bits of colourful pepper and add to the pork mixture later) Turn the pepper on it's side and just trim just a little bit off the bottom of the pepper with a knife so that it will set flat to bake in the oven. (Do not cut all the way through the bottom of the pepper just to make it even so that it balances)
  • In a wok or frying pan, add olive oil and then add chopped leek, onion, celery,carrot and garlic and sautéed until vegetables are translucent about 3 minutes. Add the pork sausage that has been removed from the casing to the pan and break up with spatula or chopsticks. Stir fry for about 5 minutes or until the pork sausage is golden brown. Drain the pork mixture of extra oil and return to pan. Add the arugula, garlic chives, basil, salt and pepper and extra crushed red peppers if you like it spicy. Just toss until the arugula wilts just slightly. Turn off the burner. Add only ¾ cup mozzarella cheese and toss-save the other ¾ cup for topping. (Just as a reminder if you are using fresh pork sausage without any seasonings you will need to add ground cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and red chili flakes to get those flavours going.)
  • Stuff each of the prepared bell pepper cups full and pack tightly as they settle a bit during baking. Place the peppers upright into a 8x8 greased baking sheet or lined with parchment paper so they do not stick.
  • Bake the peppers for 15 minutes and then after 15 minutes add the ¾ cup of mozzarella cheese on top and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until you can easily pierce the peppers with a knife and the cheese is nicely melted and slightly golden.
  • Enjoy Cheesy Stuffed Peppers with Rocket hot out of the oven with a nice tossed salad on the side. You can also freeze these Cheesy Stuffed Peppers with Rocket for up to 2 months and enjoy on another busy weeknight.

Notes

Use Gluten free Italian sausage to keep gluten free. Can also use turkey sausage. If you want to make this vegetarian, you can substitute with mushrooms. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 609kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 1184mg | Potassium: 531mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2364IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 266mg | Iron: 2mg