Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are several versions of stuffed bell peppers out there and most usually include ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and cheese.

I got a little creative with this recipe as I wanted it to be simple to make, but still have tons of flavor! Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients
For the Bell Peppers:

• 3 bell peppers ($3.97)
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided ($0.08)
• 1 lb Italian sausage ($4.99)
• 1 yellow onion, diced ($0.38)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced ($0.24)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.10)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
• 1 1/4 tsp salt, divided ($0.06)
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
• 1 cup marinara sauce ($0.71)
• 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice ($0.21)
• 3/4 cup chicken broth ($0.15)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella ($1.25)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash and dry each bell pepper, then cut the bell peppers in half horizontally. Make sure to cut them as evenly as possible. Using a sharp paring knife carefully cut and remove the stem from the top half of each bell pepper. It’s okay if there is a small hole left where the stem was removed.
2. Place each bell pepper half in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Brush the bell peppers with 1 Tbsp oil and season with ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp cracked black pepper. Bake the bell peppers in a preheated oven for 20 minutes to soften. After 20 minutes remove the bell peppers from the oven and set aside.
3. While the bell peppers are baking, make the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of oil. Brown the Italian sausage.
4. Once the sausage has browned, add the diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Continue to sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
5. Next add the uncooked rice, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, 1 tsp of salt, and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine.