Italian-American · main

Baked Stuffed Peppers with Sausage and Rice

Baked Stuffed Peppers with Sausage and Rice reads umami 8.0, richness 6.3 and salinity 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian-American main, about 1 hr 22 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.7 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.8 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.1 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 7.1 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.0 · Richness 6.3 · Salinity 4.9 · Sweetness 4.2 · Allium 3.6 · Nutty 2.4 · Herbaceous 2.2 · Heat 2.2 · Fruity 2.0 · Funk & Ferment 2.0 · Sourness 1.9 · Warm Spice 1.8 · Bitterness 1.5 · Earthy 1.4 · Citrus 0.8 · Floral 0.7

What's in it (15)

• bell peppers — 600 g
• olive oil — 14 g
• sweet italian sausage — 454 g
• onion — 110 g
• garlic — 9 g
• hot cooked white rice — 177 g
• tomatoes — 411 g
• low-salt chicken broth — 177 g
• dried leaf oregano — 1 g
• red chili flakes — 3 g
• salt — 5 g
• black pepper — 3 g
• mozzarella cheese — 114 g
• parmesan cheese — 28 g
• parsley — 7 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 22 min (1 hr 17 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 82.8 kcal, 6 g protein, 3.5 g fat, 6.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers, then core them and scrape out the seeds and ribs. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the peppers cut-side down for 4 minutes, until just pliable; drain cut-side down on paper towels to shed excess water — this keeps the peppers from turning watery in the oven.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, and cook until no pink remains and deeply browned in spots, 6-7 minutes.
3. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the rice and toast, stirring, for 1 minute to coat every grain in the fat. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper; bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 18-20 minutes.
5. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the Parmesan; taste the filling and adjust the salt.
6. Spoon the filling into the blanched peppers, packing gently, and stand them upright in a baking dish just large enough to hold them snugly. Top each pepper with the mozzarella, cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake until the peppers are tender when pierced with a knife, 30 minutes.
7. Uncover and continue baking until the cheese is melted and golden and the filling reaches 165°F, 10-12 minutes.
8. Let the peppers rest 5 minutes, then scatter with the parsley and serve.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Pasta Fagioli with Italian Sausage — Italian-American
• Sheet-Pan Sweet Chili Glazed Meatballs and Vegetables — Fusion
• Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew — Italian-American
• Turkey Meatballs in Marinara over Spaghetti Squash — Italian-American
• Spaghetti and Meatballs — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.