Kid Approved Italian Stuffed Peppers in 5 Easy Steps

Make these kid approved Italian Stuffed Peppers in only 5 easy steps! They’re healthy, delicious, easy to make and they freeze well too! Made with fresh sweet peppers, orzo, and your favorite spaghetti sauce, these stuffed peppers are sure to be a hit for your next family dinner.

I’ve spent many years living and traveling overseas – over nine total years in Germany as a child and college student and another three in Japan as an adult. Travel within Europe is so easy and everything is relatively close so you can image that we didn’t just stay put in Germany {or Japan for that matter}. Although I loved visiting every place I’ve been in Europe and Asia, Italy holds a special place in my heart.

When I was only eight or nine years old, my family drove our brown and white VW bus to Italy with my grandparents and my Great Uncle Edgar. While I don’t have too many vivid memories of that trip, I do remember bits and pieces and I have a couple of fun pictures to share with you from that great Italian vacation, like this one of us in a gondola in Venice.

I’m the blondie with the bangs and the big cheeks sitting on my grandma’s lap, and I’m half hidden behind my Great Uncle Edgar. My dad’s got the killer mustache, and my red-headed sister Amy is sitting on my mom’s lap. 😀

We also went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and this is a picture of my mom, my grandma, and my sister. I remember climbing the tower because it freaked me out so badly – constantly listing from right to left as we curved up and up and up. While it seemed a lot taller than it actually is, climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa may just be the reason I’m not that fond of heights to this day!

Sadly, I don’t remember the trip when I was a little girl that much, but I vividly remember the trip when I was 22. My college friends and I had such fun in Italy. We went back to Pisa (but weren’t able to climb the tower at that time), toured Tuscany and Rome, and went to Brindisi off the Adriatic Sea for a ferry ride to Greece.

The Italian food, the people, the sites – they were just delicious, breathtaking, and so so amazing. My husband and I have traveled a lot of places as a couple, but we’ve never been to Italy together. In fact, he’s never been at all, and that’s a trip that I want so badly to take with him. Since we can’t go yet, I try hard to recreate the amazing Italian flavors in some of my cooking. And this delicious Italian Stuffed Pepper recipe is one of my favorites!

Kid Approved Italian Stuffed Peppers in 5 Easy Steps

With a quick prep, you can get this fabulous meal on your table in a snap. And then you’ll have lots of time for dreaming about your next trip to Italy.

Are you ready to go? Let’s get started!

First, cook a 1/2 cup of orzo according to package directions. Orzo is the Italian word for barley and that’s this pasta’s name because it looks like rice. Make sure to cook it al dente so it doesn’t overcook during the baking time.

While the orzo is cooking, cook a half a pound of Italian sausage and a half a pound of ground beef. Be sure to drain any fat when it’s done and then add in 1/2 jar of Ragu Homestyle Pasta Sauce, 1 egg, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste.

I used Ragu’s Homestyle Thick and Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce and was very pleased with the result in my recipe. I didn’t have to simmer sauce all day and  my recipe come together very quickly which is nice on busy evenings.  I’m very glad to  learn that this sauce has no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, or artificial flavors. It’s a delicious budget friendly option for quick cooking! You can also make your own sauce – here are a couple of my favorite sauce recipes:

Easy, Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

Classic Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Next, halve beautiful sweet peppers lengthwise and clean them out.

Fill the peppers with the orzo meat sauce.

And top with more mozzarella cheese. Spoon the remaining 1/2 jar of sauce around the peppers and cover them tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese and sauce are bubbly and gorgeous. Serve with a salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

I think you’ll really enjoy this delicious meal! It’s kid tested and approved at my house. Some of my pickier eaters aren’t crazy about the pepper part, but they all love the filling. And since I like to go big, you can bet I always double the meat recipe and freeze the extra. Next time I want these delicious stuffed peppers, I thaw the meat mixture, stuff fresh peppers, and bake according to recipe directions! Delicious!

Enjoy this recipe!