I love these simple sausage stuffed chili Filled with sausage, spinach, creamy ricotta and tomatoes. They are hearty, delicious and can be made quickly, perfect for a weekday dinner or casual party!
These stuffed chili peppers with sausage are a family favorite. They are inspired by our sausage stuffed shells. We have received so much positive feedback about this recipe that we have the same filling for these chili peppers.
Pair these hearty stuffed chili with your favorite salad, Mexican rice or creamy mashed potatoes. For something lighter, see our vegetarian stuffed peppers and tomatoes and basil or Southwest twist, try our Poblano Peppers.
Key Ingredients
- Bell pepper: I love the sweet bell chili for this recipe. The green bell peppers are OK but not as sweet, so if you can find them, choose red, yellow, or orange.
- sausage: My first choice is Italian bulk sausage, but the fresh sausage links removed from the sleeve are also great. To kick more, use spicy sausage or spicy sausage. I used chicken sausage in the photos, but the Turkish or pork sausage is great.
- Tomatoes and spinach: For convenience, I use canned tomatoes and frozen spinach. Thaw and squeeze out any excess water from the spinach into the filling. I also added some fresh cherry tomatoes (cut in half) to the top, but this is optional.
- Ricotta and Mozzarella: I prefer whole milk ricotta and chopped mozzarella, but the cheese is a delicious alternative to ricotta.
How to make stuffed peppers with sausages
My sausage-filled chili is easy and even easy to make ahead of time (see tips below the recipe). First, I cut the peppers in half and dig out the seeds. Then I bake them in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper until they are a little soft. This step replaces chili peppers, a step often found in stuffed pepper recipes.
When chili toast, you can prepare the filling. Brown sausage in a frying pan on the stovetop. When browned, stir in garlic, spinach and tomatoes. Cook until the liquid of spinach and tomatoes thickens, then add the ricotta cheese.
Fill the sausage between the pepper halves and top with mozzarella cheese. Finally, bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese on the top melts and the peppers are tender.
Relaxed sausage filling chili
-
Prepare
-
chef
-
All
These easy-filled chili with sausage are both hearty, delicious and simple. We didn’t put them in the oven before stuffing them all over. As the oven heats up, fill the sausages.
Make 6 and a half peppers
You will need
3 medium bell chili peppers
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and fresh black pepper
1 lb bulk Italian sausages such as chicken, pork or turkey sausages
1 (10 oz) bag frozen spinach, thawed
3 cloves of garlic, chopped, 1 tablespoon
Crushed red pepper slices
1 (15 oz) diced tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup (113g) ricotta cheese, 4 oz
A few sliced cherry tomatoes, optional
1/4 cup (28g) chopped mozzarella, 1 oz
A few fresh basil leaves, optional
direction
1Cut the peppers in half. Dig out the seeds and discard them. Rub the pepper inside and out with a teaspoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2Cut the peppers into thin slices and cut them into layers. Place the dish in the oven and heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). When the oven is heated, the peppers will toast.
3Meanwhile, heat a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and sausage and cook until about 10 minutes. When the sausage is cooked, use a wooden spoon to divide the sausage into small pieces in the pot.
4Stir the garlic and red pepper flakes (if used) and cook for one minute.
5Add tomatoes, thaw and curly spinach. Cook until heated and the liquid is reduced in half, about 2 minutes.
6Remove the pan from the heat and add the ricotta cheese. Taste the seasoning when needed and adjust with salt and pepper.
7When the peppers start to soften and release some juice (10 to 15 minutes), you can remove the baking tray with the pepper in the oven. Flip the chili and separate the fillings (about 1/2 cup of the filling per half of each chili).
8Top chili with cherry tomato and cheese cheese and bake until cheese melts and the chili is soft. About 20 minutes.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- sausage: Look for uncooked bulk chicken, turkey or pork sausage. If you buy a sausage formed by the link, remove the sausage by cutting the gap off and pulling the shell away from the meat.
- Fresh spinach: Replace frozen spinach with 1½ pounds of fresh spinach, then add the fresh spinach directly to the pan and add the browned sausage.
- storage: Baked peppers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Melt in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the oven.
- Fill in advance: The filling can be done in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
1 half pepper
/
Calories
205
/
Total fat
9.6g
/
Saturated fat
3.4 grams
/
cholesterol
62.1mg
/
sodium
827.8mg
/
carbohydrate
11.1g
/
Dietary fiber
3.1g
/
Total sugar
5.1g
/
protein
19.2g
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
