Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot

My cousin, Tricia, recently created a recipe for Italian Stuffed Peppers. They looked good to me, but I thought I would miss the tomato sauce that usually tops stuffed peppers. Mr. V and I have made the Betty Crocker stuffed peppers* since college, and we love them; I was a little afraid messing with stuffed peppers might get me kicked out of the house.

The recipe kept talking to me, however, and when I saw these amazing sweet peppers at the farmer’s market here in Chattanooga, I could no longer resist the siren’s call.

I wanted to try something else this time, too. I’ve always hated blanching the peppers, then trying to handle them hot, then trying to get them to sit up in a baking dish and covering them with foil. It’s a pain in the neck.

So this time I went for the slow cooker, and I am glad that I did! A few hours on high and the peppers were just soft enough without dissolving. The depth of the slow cooker makes it easy to keep the peppers upright. Making stuffed peppers in a crockpot definitely works for me!

Italian Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot

Cook Time: 3 hours

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 pepper

Adapted from Once a Month Mom.

Ingredients

4 sweet bell peppers
1.5 c. cooked rice (I used brown)
6 oz. feta cheese crumbles
1/2 lb. ground sausage, cooked and drained of fat
1 c. pizza sauce, divided (or tomato sauce with some basil and oregano stirred in)
salt and pepper

Instructions

Cut the “lids” off the bell peppers; take out the seeds and veins.

Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or grease the bottom with olive oil. Place peppers, sitting upright, inside.

In a bowl, combine cooked rice, feta, sausage, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup pizza sauce. Spoon gently into peppers until they are full; a little overfull is OK!

Spoon remaining tomato sauce over the tops of the peppers.

Cook on high 3 hours or until peppers are soft (test with a paring knife).

Notes

These delicious stuffed peppers are pretty simple to put together and also gluten-free. A wonderful way to use some summer produce from your farmer's market or garden!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://www.vanderbiltwife.com/2010/08/stuffed-peppers-in-crockpot-works-for/

More crockpot recipes on Vanderbilt Wife:

Little League Stew
BBQ Chicken
Pork Tenderloin in Garlic, Herb, and Red Wine Sauce
Beef and Tomato Stew

This is my crockpot. I LOVE IT!

*Does anyone else just LOVE the Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook? We have that version, which was out when we got married, and the 70s version I used growing up. Betty is simply the best for easy recipes and directives on how to cook certain vegetables or cuts of meat.

Added to the gluten-free parade of recipes at Heavenly Homemakers.