Dirty Rice Stuffed Peppers with Red Sauce are healthy and satisfying!
Greetings everyone, I hope you’re having a great week, and had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Can you believe it’s already come and gone? What did you end up doing?
Ben, the little boy and I, plus my parents, flew to DC to visit my in-laws for the holiday (oh hey, flying with a seat-kicking, light-button pushing toddler!) Flight aside, we had an unbelievable time and the highlight of our trip was watching fireworks in front of the White House on the 4th. Definitely a big check mark on the ‘ol bucket list. No Obama sightings at the show, though we did stay in a hotel across from his church for the night. Yes, we got up to spy and see if went to services, no he did not show up. C’mon, man! ;)
I’ll have more trip details for you on Friday, but first…dinner!
After sharing nibbles and drinks last week, it feels good to get back into a main meal routine both on the blog and back at home. My in-laws feed us like kings when we visit, and this trip was no different, so after feasting for a week I’m ready for salads and skillet dinners like my Dirty Rice Stuffed Peppers with Red Sauce. Oh yes, yes I did.
If you’re an OG IGE reader than you know I’ve had a fierce hatred for mushrooms, bell peppers and cooked carrots nearly all my life. Well, as you get older things change (thanks, gravity!) including your tastebuds. In the last year I’ve opened my heart and mouth to mushrooms, and have recently been getting into bell peppers, too. So much so that I took a leap and stuffed a bunch with dirty rice drizzled with red sauce, and proceeded to eat like, SIX in a row.
Guess what? Bell peppers do not taste bell peppery when stuffed and roasted! It’s a vegetable miracle! While raw green bell peppers have a sharp, shouty flavor, roasted peppers are mild and almost sweet tasting. Stuffed with homemade dirty rice (minus the traditional gizzards, plus savory andouille sausage – you’re welcome,) and drizzled with a 15 minute, pantry sauce, these stuffed peppers are fresh, savory, and really filling, too. Plus the dirty rice and sauce components use the same ingredients so you can chop once and use twice. Love that!
I can’t say I’m ready to start growing my own bell peppers yet, but I believe this is the time of year when they start crowding each other out of the garden, aka some of you home gardeners may be in need of recipes to use ’em up. Take my word for it, and make these stuffed peppers. The dirty rice inside is unbelievably delicious and stuffing it into an edible vessel obviously takes things up a notch!
Start by slicing 4 medium-sized green bell peppers in half then remove the ribs and seeds. If you need to, slice off a thin sliver from the back, then lay the pepper halves flat in a nonstick sprayed 9×13″ baking dish and then spray the tops with nonstick spray.
Next start the dirty rice stuffing. Dirty Rice is a classic Cajun dish that get its “dirty” color from the addition of chicken gizzards to the mix, though I skipped the gizzards and swapped in chopped andouille sausage and oh my gosh is it off the charts delicious. Creamy, flavorful rice and spicy sausage – I was alternating eating a spoonful and scooping one into the peppers!
Saute chopped onions, celery and andouille sausage (I used the same kind as I did for my Spicy Shrimp and Sausage Skewers,) sprinkled with Cajun seasoning, until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is sizzling. Add minced garlic then saute for another minute.
Next add 2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup uncooked white rice, and a touch more Cajun seasoning, then bring the broth to a boil. Place a lid on top then turn the heat down and simmer until the rice is tender, 15-20 minutes.
Stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley then voila – dirty rice! Honestly this rice alone makes a phenomenal meal, but we’ve got some stuffing to do.
Scoop the rice mixture into the bell pepper halves then cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove the foil then turn the heat up to 400 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the peppers are crisp tender.
Meanwhile, make a super simple red sauce to drizzle on top. I don’t know about you, but in my opinion a meal isn’t a meal without some sauce. All you have to do is saute more chopped onion, celery, and garlic in extra virgin olive oil then add 1 bay leaf, a pinch of dried thyme, and a 15oz can crushed tomatoes. Add 2 Tablespoons chicken broth and a dash or 10 of Cajun seasoning then simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.
Once the peppers are tender, plate ’em up then top with the sauce. Easy as that!
Dirty Rice Stuffed Peppers with Red Sauce
Description
Dirty Rice Stuffed Peppers with Red Sauce are healthy and satisfying!
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized green bell peppers, sliced in half, seeds and ribs removed
- 2-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 14oz Andouille sausage, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced and divided
- 3/4 yellow onion, chopped and divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- Cajun seasoning
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 15oz can crushed tomatoes
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees then arrange bell pepper halves in the bottom of a 9x13” baking dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Lightly spray bell pepper halves with nonstick spray then set aside.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add sausage, and 2/3 of both the celery and onion. Season with Cajun seasoning then saute until vegetables are tender, 8-10 minutes, turning heat down if vegetables begin to burn. Add 2/3 of the minced garlic then saute for 1 more minute. Add rice, 2 cups chicken broth, and more Cajun seasoning to taste then turn heat up to bring broth to a boil. Place a lid on top then turn heat down and simmer until rice has absorbed all the broth and is tender, 15-20 minutes. Stir in parsley.
- Scoop rice mixture inside bell pepper halves then cover baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Turn heat up to 400 then remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes, or until peppers are crisp tender.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil in a saucepan over medium heat then add remaining onion and celery. Season with Cajun seasoning to taste then saute until vegetables are soft, 10 minutes, turning heat down slightly if vegetables begin to burn. Add remaining garlic then saute for one more minute. Add bay leaf, thyme, remaining 2 Tablespoons chicken broth, and crushed tomatoes then turn heat up to bring mixture to a bubble. Turn heat down to medium-low then simmer, partially covered or topped with a splatter screen, for 10 minutes. Taste then adjust seasonings if necessary. Plate peppers then top with sauce and serve.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
This garden-fresh meal is perfect for the summer – enjoy the stuffed peppers hot or warm, and al fresco, if you can swing it. :) As always, I hope you enjoy!
these look delicious :)
YUUUM. Holy cow, these look INCREDIBLE!!!! Can’t wait to add them to my summer meal planning menu!
These look really good!
My husband is a huge stuffed pepper fan. I’ll have to make these and see what he thinks. I’ll be honest… I usually just buy the frozen Stouffer’s brand.
I saw Obama on the 4th! He was hanging out on the south side of the White House.
I heard that! I also heard there was a Bruno Mars concert out back – man, what a night to be on the wrong side of the White House! ;)
These look really tasty ;-)
Hey Kristin, what are your thoughts on doing these on the grill instead of baking in the oven? Maybe I could wrap the stuffed peppers in tin foil to start, then uncover for a bit at the end? I’ve been looking for veggie dishes for the grill as I don’t eat meat, and I’m thinking this recipe is a great candidate.
Hmmm, I would probably layer them in a disposable foil baking dish then cover and grill over indirect heat. Then, peel off the foil and grill until done? It’s a great idea – let me know how they turn out!
I’m so happy you finally like mushrooms & peppers because I looooove them :)
Pretty sure I’m an “OG IGE” reader because I’ve been reading since the very beginning but please translate… what does “OG” stand for? Haha
It just means someone who has been around a long time! ;)
It stands for “Original Gangsta”! but yeah, someone around from the beginning.
I am always looking something new to make to my family and these is just perfect it looks so delicious that I want to try it.
Kristin! As somebody who will soon be feeding her baby (eventually a toddler)more table food, I’d love it if you did a post or even a classification of your recipes deemed “toddler-approved.” I would use it all the time!
I hope to have my redesign done in September (it’s being worked on right now!) but there will be a kid approved section for sure! :)
Glad you’re coming around to peppers and mushrooms because I adore them both and I can’t wait to see some ways you incorporate them into your fabulous recipes! And I love the look of these stuffed peppers – andouille sausage is my favorite! Totally trying them :)
My fiance is washing the dishes from having these peppers for dinner as I type and they were great! I was trying to think of something to make for dinner this morning that would use up some red sauce in my fridge when I happened to check the blog and found this recipe. I had all the ingredients except the sausage (which I didn’t need since my sauce had meat in it) so I know it was meant to be. I’ve tried a couple stuffed pepper recipes before, but this one blew them all away. The fiance was practically licking the plate after his second pepper to make sure he didn’t miss anything. This recipe will definitely go into the regular rotation. Thank you!!!
So awesome! Thanks for the great feedback – so glad you guys loved!
I watched the fireworks from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. :)
I would like to use wild rice instead of white, would you make any changes?
I would probably cook the rice separate since it usually takes 40-45 minutes vs white’s 15-20. I think the sausage might get rubbery if simmered for that long.
Looks so delicious!
I definitely want to try making these!
[…] Dinner: Dirty Rice Stuffed Peppers. Oh boy, I can see Alex LOVING these. I can’t wait to surprise him with these on of these […]
These are totally fantastic! I made them last night!
Would Using instant rice be different? That’s what I have so I am curious about that. Thanks!
Hi Lisa! I’m not sure about using instant rice since the liquid ratios would be different (and I don’t have a box with instructions to recommend a swap!)
[…] Bell peppers taste different when roasted, so make sure you make this recipe. […]
Dirty Rice Stuffed Peppers with Red Sauce!! It is really delicious. When i read your recipe, i try to do ASAP. My husband loved it so much. Thank for sharing!!!
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