Grilled Stuffed Peppers: a delicious, healthy main dish to make on your grill

Grilled stuffed peppers are a super easy-to-make, hearty main dish that's a serious treat to your taste buds. The bell peppers are grilled to smoky, tender perfection and stuffed with a mouthwatering filling made from Italian sausage, fluffy rice, melted cheese, and diced tomatoes.

This recipe is easy to customize, just like regular stuffed peppers. You can make them vegan or vegetarian, keto-friendly, or spicy as you like. Serve them with a fresh chopped salad, roasted or grilled vegetables, and some fluffy baked dinner rolls for a simple dinner you'll make again and again.

Grilled Stuffed Peppers Ingredients

Bell peppers are the star ingredient of this recipe. You'll need large ones (the better to hold more filling in). Red peppers have the sweetest flavor, but you can use any color.

For the stuffing, you'll need Italian sausages – pork, chicken, turkey, or vegetarian are all fine.

You'll also need rice, diced tomatoes (with the juices reserved), and cheese. This recipe calls for mozzarella and parmesan, but you can mix it up however you like.

To season the filling, use Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and red wine vinegar.

Finally, a sprinkling of fresh chopped basil is a must-have to garnish your grilled stuffed peppers.

How to Make Grilled Stuffed Peppers

Ready to make the best stuffed peppers you'll ever eat? Fire up the grill, and let's get started! First, arrange the cut peppers in a casserole dish and preheat your grill on medium-high heat. You don't need to boil the peppers first. Some folks like to, but the peppers will become perfectly tender when cooked on the grill. No need to parboil.

Pour oil into a pan and heat it over medium heat. Cook the sausage with the Italian seasoning and pepper flakes, cooking until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Don't forget to break up any bigger chunks of sausage meat with a spatula. Next, stir in the tomatoes plus juices and red wine vinegar. Simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and add the rice, ½ cup of mozzarella, and ¼ cup of parmesan to the sausage mixture.

Grease up your grill with some oil. Grill the peppers for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, then put them back in the baking dish. Turn the heat of the grill down to medium. Fill the peppers with the sausage-rice mixture. Pop the peppers back on the grill and cook them for another 20 minutes. Move them around the grill occasionally. In the last few minutes before the peppers are done, top them with the rest of the cheese. Once the cheese has melted, garnish with basil leaves, and serve.

Tips for the Tastiest Grilled Stuffed Peppers

Shred the cheese yourself to ensure more even melting.

If you're using orzo, make sure to slightly undercook it – it will finish cooking when the peppers are cooking on the grill.

For a milder flavor, leave out the red chili flakes.

You can make your grilled peppers up to one day ahead of time. Prepare the filling and cut the peppers according to the recipe. Pop everything in the fridge. The next day, stuff and grill the peppers, and enjoy hot.

No grill? Not a problem. You can bake your stuffed peppers at 400F for 35 to 40 minutes or until fork tender.

Serve your grilled stuffed peppers with a fresh green salad, sautéed or roasted vegetables, dinner rolls, French fries or sweet potato fries, grilled corn, broccoli, or cauliflower. The more veggies, the better!

Grilled Stuffed Peppers Variations

You can use any type of Italian sausage to make your grilled stuffed peppers. Chicken, pork, turkey, or vegetarian all work great. Either sweet or spicy sausage is excellent in this recipe – just use your favorite.

Instead of white rice, you can use brown rice, couscous, quinoa, farro, or orzo.

For a low-carb option, use cauliflower rice.

To make vegan grilled stuffed peppers, use vegan sausage and vegan cheese. You can leave the sausage out altogether and add chopped raw veggies to the stuffing.

Switch up the cheeses. Monterey Jack, Swiss, provolone, gruyere, goat cheese, Colby, Emmental, and gouda are tasty alternatives. Cream cheese is fabulous as well.

Use different herbs as a garnish. Parsley, oregano, thyme, and cilantro would be delicious.

How to Store Grilled Stuffed Peppers

Leftover grilled stuffed peppers can be transferred to an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the microwave or the oven at 350F until warmed through.

You can freeze grilled stuffed peppers for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before heating them.

More Recipes You'll Like

• Stuffed artichokes
• Beef-stuffed zucchini
• Stuffed eggplants

Instructions

Preheat your grill to medium-high.

Put the halved peppers into a baking dish. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the sausage with the Italian seasoning and pepper flakes, cooking until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes plus juices and red wine vinegar.

Simmer for 1 minute.

Take the skillet off the heat. Mix in the rice.

Add in ½ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan.

Mix well.

Grease the grill with oil. Cook the peppers for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Return the peppers to the casserole dish. Reduce the heat of the grill to medium.

Scoop the filling into the peppers.

Place the peppers back on the grill and cook for 20 minutes more with the lid down, or until tender.

Garnish the peppers with the rest of the cheese during the last few minutes of grilling.

Let them cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Garnish with a few basil leaves.

Serve grilled stuffed peppers and enjoy!

Notes

Use a 9×13-inch casserole dish to make your stuffed peppers.