Jacques Pépin's Stuffed Peppers

By Jacques Pepin

Updated March 29, 2024

Jacques Pépin's Stuffed Peppers
Craig Lee for The New York Times NPX NYTCREDIT: Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Rating
4(623)
Comments
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In this classic home cooking recipe from Jacques Pépin, green bell peppers are stuffed with a hearty combination of mushrooms, ground sausage, onion, zucchini and fresh bread crumbs, then baked for a little over an hour until the peppers are tender and the filling cooked through. They're not only easy to make, they are also endlessly adaptable. Don't have bread crumbs? Use orzo, rice, quinoa or practically any other cooked grain. Not a fan of zucchini? Add some diced tomato, eggplant or summer squash. Vegetarian? Leave out the sausage and toss in some cooked beans or grated cheese. Make it your own. Just remember to season and taste the filling as you go. If it tastes good outside of the pepper, it'll taste good inside, too.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 6large green bell peppers
  • 1pound Italian sausage, either mild or spicy
  • ½pound mushrooms, washed and chopped (about 3½ cups)
  • 8ounces fresh bread crumbs (about 4 cups)
  • 2onions, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 1zucchini (6 ounces), cut into ¼-inch cubes (about ½ cup)
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1½tablespoons olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

374 calories; 23 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 707 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut around the stem ends of the green peppers and remove a "hat" from each pepper with the stem in the center. Trim these hats at the base so they are about ½-inch thick and set them aside. Remove and discard seeds and trim the ribs of the peppers. Stand the peppers upright side by side in a gratin dish.

  2. Step 2

    In a bowl combine the sausage, mushrooms, bread crumbs, onions, zucchini, salt and pepper and mix well. Stuff the peppers with this mixture and place the hats back on top.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle the olive oil on top of the peppers and pour 1 cup of water around them. Place the peppers in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve with the surrounding juice, salt and pepper.

Ratings

4 out of 5
623 user ratings
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Comments

Mary

Used a small can of seasoned (gr. chilis) diced tomatoes around the peppers instead of the water.

Robert

In the linked original article this came from at the bottom of page 2: More Stuffings Although I use pork sausage -- which comes in both spicy and mild varieties -- in my recipe for stuffed green peppers, I sometimes substitute leftover cooked meat, perhaps from a roast beef or a stew of lamb or rabbit. Just chop the meat coarsely and add it to the stuffing mixture, along with any leftover sauce or accompaniments from the original dish. Hamburger or cold cuts can be used in the same manner.

jke

Cooked rice instead of bread

KK

There was a lot of extra filling, I recommend cutting down on the bread crumbs by at least a cup.

Michelle A.

Delicious! I left out the mushrooms as my husband doesn't like them. I used sweet Italian sausage, which I feel made it flavorful. I didn't make a full 6 serving recipe, so I added what looked like the right amount of each ingredient. I served it with a side of mashed potatoes. This dish will definitely be on regular rotation for us."

julie from ky

Delicious! I followed the recipe as instructed except I used 2 cups mushrooms instead of 3. My family was hesitant but pleasantly surprised!!

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