Sun-Dried Tomato Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot

These Italian sausage stuffed peppers are the ultimate hands-off fall comfort meal, perfect for trick-or-treat nights or busy weeknights when dinner needs to cook itself. Halved sweet bell peppers are filled with seasoned Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, and rice, then gently steamed in the slow cooker until tender and topped with melted mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 6 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise and cored
• 1 1/2 cups cooked white or brown rice
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup marinara sauce, divided
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Pour 1/2 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 6-quart crockpot slow cooker.
2. In a large bowl, combine the uncooked bulk Italian sausage, cooked rice, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped baby spinach, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and the remaining 1/2 cup of marinara sauce. Mix until thoroughly combined.
3. Spoon the sausage mixture evenly into each hollowed bell pepper half, pressing gently to pack the filling.
4. Arrange the stuffed pepper halves upright in the slow cooker, nesting them closely so they remain upright.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours (or HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours) until the pepper shells are fork-tender and the internal temperature of the meat filling reaches 160 F on a meat thermometer.
6. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of each pepper, cover, and let cook for an additional 10 minutes until melted and bubbly before serving.

Tips

• To prevent soggy peppers, place a clean paper towel directly under the slow cooker lid during the final 30 minutes of cooking to absorb excess condensation.
• You can assemble the stuffed raw peppers in the insert, cover, and refrigerate overnight, then pop the insert into the crockpot base in the morning.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat gently in the microwave or oven.