Stuffed Pepper And Spaghetti Recipe

Prepare peppers

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice the tops off the bell peppers and remove seeds and membranes. If needed, trim the bottoms slightly so peppers stand upright but keep them intact. Lightly rub the outsides and insides with 1 tbs olive oil and place upright in a shallow baking dish.

Cook filling

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed. Add the diced onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.

Combine filling

Reduce heat to medium. Add the cooked rice, 1 cup tomato sauce, grated Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to the beef mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine and warm through, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. If mixture seems dry, add up to 2 tbs water or extra tomato sauce.

Stuff and top

Spoon the meat-and-rice mixture into each prepared pepper, pressing gently to pack. Fill to just below the pepper rim. Spoon any remaining sauce from the skillet over the peppers. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella evenly over the tops.

Bake

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10–12 minutes until peppers are tender and cheese is melted and lightly golden. If you prefer softer peppers, bake covered 35 minutes and uncovered 10 minutes.

Finish

Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the peppers before serving.

Boil pasta

While the peppers bake, bring 4 qt water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp salt. Add 12 oz spaghetti and cook according to package directions (usually 8–11 minutes) until al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Heat sauce

About 3 minutes before the pasta finishes, warm 2 cups marinara sauce in a small saucepan over low-medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil and 0.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (if using). Stir occasionally until hot.

Drain and combine

Reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the spaghetti in a colander. Return pasta to the pot, add the warmed marinara and 1–2 tbs reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Toss until evenly coated, 30–60 seconds. Taste and adjust salt or pepper if necessary.

Serve

Plate a portion of spaghetti alongside a stuffed pepper (or place pepper on top of pasta). Spoon any extra tomato sauce from the pepper baking dish over the spaghetti if desired. Garnish with extra Parmesan or parsley.