Italian stuffed bell peppers with sausage and quinoa are a twist on a recipe that goes back to my childhood. My grandma made her version of stuffed peppers with green bell peppers, ground beef, and rice. As a child, I remember not being fond of this meal. As a young adult missing home-cooked meals, I found myself calling my grandmother and asking how to make her recipe.

I have evolved stuffed bell peppers many different times. Most recently Instant Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers have made their way on the menu. For this stuffed Bell Peppers recipe, I am using Italian sausage and quinoa for more of an Italian flair but depending on the spices and fillings you use they could have more of a Mexican flavor or could easily be a vegetarian dish if you leave out the meat.

This recipe was inspired by my other easy Instant Pot Recipes: Easy Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie & Biscuits, 6 Ingredient Instant Pot Chili & Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff.

For a quick hassle free one-pot dinner check out my Ground Beef Stuffed Pepper Casserole recipe.

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Ingredients:

• Uncooked quinoa rinsed
• Italian sausage
• Frozen corn
• Diced tomatoes with green chilies
• Medium-Sized bell peppers
• minced garlic
• Onion powder
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Water
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Grated parmesan cheese

See the recipe card for quantities

Quinoa Vs. Rice

I use a tricolored variety of quinoa in these stuffed bell peppers because quinoa is packed with vitamins and minerals and contains more protein, fiber, and healthy fats than other grains. Compared to jasmine rice quinoa has more protein and fewer carbohydrates and my family like it. I’m always looking for ways to sneak in extra protein in my kids so this is a great swap for rice.

How To Make Quinoa In The Instant Pot

To start you need to prepare the quinoa in the instant pot for the stuffed bell pepper filling. Rinse one cup of uncooked quinoa in a fine metal strainer like this one. Add quinoa to the instant pot along with 1-½ cups of water. Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes letting the pressure naturally release completely, about 15 minutes. Once it is safe to open the instant pot remove the quinoa to a bowl and set it aside.

Assemble The Stuffed Peppers

Start by browning the Italian sausage in a skillet or, use the saute function in the Instant Pot. Once the sausage is browned add minced garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir in frozen corn, and tomatoes with green chiles, add the cooked quinoa, and stir to combine the ingredients.

If you prepare the filling in the Instant Pot transfer it to a large bowl so that the inner pot can be cleaned and the trivet placed inside. For the ease of cooking, I absolutely love having a second liner or even using my second Instant Pot and avoiding turning the oven on altogether. Place the trivet in the clean Instant Pot along with 1 cup of water.

Next, remove the tops of the bell peppers and clean out the seeds and cores. Spoon the sausage and quinoa mixture into the pepper all the way to the top and carefully place the stuffed pepper on the trivet in the Instant Pot. Complete this for all your peppers, you will have leftover sausage and quinoa filling.

Pressure Cooking Directions

Place the lid on and in the locked position with the vent turned to the sealing position. Set the cooking time to 0 minutes (if your model doesn’t go to 0 use 1 minute). This may seem silly, but we just want to steam everything and soften the pepper. Since the filling is completely cooked it isn’t necessary to “cook” these. Once the cooking cycle is complete and the Instant Pot beeps immediately turn the vent knob to release the pressure completely.

Top each of the peppers with a sprinkle of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and place the lid back on for 2-3 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. I prefer a bit more filling when I serve these so that’s where the extra sausage and quinoa filling comes in. There will definitely be more filling than you have peppers but don’t worry there are lots of ways to use it.

Baking Directions

Don’t worry, if you don’t have a Instant Pot or a pressure cooker you can still make this recipe. Simply follow all of the steps for making the pepper filling and assembling the stuffed peppers but place them in a glass baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350° and top with cheese if desired. Bake for 18-22 minutes if you prefer a crisp bell pepper. If you prefer a slightly more cooked pepper cook for 25-30 minutes or until the peppers have reached your desired doneness and the cheese has melted.

More Recipes You May Enjoy

How To Use Leftover Sausage & Quinoa Pepper Filling

1. Make a double batch of stuffed peppers and freeze.
2. Serve extra filling on the side with stuffed peppers if you have hearty eaters.
3. Use the next day over tortilla chips for nachos. (I promise this is good)
4. Serve with over-easy eggs in the morning. Also sounds strange but is delicious!
5. Use it as a burrito filling.
6. Serve without peppers to the picky eater in your house.
7. Dice Peppers and combine them with the filling, cover with cheese and bake for an easy casserole.
8. Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe Variations

Recipe Variations

Quinoa-If you prefer rice substitute Instant Pot Jasmine White Rice for quinoa.

Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers-Use cumin and chili powder and omit the Italian seasoning if you want a Mexican stuffed bell pepper.

Bell Peppers- swap out red bell peppers for yellow, orange, or green. Use your favorite variety of bell pepper for different flavor combinations.

Spicy- Use hot diced green chilies or red pepper flakes to spice up the filling mixture if you like a little heat.

Vegetarian- Omit the Italian sausage and add black beans, frozen corn, or your favorite veggie to the filling.

Can I Freeze Stuffed Bell Peppers?

Yes! One of my favorite things to do is cook once and eat twice. If you are meal planning buy extra bell peppers and use the remaining filling to stuff extra peppers to freeze. Here is an entire article on how to freeze stuffed bell peppers.

How To Cook Frozen Bell Peppers

To Bake Thawed Peppers- remove frozen stuffed bell peppers to the fridge overnight to thaw. Place them in a glass baking dish and bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes.

To Bake Frozen Peppers- Place frozen bell peppers into a glass baking dish cover with foil and bake at 350° for 35-50 minutes depending on the size.

Pressure-cook Frozen Peppers- Take the frozen bell peppers straight from the freezer. First place the trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot with 1 cup of water. Place the frozen stuffed peppers on top of the trivet. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes with a quick release. Sprinkle with cheese and replace the lid for 2-3 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.

Confused about how to use your Instant Pot? I can help!