Stuffed Bell Peppers

Thank you al fresco for sponsoring this post!

Stuffed Bell Peppers are a family favorite in our house. I love to make them and everyone loves to eat them. I normally make them with ground beef or shredded chicken but this time I was inspired to put a twist on an old favorite and use al fresco all natural chicken sausage. To say it was a hit is an understatement. Seriously, my husband said I should make them this way from now on!

There were so many fun sausage flavors (and I went back and forth several times) but I ended up with the Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage. Yes. It was so good. We loved the spicy (but not too spicy) kick of the sausage and love that it was a healthy alternative! al fresco chicken sausage is 100% all natural with no artificial ingredients, no preservatives, no nitrates or nitrites, and MSG/gluten-free! Not only did we love that it created a well balanced meal but I loved that it cut down on my cooking time!

Normally when I make this meal I have to cook the meat before hand which either requires cooking up the ground beef (least nutritional option) or baking & shredding the chicken (most time consuming process) but with the al fresco chicken sausage I could cut all that out because it is already fully cooked! This is honestly one of the biggest win-wins in this situation. I love serving my family by providing meals for us to eat but I don’t love spending all my time in the kitchen (read: I hate making meals that take up too much of my time 😉 ) AND to top it all off, I spent less on the al fresco sausage than I would have on the all natural ground beef or chicken I normally buy.

Okay! Moving onto the recipe because I know you are interested in a simple, nutritious, tasty, quick meal to serve your friends & family!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Bell Peppers (Any color. One per person eating.)
• al fresco Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage
• Jar of tomato sauce (for pasta or pizza)
• 1 Tbs chili powder (more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 garlic cloves diced
• 2 Tbs dried onions
• Cooked rice (I use minute rice & follow serving amounts)
• Olive oil
• Shredded cheese

HOW TO:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Follow instructions on rice box & start the rice.
3. Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds and veins. Rub them lightly with olive oil and place on cookie sheet.
4. Bake 20 minutes.
5. While the peppers are baking, cut up the chicken sausage and put in a skillet on med-high to grill for about 5 minutes
6. Add the rice and tomato sauce to skillet. Mix well. Add chili powder, salt, garlic, and dried onions.
7. Continue heating and stirring until mixture is hot.
8. Add mixture to bell peppers with a spoon and try to fill in all available space.
9. Sprinkle cheese on top.
10. Add back to the oven for 10-15 more minutes or until cheese starts to brown.
11. Serve & enjoy!