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