These wholesome Couscous Stuffed Peppers are prepared with sweet Italian sausage and are easy to prepare in about 45 minutes.
Explore the colors of the rainbow with this low-sodium, high-fiber, healthy delicious dinner.
My Wholesome Rainbow Couscous Stuffed Peppers are on the menu today!
What I love about this recipe is that it can be assembled ahead of time and popped into the oven for any quick and easy dinner.
Sweet bell peppers hold a filling that’s nutritious, low in sodium and full of heart healthy grains. Oh, and did I mention it’s delicious!
Exploring healthy whole grains is a great New Year’s resolution. If your goal for the new year is to include more healthy food choices, these stuffed peppers are a great option.
Couscous is a healthy whole grain wheat made from semolina that has been rolled into tiny bead-like pellets.
Delicious in salads, soups or as a side dish, it’s nutty, light and fluffy.
Couscous comes in several varieties, the most popular being Moroccan, Israeli and Lebanese. My recipe uses Israeli or pearl couscous as it’s also known.
My stuffed peppers recipe uses sweet Italian sausage. While pork is considered lower in sodium than turkey or chicken it is higher in fat.
Feel free to sub out the pork sausage for chicken or turkey sausage. It’s just as delicious.
I used regular-sized bell peppers for this recipe but using mini rainbow peppers would also work well to serve as an appetizer or for a party.
Wholesome Rainbow Couscous Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 3 sweet bell peppers sliced lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
- 3/4 cup pearl couscous
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 14- ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Over medium heat sauté the onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the sweet Italian sausage and cook until the sausage has browned. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, one cup of water and the pearl couscous and stir to incorporate. Season with fresh cracked pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Fill the pepper halves generously with the couscous mixture. Arrange the peppers in a baking dish and add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake the peppers for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each pepper and return to the oven. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until the cheese has melted and the peppers are tender.
These not only are wholesome, but are crave worthy!! They look great!
Thanks so much Kristen!
I love using couscous as it is so quick and easy. What a great idea to use it in stuffing in this gorgeous dish
Thanks Christie….they were super delicious!
What a deliciously creative idea this is to stuff peppers with couscous! It looks like a meal in itself and certainly a must-try!
Thanks…and it makes a quick and delicious dinner any time of the week.
I love stuffed peppers and couscous! You’ve combined so many delicious flavors into one dish and I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Marlynn…it’s a perfect flavor combination:)
What a fun recipe! I think I will try it without the sausage as I don’t eat meat but it is a wonderful recipe that lends itself to that!
Susan, it would be delicious as a vegetarian recipe. Easy to leave the meat out and just as delicious.
A lot of great flavors here. I love stuffed peppers and couscous makes them extra special. this is sure to be a family fave. 🙂
Thank you … totally a family favorite.:)
Oops, didn’t get to complete my name. 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! I love peppers, what a great idea to stuff them with couscous! Pinning for later 🙂
Thanks for pinning Sara:)
Hi Ali,
I’m interested in cooking this recipe for the weekend, but I’m not comfortable with your pearl couscous cooking directions. You say to simmer the couscous for 5 minutes. Every direction I’ve seen and every time I’ve cooked pearl couscous it’s been anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes. How can the couscous be done in such a short time of just 5 minutes? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Thanks Kazy for the question. The couscous brand I typically use calls for an 8 minute cooking time but brands do differ. The 30 minutes cook time and covering with foil allow the couscous to continue cooking. Luckily this recipe works great with precooked couscous as well. Just make the couscous according to your brand directions and add it in with the fire roasted tomatoes. Either way will be delicious. Enjoy.