Cheesy Stuffed Pepper Pasta (Printable)
One-pan cheesy pasta with bell peppers, seasoned meat and melted mozzarella, ready in about 45 minutes.
# What You Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 large bell peppers (red and/or green), diced
02 - 1 small yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Meat
04 - 1 pound ground beef or turkey
→ Pantry Staples
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
07 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
08 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
09 - 8 ounces short pasta (penne, rotini, or shells)
10 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
13 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ Dairy
14 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
15 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
→ Garnish
16 - Fresh parsley or basil, chopped (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and bell peppers, cooking for 3-4 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add ground beef or turkey to the skillet. Cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
04 - Stir in tomato paste, diced tomatoes with juice, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Mix well to combine.
05 - Pour in the short pasta and broth, stirring to combine and ensuring the pasta is submerged in liquid as much as possible.
06 - Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
07 - Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the skillet. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
08 - Remove from heat. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil if desired. Serve hot.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- One pan means you get all the comfort of stuffed peppers with exactly zero dishwashing drama afterward.
- The pasta soaks up the tomato broth as it cooks, so every bite carries that deep, savory flavor people usually only get from slow simmered sauces.
02 -
- Undercooking the peppers at the start is fine because they continue softening as the pasta simmers, but overcooking them early turns them into mush.
- Stirring too often while the pasta simmers releases starch and makes the sauce gummy, so stir gently and only once or twice.
03 -
- Toast the tomato paste in the skillet for 30 seconds before adding the tomatoes to deepen its flavor dramatically.
- Let the skillet rest off the heat for two minutes before serving so the sauce thickens and settles into the pasta.