Stuffed Pepper Pasta
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Easy Stuffed Pepper Pasta has all the flavor of stuffed peppers with ground beef, ditalini and marinara. Made in one pan in just 35 minutes!
If you love stuffed peppers but don’t love the time it takes to make them, this stuffed pepper pasta is for you. It has all the flavors of classic stuffed peppers (savory ground beef, sweet red bell peppers, garlic, and marinara) tossed with ditalini pasta and finished with Parmesan cheese.
Best of all, everything cooks in one pan in about 35 minutes! The ditalini simmers right in the sauce, so there’s no separate pot of boiling water and fewer dishes to wash. It’s the kind of hearty, family friendly dinner you can get on the table on a busy weeknight without much effort.
Why You’ll Love This Stuffed Pepper Pasta
- It’s made in one pan. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so cleanup is quick.
- It’s ready in 35 minutes. That’s faster than traditional stuffed peppers, which usually need to bake for close to an hour.
- It’s packed with veggies. Three full cups of red bell peppers go into this recipe, plus onion and garlic.
- It’s kid friendly. Bite size ditalini noodles and a cheesy, saucy finish make this an easy win with picky eaters.
- It’s great for leftovers. Portion it into containers for easy lunches all week.
substitutions
Olive Oil: You could use avocado oil, but we really recommend extra virgin olive oil.
Ground Beef: 85/15 ground beef is our favorite here, but ground turkey or ground chicken work well for a lighter option. Sweet or hot ground Italian sausage is also delicious. If you only have sausage links, just cut off the casings before browning.
Bell Peppers: Red bell peppers are the sweetest, but green, yellow, or orange peppers (or a mix) all work.
Onion and Garlic: Fresh chopped onion and garlic work best, but feel free to substitute with 1 teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder.
Pasta: We love the texture ditalini gives this dish, but you can easily use other small pasta shapes like orzo, elbows, or small shells. Orzo will cook slightly quicker. We haven’t tested this with gluten free pasta. It can get mushy quickly, so start with a little less broth and add more as needed.
Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
Marinara Sauce: We used jarred pasta sauce or you can make your own with our Healthy Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce.
Dried Spices: If you don’t have dried basil and parsley, you can use 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Fresh herbs can also be used in place of dried.
Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan is the best, but any grated Parmesan cheese will work well.
Tips for making this recipe:
- Make it extra cheesy. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the top, cover the pan, and let it melt for about 1 minute.
- Add fresh herbs. Chopped fresh basil or parsley adds a bright, fresh finish.
- Turn up the heat. Stir in a teaspoon of Calabrian chili paste for a spicy kick.
- Keep stirring. Ditalini can stick to the bottom of the pan as it simmers, so give it a stir every couple of minutes.
- Swap the protein. Ground turkey, ground chicken, or Italian sausage all work well here.
storage
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Warm in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add a splash of broth or water, since the pasta soaks up the sauce as it sits.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing this pasta dish. The pasta will get soggy.
other One Pot Pasta recipes:
Stuffed Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 cups diced red bell peppers
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup dry ditalini pasta
- 1 ½ cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 cup marinara pasta sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and cook for 8 minutes until the meat is browned, breaking apart until small pieces and stirring occasionally as it cooks.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the bell peppers,onion, and garlic to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add the ditalini to the pan. Saute for 1 minute allowing the ditalini to gently toast in the pan.
- Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, and dried spices to the pan. Stir together to evenly incorporate all of the ingredients. Cover with a lid, turn the heat to medium high and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure the ditalini does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the ditalini has cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Top with extra parmesan cheese to your liking.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make it extra cheesy. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the top, cover the pan, and let it melt for about 1 minute.
- Add fresh herbs. Chopped fresh basil or parsley adds a bright, fresh finish.
- Turn up the heat. Stir in a teaspoon of Calabrian chili paste for a spicy kick.
- Keep stirring. Ditalini can stick to the bottom of the pan as it simmers, so give it a stir every couple of minutes.
- Swap the protein. Ground turkey, ground chicken, or Italian sausage all work well here.
