Stuffed Bell Peppers

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash and dry the bell peppers, then cut each in half horizontally.
2. Carefully cut and remove the stem from the top half of each pepper.
3. Place pepper halves in a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Brush with 1 Tbsp oil and season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
4. Bake peppers for 20 minutes to soften, then remove from oven and set aside.
5. While peppers bake, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat and brown the Italian sausage.
6. Add diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet; sauté until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
7. Add uncooked rice, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.
8. Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered, without stirring, for 20 minutes.
9. Turn off heat and let rest, covered, for 5 more minutes.
10. Remove lid, fluff rice, and stir to combine filling.
11. Fill each bell pepper half generously with the meat and rice mixture.
12. Top each pepper with shredded mozzarella cheese.
13. Loosely cover dish with tented foil and bake 15 minutes, until peppers are tender but not mushy.
14. Remove foil and broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese browns slightly, watching closely.
15. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve.