Unstuffed Peppers with Sausage and Rotel

If you love stuffed peppers but not all the extra work, these unstuffed peppers give you the same hearty, cheesy flavor in one easy skillet. Hot breakfast sausage, bell peppers, tomatoes, uncooked rice, and sharp cheddar all cook together for a filling, spicy dinner - no stuffing required!

Unstuffed peppers with ground sausage, cheese, tomatoes, and green bell peppers on a spoon.

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Unstuffed Peppers: What You Need to Know

leslie lambert, author of lamberts lately.

This Unstuffed Peppers recipe has everything you love about stuffed peppers with about half the work. It's super flavorful, easy to make, and fairly inexpensive too!

If you're a fan of one-dish dinners with tons of flavor (like my Mississippi Chicken or these Swamp Potatoes), you'll love this one!

One-Skillet Dinner

Rice Cooks in the Pan

Serves 6

All the flavor of stuffed peppers, plus some added kick from Rotel and hot sausage

Using sausage means fewer spices to measure out

Hearty enough to be a complete meal on its own

I can't wait for you to try this easy dinner!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for unstuffed peppers on a wooden surface including green peppers, rice, Rotel tomatoes,and breakfast sausage.

(See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full list and exact ingredient measurements.)

Hot breakfast sausage: This is a great shortcut ingredient - since the sausage is already seasoned, you don't need a long list of extra spices to give the skillet tons of flavor.
Bell peppers: Use any colors you like or happen to have. Green peppers give you more of that traditional stuffed pepper flavor, but red, yellow, and orange peppers will be a little sweeter. I would recommend chopping these into 1" pieces - that gives you some texture, but ensures they'll cook all the way.
Tomato paste: Gives a deeper tomato flavor and helps bring the sauce together.
Rotel: Use the whole can, liquid and all. The tomatoes and green chilies add a little kick, and that liquid helps cook the rice.
Tomato sauce: A small can gives the skillet plenty of tomato flavor without making it too saucy.
Long-grain white rice: Use regular uncooked long-grain white rice. Instant rice and brown rice cook differently and aren't direct swaps.
Chicken broth: This gives the rice enough liquid to cook right in the skillet. Use what you have - homemade chicken stock is great, but chicken broth and beef broth also work in this recipe.
Sharp cheddar cheese: We'll stir half into the finished rice mixture and sprinkle the rest over the top to melt - double cheesiness!

Additions & Substitutions

Make it less spicy: This dish has got a kick to it! If needed, use mild breakfast sausage instead of hot and choose mild Rotel. You'll still get lots of flavor without as much heat.
Make it spicier: Use hot breakfast sausage and hot Rotel. You can also add hot sauce at the table.
Switch up the cheese: Sharp cheddar is my favorite here, but Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, or even a cheddar-Jack blend would all be great.
Use ground beef instead: You can swap in ground beef, but breakfast sausage brings a lot more seasoning with it. If you use ground beef, you'll probably want to add extra seasoning to make up for it.

How to Make Unstuffed Peppers

Added green bell peppers and onions to the sausage.

Brown the sausage. Add the hot breakfast sausage to a 10-12" deep skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking it apart as it browns, until cooked through. Drain off excess grease if needed.
Add the peppers and onion. Stir in chopped onion and bell peppers. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.

Added tomato paste to the sausage mixture in the skillet.

Added the rest of the deconstructed stuffed peppers ingredients (rice, tomatoes, broth).

Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute.
Add the rice and liquids. Stir in the uncooked rice, Rotel, tomato sauce, chicken broth, black pepper, and about half of the salt. Give everything a good stir so the rice is evenly distributed.
Bring it to a simmer. Let the mixture come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet.
Cook the rice. Let everything cook covered until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Start checking around the 18 to 20 minute mark; my rice took the full 20 minutes.
- Important: taste test the rice at this point. If the rice is still crunchy and the skillet looks dry, add about ¼ cup more broth or water. It should be slightly soupy if the rice hasn't finished cooking. Cover and cook for a few more minutes as needed.

Stirring shredded cheddar cheese into the unstuffed pepper rice mixture.

Baked unstuffed peppers in a blue skillet on a wooden board.

Stir in the cheese. Once the rice is tender, remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1 cup of sharp cheddar.
Top with more cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheddar over the top. Broil for 4-6 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

What to Serve With Unstuffed Peppers

This is pretty much a complete meal on its own, but you can add a simple green salad, roasted okra, or bacon ranch green beans if you want something fresh on the side. Cornbread or garlic bread would be great if you're going full comfort-food mode.

Rice Troubleshooting

One-pan rice can vary a lot by the skillet you use, stove, and even the brand of rice. If something looks or tastes off, here's how to fix it...

Problem	What to Do
Rice is crunchy and the skillet looks dry	Add ¼ cup broth or water, cover, and cook 3-5 more minutes.
Rice is crunchy but there's still liquid	Don't add more liquid. Cover and keep cooking over low heat.
Rice is tender but too soupy	Remove the lid and simmer a few minutes to cook off the extra liquid.
Rice is getting mushy	Remove from the heat as soon as it's tender and let it sit uncovered briefly.
Some rice is done and some is crunchy	Stir gently, make sure the rice is in the liquid, then cover and cook a few more minutes.
Rice is sticking to the bottom	Lower the heat and add a small splash of broth if the pan looks dry.

a wooden spoon in a lot of unstuffed peppers topped with cheddar cheese.

Leftovers & Storage

Storage: Let any leftovers cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They'll keep well for about 3 to 4 days.

Reheating: To reheat, microwave individual portions until hot. If the rice seems a little dry, add a splash of chicken broth or water before reheating. You can also warm leftovers in a covered skillet over low heat.

Freezing: This should freeze well, but just know the rice and peppers can soften a little bit after thawing. For best quality, I recommend using it within about 3 months. When you're ready to serve it, thaw in the fridge overnight, pour into a baking dish, and top with 1 cup of cheddar; bake until bubbly.

Leslie's Helpful Tips & Tricks

I use a deep 10-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid. You need enough room for the rice to expand and enough depth to keep everything from bubbling over. (This is what I use - best investment ever! I use it all the time.)
Don't drain the Rotel: You need that juice - it adds flavor, but it also counts as part of the liquid that cooks the rice.
Use regular long-grain white rice: Instant rice cooks way too fast for this recipe, and brown rice takes a lot longer. Stick with regular long-grain white rice for the best results.
Don't add too much salt at the beginning: Breakfast sausage, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, and cheddar can all add plenty of salt. Start with less and add more before serving if needed.
Use freshly shredded cheese if you can: Bagged shredded cheese will work in a pinch, but cheese that you shred yourself usually melts so much smoother.
Let it sit for a few minutes: Once the skillet is finished, give it a few minutes before serving. The rice will soak up any last bit of liquid and everything will thicken up.

FAQs

You can, but you'll need to change the amount of liquid and the cooking time. This recipe is written for uncooked long-grain rice, which absorbs the broth as it cooks. If you're using cooked rice, stir it in toward the end instead of simmering it. Leave out the broth, but add a splash if the mixture seems too thick.

You can! For the best texture, I would chop the peppers and onion, shred the cheese, and measure everything ahead of time, then cook the skillet when you're ready to eat. You can also cook the whole dish ahead and reheat it, but the rice will continue to soak up some of the sauce as it sits.

Go big here - use a large, deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid. You want enough room for the rice to expand without the skillet overflowing, and the lid is important because it traps the steam that cooks the rice. A wide Dutch oven is another good option if your skillet isn't deep enough.

Technically you can, but I wouldn't automatically double it in the same skillet. The rice needs enough room to cook evenly, and a crowded pan can overflow or take much longer to cook. This recipe already makes a lot of food - if you double, I recommend making it in 2 batches or using 2 large pots.

Regular diced tomatoes work great if you don't have Rotel. Use them undrained so you don't lose the liquid that helps cook the rice, and add diced green chiles or a little extra heat separately if you still want that Rotel-style kick.

A tight-fitting lid works best because the trapped steam cooks the rice. If your skillet doesn't have one, use a Dutch oven instead; I wouldn't rely on an uncovered skillet for this recipe.

More One-Dish Meals

holding taco mac and cheese, topped with lettuce and tomato, in a spoon.

Taco Mac & Cheese

Cowboy Stew

Cheeseburger Pasta

French Onion Chicken

I hope you love this flavorful dinner! When you try it, let me know what you think with a rating and review below. And don't forget to follow along for the latest and greatest from LL Eats!

Unstuffed Peppers