Ingredients

• 4 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice
• 8 oz. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Cut 1/2 inch off the top of each of the bell peppers. Discard stems and seeds. Chop pepper tops into 1/4 inch pieces; set pepper cups aside.

2. Microwave chicken broth and rice in a covered large bowl until liquid is absorbed and rice is nearly tender – 13 to 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up into small pieces until browned – 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer cooked sausage to a paper-lined plate once cooked.

4. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of fat from skillet (or add some oil if needed – I used lean chicken sausage). Cook onions and chopped pepper until softened and brown – 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

5. Combine 1 cup of sauce, sausage, 1 cup parmesan cheese and rice. Transfer remaining sauce to the slow cooker.

6. Poke 4 holes in the bottom of each pepper cup, using a skewer or knife. Fill each pepper with rice mixture and place upright in a slow cooker. Top pepper with remaining parmesan cheese.

7. Cover and cook on low until peppers and rice are tender – 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

8. Transfer peppers to a plate. Stir basil into sauce and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over peppers to serve.

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