Ingredients

• 4 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice
• 8 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Working one at a time, cut off top 1/2 inch of bell peppers. Discard stem and seeds. Chop pepper tops into 1/4-inch pieces; reserve pepper cups. Microwave broth and rice in covered large bowl until liquid is absorbed and rice is nearly tender, 13 to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up meat into small pieces, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate.

3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add onions and chopped pepper and cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, bring to boil, and remove from heat.

4. Combine 1 cup sauce, sausage, and 1 cup Parmesan with parcooked rice. Transfer remaining sauce to slow cooker. Using skewer, poke 4 holes in bottom of each reserved pepper cup. Fill each pepper with one-quarter of rice mixture and place upright in slow cooker. Top peppers with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover and cook on low until peppers and rice are tender, 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

5. Transfer peppers to plate. Stir basil into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over peppers. Serve.

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