Another Cheap & Delicious Meal- Sausage and Rice Stuffed Peppers!

Hi peeps,

Just as promised, I am still testing recipes in my Crock-pot and letting you know how they go, as well as giving you tips and tricks to make this meal a success!

The meal I created tonight is Stuffed Peppers. The meal serves 6 people. Just one overstuffed pepper per person is more than enough. In fact, the next time I make this recipe I may turn it into 10-12 servings, I almost didn't finish my plate, and I eat a lot!

What I liked most about this recipe is the flexibility. Technically, the recipe calls for uncased turkey sausage, but I happened to find a better deal on Italian sausage. The meat could be subbed with anything you are in the mood for that comes in ground form (turkey, beef, chicken, etc.). The recipe also called for tri-color bell peppers. I chose to go with only green peppers since they are cheaper. You also have the option of what kind of rice to add. I chose brown since I like to be health conscious, and I had a lot left over from my last meal. Heck, you could even play around with your favorite herbs and seasonings. Be adventurous and make this meal your own!

Okay, let's go over the ingredients I needed and their cost!

• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Amount needed 6 servings (6 Tbsp)
• Amount purchased 45 servings (45 Tbsp)
• Cost of 45 servings ($3.99)-($1.00 sale)= $2.99
• Cost per serving: $0.06
• Crushed Tomato:
• Amount needed 32 oz
• Amount purchased 28 oz **could not find 32 oz can, figured 28 oz was close enough)**
• Cost of 28 oz can ($1.39)-($0.39 sale)=$1.00
• Cost per serving $.17
• Chicken Broth
• Amount needed 1.5 Cups 
• Amount purchased 2 Cups **condensed Aka translate as 4 Cups**
• Cost of 2 cups *(condensed) $2.29
• Cost per serving $0.14
• Basil (Fresh)
• Amount needed 0.25 Cups
• Amount purchased 0.50 Cups
• Cost of 0.50 Cups $1.99
• Cost per serving $0.17
• Green Peppers (fresh)
• Amount needed 6 medium to large bells (approx 2.93 lbs)
• Amount Purchased 2.93 lbs
• Cost of 2.93 lbs *[($1.49/lb)-($0.50/lb sale)= $0.99/lb.)]*$0.99 X 2.93 lb= $2.91 
• Cost per serving  $0.49
• Italian Sausage 
• Amount needed 1 lb 
• Amount purchased 1 lb
• Cost of 1 lb $3.49
• Cost per serving $0.58
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Amount needed 8 oz
• Amount purchased 8 oz
• Cost  of 8 oz $2.19
• Cost per serving $.37
• Brown Rice 
• Amount needed 1 cup
• Amount purchased I bought enough for 20 servings last meal 
• Cost of 20 servings $3.99
• Cost per serving $0.20

Initial Cost at store (investment)= $20.85

Cost per serving= $2.18

(few, that was a lot of math)

Yes, I know there are cheaper meals than this one, but how often do you find that many items on sale at once!

Notes and Hints

1. *Note you can alter this meal to make it even cheaper. Use different meat, less fresh basil, or grow your own(I plan to soon), better sales, etc.*
2. **I recently learned you can buy uncased sausage, but I didn't know, so I figured out how to un-case it myself**
3. ***I used less sauce and the meal came out just fine: hint mix sauce in bowl with other ingredients and just save a little for the tops I felt the stuffing was a bit dry.***
4. ****Leftover chicken broth is a great thing to have around the house to make a quick soup for lunch with****
5. *****I think everyone should have Grated Parmesan Cheese in their fridge LOL!*****
6. ****Based on Comments, I decided to leave the meal in the crock pot longer to further cook the rice. If you don't like soft peppers, pre cook the rice for a few minutes, then mix with other ingredients.****
7. ***Time to cook varies on your preference. Time to prep takes approximately 15 minutes***
8. **Make some kind of soup, pasta sauce, or stew with the left over mixture in the crock pot and save time and money on your next meal! (I might make pasta and add ground turkey and crushed tomato to the broth since I have those ingredients on hand)
9. Enjoy your cheap gourmet dinner!

Pictures of my awesome dinner with my husband =)

The 3 stages of eating this meal. A little messy, but so worth it...again my husband licked the plate, making me feel like worlds best wife/chef <3

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Serving

Per Serving% Daily Value*

Calories 446

Calories from Fat 147

Total Fat 16.4g25%

Saturated Fat 8.5g43%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9g

Monounsaturated Fat 3.9g

Cholesterol 49mg16%

Sodium 1047mg44%

Potassium 509mg15%

Carbohydrates 42.3g14%

Dietary Fiber 5.5g22%

Sugars 8.0g

Protein 31.8g

Vitamin A 32% · Vitamin C 184%

Calcium 37% · Iron 22%

Here is the link for Sausage (over stuffed )Stuffed Peppers

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Post below!

Special Question! I used my hands to mix the stuffing mixture. Let me know if there is a better way, I am so new at this!