School is finally in session! Truthfully I’m looking forward to getting into a gym routine, fitting in a few extra hours of work per week, and finding time to get dinner prepped earlier in the day. The recipe I’m sharing today – Italian Sausage and Pepper Ring Mini Meatloaves – is one that’s ideal for assembling ahead of time then popping into the oven shortly before calling the crew to dinner.
Watch How to Make Them!
Portion Controlled Mini Meatloaves
You know I LOVE me some mini meatloaves. Past renditions include Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves, Mini Muffuletta Meatloaves, Mini Philly Cheesesteak Meatloaves, Mini Mediterranean Turkey Meatloaves, and Mini Salsa Turkey Meatloaves. They’re easy to assemble, quick to bake, and perfectly portion controlled – and Italian Sausage and Pepper Ring Mini Meatloaves are no different. Plus they taste like slow cooked sausage and peppers, but bake in just 30 minutes. Can you say upgrade!
Ground beef and Italian sausage are mixed with herbs and spices, garlic, and onions then pressed into hollowed out bell peppers that have been sliced into rings to create mini meatloaf shells (hence the name “pepper ring” mini meatloaves!) then baked under a blanket of cheese. These might be my favorite mini meatloaves to date – they are so good and fun! Plus you can assemble the dish up to a day ahead of time then transfer right from the fridge to a hot oven. Best of all, my entire family inhales this recipe – 10 month old and all. Yes, peppers too! (Since Lincoln is allergic to dairy I bake his pepper ring mini meatloaf sans cheese in a separate dish.) Like I said, the mini meatloaves taste just like my more traditional Sausage and Peppers but the texture is almost meatball-like. The combination of sausage, peppers, marinara sauce, and cheese in any form though? Total home run.
Couple of Notes
Use the leanest ground beef you can find as the meat will shrink inside the pepper rings. I use 93/7 or 90/10. Spring for a really good jar of marinara sauce, or use homemade if you can. This is what makes sausage and peppers taste like sausage and peppers. Locals I love Gino’s, otherwise Mezzetta and Bove’s both have great, no sugar added marinara sauces.
Ready to eat?!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by slicing the tops and bottoms off 2 medium-sized bell peppers then run a knife along the insides to remove the seeds. You can use whatever color of peppers you like – I usually use 1 red and 1 green.
Next, slice the hollowed out bell peppers into 1″ thick rings then place them in the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish with 1 cup marinara sauce spread in the bottom. You should be able to get 3-4 rings per pepper, though you’ll only need 6 rings total.
Next, make the meatloaf filling. To a large bowl add lean ground beef, ground sweet Italian sausage, gluten free bread with the crusts removed then minced, egg, minced shallot, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and a pinch red pepper flakes if you want a little zip. Use your hands to mix until just combined then score the mixture into thirds, and each third in half to create 6 portions. NOTE: be sure to use lean ground beef (I wouldn’t go any fattier than 90/10) as the meat mixture will shrink during baking.
Roll each portion into a ball then press into a pepper ring and top with 1 heaping Tablespoon marinara sauce. Cover the dish with foil then bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Finally, top each mini meatloaf with a heap of shredded Italian cheese blend then bake uncovered for 5-7 more minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
That’s all she wrote! Scoop the mini meatloaves onto plates then drizzle with the delectable sauce from the bottom of the pan – it ridiculously delicious. I hope you love this fun and yummy dish – enjoy!
More Mini Meatloaves You’ll Love
Mini Taco Meatloaf Stuffed Italian Meatball Mini Meatloaves Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves Mini Muffuletta Meatloaves Mini Philly Cheesesteak Meatloaves
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