These Herby Ricotta Stuffed Peppers taste straight out of Tuscany with fresh herbs, creamy ricotta, and sharp parmesan. Ready in about 30 minutes (with just 5 minutes of hands-on time), they’re a simple side dish that packs a punch of flavor.

Thank you to Soft Surroundings for sponsoring this post!
For someone who loves Italy and Italian food, there’s a severe lack of Italian food here on Live Eat Learn. I mean we’ve made risotto and obviously pizza, but I’ve always been a bit anxious to dive into real Italian food.
Because I got the feeling that it wouldn’t even come close to replicating the amazing tastes you get when you’re actually in Italy. I guess I thought real Italian food could only be food you eat in Italy, ya know? As it turns out, I was terribly wrong.
Italian food draws on simple flavors and ingredients, meaning you actually can create some amazing Italian dishes in your kitchen. A revelation I made after flipping through the Tuscan Sun Cookbook. I got this cookbook, written by Frances Mayes (author to the infamous Under the Tuscan Sun), from Soft Surroundings.
Soft Surroundings, if you haven’t heard of them, are the place to go for all sorts of everyday luxury products. I’m talking clothes, jewelry, bedding. Basically, they work to make “treat yo self” a way of life. They recently launched a travel section to their website, featuring a place near and dear to my heart (and belly)…Tuscany! Head over to their travel section to check out their spring and summer products (which range from beauty to clothes to cookbooks!) Or browse their store locator to find a shop near you.
When Soft Surroundings asked me to share a recipe from the Tuscan Sun Cookbook on the blog, obviously I was all hands-down-yes-please-lets-do-this. Because is there anything I love more than Italian food, cookbooks, travel, and online shopping? No friends, there is not. So today I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes from Frances Mayes’ cookbook (though it was hard to choose just one) (and I definitely considered sharing a whole Italian style meal so as not to have to pick favorites.)
But these Herby Ricotta Stuffed Peppers stood out to me. They have an herb-packed ingredients list that balances perfectly with fresh grated parmesan and ricotta (learn how to make your own ricotta!). You’ll essentially just mix it all together, stuff into peppers, and bake! In half an hour your home will smell like a Tuscan cottage. Sound good? Let’s cook.
Ingredients
- 5 yellow or red bell peppers
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 30 mL
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta 453 g
- ½ cup finely sliced green onions about 4 green onions
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 1 Tbsp each: fresh mint, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup grated parmesan 56 g
- 1 tsp fennel flowers optional
- 2 Tbsp breadcrumbs combined with a dash of oil
Instructions
- Char Peppers (optional): For a smokier flavor, quickly char peppers on the grill of open-flame stovetop (if you have access to these; if not, just skip this step). Cool then peel off blackened skin.
- Prep Peppers: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Cut peppers in half lengthwise, removing seeds and ribs. Brush peppers all over with olive oil.
- Stuff Peppers: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, basil, onions, herbs, salt, and pepper. Beat in the eggs and parmesan. Fill peppers with the mixture and top wth fennel flowers and breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, or until ricotta is set and breadcrumbs are golden.
Nutrition Information
Thanks again to Soft Surroundings for sponsoring this post!
slope says
Well, this is my first visit to your blog! Your blog provided us valuable information .You have done a marvelous job
Melanie says
I love stuffed peppers and these look delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks, Melanie! 😀
Annie Cho says
Love that these are vegetarian! They look delicious and your food photography is amazing!
xoxo
Annie
Sarah says
Thanks so much, Annie! So many stuffed pepper recipes are full of meat, so I was happy to find this veg version in the cookbook 🙂
stephanie ziemer says
I’ve made Greek stuffed bellpeppers for years with hamburger, tomato, mint, parsley & rice, but these vegetarian options sound delicious. I’ll have to try them.
Sarah says
Thanks Stephanie! I never thought to put mint into a dish like this before I made this recipe but it’s perfect!
kristen says
i love the addition of the ricotta! This looks so delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks, Kristen! The ricotta does wonders in this recipe 🙂
Eryn says
I love stuffed peppers. These sound phenomenal
Sarah says
Thanks so much, Eryn!
Maud says
These look amazing. Mixing peppers and ricotta is always a winner so they’ve made it to my meal planning for next week! Thank you for sharing.
Sarah says
They’re probably so easy for meal prepping too. You could probably prep them ahead of time then bake on the day of 😀
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
A bell pepper stuffed with cheese?! Yes, please!
Sarah says
I know right? The Italians know how to eat!
Kerri says
These look amazing! Cheese is the best.
Sarah says
Thanks, Kerri! Cheese is life, haha 😀
Leah says
YES YES YES!! I have been looking for more meatless meals and this is perfect!! Thank you!!
Sarah says
So happy I could help, Leah!
Cat says
Mmm these peppers look so tasty! I can’t wait to try it!
Amber @ xoxo, Am says
These look amazing!! I’m going to have to try this!
Hayden says
These look so delicious! Especially since I love anything with ricotta!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
What gorgeous, colorful photos! And of course those peppers sound amazing! What a fun way to prepare them!
Holly Lasha says
Oohh..this looks super yummy. I want to try it!
Martha says
I’m definitely trying this!! They look amazing!!
Sarah says
Thanks, Martha! 🙂
Katie says
Made these last week and they are delicious!
Sarah says
Yay! So happy to hear, Katie! Frances Mayes is an Italian food genius 😀
happy room says
Thanks for sharing this marvelous post. I m very pleased to read this article.
fnaf says
Very delicious food and easy to make. I will learn to make this dish. nutritious food.
gun mayhem 2 says
Your recipe is great, I’ll try it on weekends.
Sarah says
Enjoy!! 😀
Katie says
Can these be (mostly) prepped a day ahead? I was thinking stuff the tomatoes, cover and refrigerate, then add the bread crumbs and fennel flowers right before backing; would that work?
Sarah says
I haven’t actually tried this so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would work. Would love to hear how it goes if you give it a try! 😀
Patti says
The quantity of ingredients is off. I made them using only 4 peppers and still there was hardly any filling also you absolutely need to char or precook the peppers because if not the peppers are too tough. The filling was tasty tho
LL says
I agree, 2 cups ricotta is not nearly enough. I doubled the recipe for 4 peppers!
Krista says
This was so good and simple to make. I followed the recipe exactly. Definitely will be making this dish again
Flappy Bird says
I love this recipe you shared.