Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers
Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers has lots of sausage and peppers with a small amount of rice! This casserole that uses brown rice has only 14 net carbs per serving and 27 grams of protein; see the link to make a version using cauliflower rice for even fewer carbs!
PIN this tasty Brown Rice Casserole to try it later!
Sometimes I pull leftovers out of the fridge and come up with something that turns out so well I make the recipe again to take photos for the blog, and that’s exactly what happened with this Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers.
I had leftover brown rice and some turkey Italian sausage that I’d thawed out and never used. In the vegetable crisper I had green bell peppers that are so good this time of year. I cooked those things together into a tasty casserole topped with cheese and decided it was a keeper, so a few days later I made it again and took these photos.
And with only 1/4 cup cooked brown rice per serving, I’d consider this to be a pretty carb-conscious meal. But see the link below for a version of this made with cauliflower rice if you want even fewer carbs.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- onion
- green bell pepper
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link)
- ground fennel (affiliate link)
- turkey or pork Italian sausage
- cooked brown rice, preferably Ben’s Original Brown Rice (affiliate link)
- Mozzarella cheese
Want a low-carb Sausage and Peppers Casserole?
With lots of sausage and peppers and not much rice, this tasty casserole only has 14 net carbs in a small serving. But check out Cauliflower Rice Sausage Casserole, which is a low-carb variation of this recipe. Both versions are delicious; I hope you give one of them a try!
What Italian Sausage did I use for the Brown Rice Casserole?
I’m a huge fan of hot turkey Italian Sausage, which is the kind I used for this recipe. But any mild or spicy pork or turkey Italian sausage that you enjoy will be fine.
What brown rice did I use for the Brown Rice Casserole?
I’m a fan of Ben’s Original Brown Rice (affiliate link) and that’s the brown rice I’d recommend for this casserole.
Want more ideas with tasty Italian Sausage?
Check out 40 Low-Carb and Keto Italian Sausage Recipes for more tasty ideas for using Italian Sausage.
How to Make Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Finely chop a large onion and a green bell pepper.
- Saute the onion and bell pepper in some olive oil. When they’re almost done, mix in Italian Herb Seasoning and cook for a minute or two. You can also add a little ground fennel if you enjoy the fennel flavor like I do.
- Remove onions and green peppers, squeeze turkey Italian sausage out of the casing, and cook sausage in the same pan until it’s nicely browned, breaking apart with the turner.
- Mix the vegetables and cooked brown rice into the pan with the sausage and warm it for a few minutes.
- Put the mixture into a casserole dish that you’ve sprayed with olive oil or non-stick spray.
- Top with about 3/4 cup of cheese, or more cheese if you prefer.
- Bake about 25 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted and nicely browned and the whole mixture is piping hot.
- Serve the brown rice casserole hot. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated, and they’ll also keep for several months in the freezer.
Make it a Carb-Conscious Meal:
If you wanted a low-carb side dish I’d eat this Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers with something like Tomato Avocado Cucumber Salad, Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan, or Lemon-Parmesan Kale Salad.
Tasty Low-Carb Casseroles to Try:
- Mock Lasagna Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Low-Carb Deconstructed Pizza Casserole
- Chicken Alfredo Mock Lasagna Casserole
Weekend Food Prep:
This Brown Rice Casserole recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers
This Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers is delicious and it's a perfect way to use leftover brown rice.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
- 4 tsp. olive oil (divided)
- 1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp. ground fennel (or more, optional)
- 19.5 oz. pkg. turkey Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
- 3/4 cup cheese (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large heavy frying pan.
- Add the chopped onion and green bell pepper and saute until the vegetables are cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link) and ground fennel (if using) and saute 1-2 minutes more.
- Remove the cooked vegetables to a bowl.
- Add 2 tsp. more oil to the frying pan.
- Squeeze the turkey Italian sausage out of the casing and cook until it’s fully cooked and nicely browned, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks.
- This will take about 5-6 minutes, but don’t rush the browning.
- When sausage is done put the cooked vegetables and brown rice into the pan and mix with the sausage.
- Cook this mixture a few minutes, until the rice is warmed through.
- Put the mixture into a casserole dish that you’ve sprayed with olive oil or non-stick spray. (I used a dish that was 7″ x 9″ but a slightly larger size will work.)
- Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Put the casserole into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned and the whole thing is piping hot, about 20-25 minutes.
- Serve hot.
- This kept well in the fridge and reheated well in the microwave, although the green pepper flavor was stronger after it was reheated.
Notes
The Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link) I used is a mix of dried oregano, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary.
This recipe created by Kalyn as a way to use leftover brown rice she had in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 336Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 100mgSodium 778mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 27g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers would be a great main dish for phase two or three of the original South Beach Diet, and it’s also gluten-free. There is definitely not much rice compared to the vegetable and protein ingredients so this has only 24 net carbs in a serving, but for low-carb and Keto diets you might prefer my Cauliflower Rice Sausage Casserole.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This casserole with brown rice, Italian sausage, and peppers was first posted in 2011! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
47 Comments on “Brown Rice Casserole with Sausage and Peppers”
I made this las night for dinner. It was delicious! I added some chopped fresh tomatoes to the onion mixture. I also didn’t have ground fennel but tried to crush some fennel seeds and added that. I think you could also add cauliflower rice to make it Keto or low carb! Thanks so much for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I used organic ground beef instead of sausage and used only a half pound. I cannot have dairy, so used nutritional yeast and used herbs de provence instead of Italian seasoning. It was good. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it and were able to adapt it to your needs!
This is my 3rd attempt to post my comment, so fingers crossed. Like another poster, I used a full "recipe" of day-old brown rice (1 cup uncooked, which is well more than 1.5 cups cooked). I also added several cloves of minced garlic and a small can of (organic) petite-diced tomatoes, drained, when adding the spices. For the cheese topping, I used 1 cup of freshly-grated organic white cheddar along with some freshly-grated parmesan. I baked it, in a large casserole dish, covered for 24 minutes, and uncovered for 6 minutes. Hubby tried to eat the whole thing! It was like stuffed peppers in casserole form. 🙂
Cathy, comments on older posts don't show up until I approve them, but they come to me. So glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful, purley comfort food in our home.
Amy, glad you enjoyed it!
Sounds absolutely delicious, I love rice casseroles with sausage or ground meat. My kids too, so I put this on the list. 🙂
Hope your family will enjoy!
Thank you for posting this recipe! My boyfriend and I definitely enjoyed it! It was so simple and tasted very good.
Haley
Thanks Peggy!
Happy Birthday Kalyn and Best Wishes for much happiness and success in the year ahead, especially with your wonderful blog!
Donna, how fun! I love that I am sharing your mom's birthday! xoxo
Oh My Gosh. TWO of my favorite women/mentors/heros have the same birthday! You and my mom have the same birthday. They are smart to name you the queen.
Shulie, I think one reason I love casseroles so much is the leftovers! But you're right, they're perfect for cold weather too.
I almost never make casserole but they are such comforting dishes easy to reheat. I should now as they are absolutely perfect for this wintery weather, though been warm here in the DC area.
Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone. I did have a wonderful birthday!
Shirley, would love to hear how this works with ground venison. Would fennel complement that? That would kind of simulate the flavor of the spices? Thanks for sharing!
Kalyn, fennel is great with ground venison. I usually add it when making venison sausage. 🙂
My pleasure to share, as always.
Shirley
This looks like healthy comfort food, Kalyn. Might have to try it with ground venison soon. Shared on FB. 🙂
Happy Sunday!
Shirley
Congrats love! ANd happy belated birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!!
I came across your site recently and you have an amazing site. Did try Onion gratin, stuffed green pepper and stuffed mushrooms already. Turned out amazing while helping me stick to a healthy diet.. Thank You!!
I love this. I added some black beans as well, and the tiniest touch of BBQ sauce when serving. Yum, and great to take to work.
Happy Birthday week:-)
Made this for dinner yesterday and it was great, and the left overs were even better. I think next time I'll add more peppers and mix the cheese in. But another winner — thanks!
So glad you liked it! I just bought black rice for the first time and can't wait to experiment with it!
we tried this tonight for dinner but I only had black rice which is even better for you than brown so it worked out great. It was delicious and my husband LOVED it!!
I loved it. My kids don't like brown rice plain, esp served with beans. I love the nutty texture of brown rice. I cooked a rice cooker full and already had some ground chicken with red pepper and onions sauteed a few days prior. Throwing this together was so easy! Hubby ate 2 servings. The cheese on top under the broiler was nice and crunchy!!! I will try it with quinoa next time!
Scott, thanks for that update. Good to know it could be made with cauliflower if someone wanted this for phase one.
Tried it with the cauliflower last night – my wife and I both liked it very much. Brown rice is better as it seems to give a better body to the dish, but still very good with the cauliflower.
Scott, so glad you liked it. Not sure how it would be with the cauliflower, but if you try it I'd love to hear what you think.
Hey Kalyn – We made this last week and it was *fantastic.* Thanks for sharing! I'm originally from SC and it kinda reminded me of the chicken bog we used to eat growing up.
I'm wondering how this would be with cauliflower "rice" instead of the brown rice. Ever tried it? I've put it on the menu for Wed or Thur this week and may give it a go with the cauliflower.
Michael glad you liked it. Yes, you could definitely add more rice. The brand of turkey sausage I use doesn't have much fat at all; in fact I have to add olive oil to fry it!
Hi Kalyn,
We enjoyed your casserole. I ended up adding quite a bit more rice though. Actually, I prepared a full cup of uncooked brown rice and ended up using all of the cooked rice in it. If I make it again I will be sure to drain the fat off the turkey sausage before baking. The reheated leftovers were even better.
– Michael
Curt I am a huge fan of brown rice too. This is simple but tasty; hope you enjoy it.
This sounds really good. My wife and I only eat brown rice these days. And of course onions and bell peppers makes everything better!
Thanks Amy. I confess I cheat and use the rice cooker, but that will help people who don't have one. Hope you enjoy it.
Kalyn,
You just made my husband's day! He loves brown rice casseroles. This is going on my Dinner Menu for next week.
If someone doesn't have brown rice left over, they can bake it in the oven. It comes out perfect. I do it all of the time because I can't seem to keep it from boiling over on my stove top.
It's simple – 1 1/2 cups brown rice to 2 1/3 cups liquid (I use some type of stock) – bake covered for 45 – 55 minutes at 375F until all liquid is absorbed. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Hugs,
Amy
Sausage and peppers is one of life's more perfect combinations and I think we can all agree that most things taste better in casserole form! Total comfort food! i love that it's just a mash-up of leftovers!
I can't wait to try this. My wife and I have been trying to have healthier diets, but she is very resistant to both turkey sausage and brown rice. It's not that she finds either one bad; it's that whenever we have tried to use them, it's in substitution, and her palate is set for the ingredient being replaced. I think this will be a good way to try and get her to see them on their own terms.
Jeanette, I've been known to turn leftover rice and veggies into fried rice too, so we're on the same wavelength!
I hate throwing food out, so I love it when I can use up as much as possible in one dish – lots of times it ends up in fried rice, but I like the casserole idea.
Thanks Lydia. It really did turn out well.
I always feel so frugal when I turn leftovers into something else, and I feel especially clever when that something else turns out to be delicious. Most often I use leftovers in soup, but I love the idea of this casserole.
Daniella, that's true! Hope you enjoy it.
It's like a stuffed pepper in casserole form. Love it!
Thanks Kelly. The funny thing is that if my mom had put green pepper in a casserole like this, I would have turned up my nose at it, but now I would like it much better with the green pepper in it! I do love experimenting with different combinations like this!
This brings back all kinds of memories. My mother used to do the same thing trying to make ends meet and then raising my own boys, busy weeknights found us mixing what we had on hand just like you do. A delicious combo, Kalyn! I'm a big fan of rice dishes but need to try in more in casseroles like this.