Chicken Florentine Stuffed Peppers (Print View)
Bell peppers stuffed with chicken, spinach, and three cheeses, baked until golden and bubbly.
# What You Need:
→ Meats
01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
→ Vegetables
02 - 4 large bell peppers (any color), tops cut off and seeded
03 - 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
04 - 1 small onion, finely diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Dairy
06 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
07 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
08 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use
09 - 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
→ Pantry & Seasonings
10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend (basil, oregano, thyme)
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
13 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
→ Optional
14 - Pinch of red pepper flakes
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold the peppers upright.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the prepared bell peppers and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
03 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
04 - Add chopped spinach to the skillet and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool slightly.
05 - In a large bowl, combine cooked chicken, sautéed onion, garlic, spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, cream cheese, Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Mix thoroughly until fully incorporated.
06 - Fill each bell pepper evenly with the chicken Florentine mixture. Place peppers upright in the prepared baking dish.
07 - Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over the tops of each stuffed pepper.
08 - Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese on top is golden and bubbly.
09 - Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The ricotta and cream cheese mixture makes the filling impossibly creamy without needing a heavy sauce.
- Everything cooks in one baking dish, which means cleanup is almost too easy for something this satisfying.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, so you will actually look forward to your lunch leftovers.
02 -
- Do not skip blanching the peppers or they will still be crunchy and tough after baking, which completely changes the eating experience.
- Let the spinach mixture cool for a few minutes before adding it to the cheeses, or the heat will make the ricotta and cream cheese runny and hard to stuff.
03 -
- Use a mixture of pepper colors for a beautiful presentation because people eat with their eyes first and it makes the baking dish look like a celebration.
- Save the pepper tops you cut off, dice them up, and sauté them with the onion so nothing goes to waste and the filling gets extra flavor.