In a large deep skillet or sauté pan with a lid, cook Italian sausage over medium heat until browned, 5-6 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks. Drain excess fat if needed.
Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes until softened.
Stir in rice, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute to lightly toast the rice.
Add beef broth, diced tomatoes with juice, and tomato sauce. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed
Remove from heat, sprinkle cheese on top, cover for 2-3 minutes to melt.
*I use sweet Italian sausage, but mild or hot works just as well, depending on whether you want a little spice in your meal or not. If you swap in ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, increase the Italian seasoning to 2 tsp and season with salt and pepper to taste.**For variety, I use one green, red, and yellow bell pepper. Using ALL green bell peppers will save you some money!***We use Better Than Bouillon to make our broth because it's flavorful, easy to keep on hand, and one pot lasts for ages! I've based the price for beef broth on this.