Italian Sausage Stuffed Banana Peppers Recipes

BOB'S STUFFED BANANA PEPPERS

Steps:

• Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add peppers, reduce heat, and simmer until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat butter in a medium skillet. Saute reserved chopped pepper, onion and celery until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and garlic. Season with basil, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in hot sausage, mild sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.
• Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers.
• Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour.

SAUSAGE STUFFED BANANA PEPPERS

Steps:

• Clean peppers by carefull slicing a T into pepper being careful not to cut the cap off. slice down the length of pepper but leave enough at the bottom so that pepper is not cut to the very end. Remove all seeds. If you don't like your peppers too hot you can soak the cleaned peppers in cold water for and hour and this will lessen the heat of the pepper.
• Brown your sausage with the minced garlic, pepper & parsley.
• While sausage is cooking, crush the Ritz crackers into a fine crumbs. Add parmesan cheese to cracker mix and combine well.
• Remove cooked sausage and chop finely in blender so it appears more like ground sausage. Place ground sausage in bowl. Add crushed Ritz crackers and parmesan cheese and mix well. Add 1-2 Tbsp of melted butter to mix so help make the stuffing moist if it appears to dry but not wet.
• Preheat stove to 375 degrees.
• Spoon stuffing into peppers. Fill generously from top to bottom of pepper.
• Depending what type of dish or dishes you use to bake the peppers, I ususally use 2 casserole dishes and pour the olive oil into the bottom of the pans so there is about a 1/2 of olive oil in pans. Lay peppers in baking dishes. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Pull peppers out and generously spread shredded mozzarella cheese over peppers. Bake for 5-10 minutes so cheese is melted well.
• Cool slightly and serve.

STUFFED BANANA PEPPERS

Steps:

• Mix sausage, cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper, and egg together in mixing bowl. Season to taste. Adjust mixture with additional cheese and bread crumbs if too dry or moist - medium moisture for stuffing desired. Make a radial slice around the top of the banana pepper leaving the top intact. Pull back top and remove seeds if so desired. Gently stuff mixture into peppers. Place olive oil in hot saute pan. Gently place peppers in the pan and fry each side until browned. Place marinara sauce in middle of plate. Arrange peppers on top of marinara and grate the dry ricotta cheese on top of the hot peppers.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED BANANA PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and a large mixing bowl.
• Prep the banana peppers by cutting off the stems. Use a small knife to slice down one side of each pepper from top to tip. (You don't want to cut the banana peppers in half, but just create a slit so they're much easier to stuff.) Remove the seeds inside and discard. Make sure to wash your hands well with hot soapy water. Even though banana peppers are usually mild, they may leave oils on your hands that can burn your eyes.
• Next, set a small skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, diced onions, and garlic. Salt and pepper liberally, then sauté to soften for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the Italian sausage, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper in the mixing bowl.
• Once the onions and garlic have softened, move to the bowl, and mix the sausage mixture by hand until smooth and even.
• Pour the marinara into the baking dish.
• One at a time, scoop up the sausage mixture with your hands and press it down into the banana peppers. Use your finger to press it all the way to the tip filling the banana pepper entirely. The peppers do not have to be closed along the seam, but they also shouldn't be so stuffed that the pepper could crack.
• Place the stuffed banana peppers in the baking dish. Alternate the directions in which they lay so they fit neatly in the dish. Cover the top of the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake for 55 minutes undisturbed.
• Remove the foil and check that the peppers are very soft. Sprinkle the shredded Italian cheese over the top of the banana peppers and place back in the oven for five minutes to melt.
• Serve warm, with marinara and a sprinkling of chopped parsley