Stuffed Mini Peppers Witalian Sausage Food

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Slice each mini sweet pepper in half lengthwise, then slice/scoop out the pith and seeds and discard. Place each pepper half on a sheet pan with the cut-side up.
• Once all of the peppers are on the pan, lightly drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 7 minutes to slightly soften them up, then set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) once the peppers are done.
• Add Italian sausage to a pan set over medium heat, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks. Once fully cooked (no longer pink), transfer sausage crumbles to a paper-towel lined plate to cool.
• Clean out pan to use again. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and set it over medium/low heat. Once heated add diced onion and cook for 5-6 minutes, then add garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and tender. Remove the pan from the heat.
• In a medium mixing bowl, add cooked and crumbled sausage, sauteed onion and garlic mixture, cream cheese, 1 ounce (about ⅓ cup) of the shredded cheese, parsley, basil, and crushed red pepper. Stir well to break up the cream cheese until all ingredients in the filling mixture are evenly combined.
• If you find excess liquid has pooled in the peppers as they've cooled, you may wish to blot it before stuffing them so the filling doesn't slide around. Stuff each pepper half with the filling, pressing it into the peppers well. Top evenly with the remaining shredded cheese.
• Bake (now at 350°F) for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the stuffed mini peppers are heated well throughout. Serve warm.

SAUSAGE AND RICE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Slice tops off of green peppers; remove seeds and membranes, and rinse well. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add peppers and cook for 15 minutes, or until tender-crisp.
• Place sausage and onions in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Reduce heat to medium and stir in tomato soup, water, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low, stir in 3/4 of cheese and simmer for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Prepare instant rice according to package instructions. Fluff with a fork and then stir into tomato mixture. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Spoon rice mixture into peppers.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on peppers and place under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.

SWEET AND SPICY SAUSAGE AND MINI RAINBOW PEPPERS

Steps:

• Add peppers, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, granulated garlic, salt and pepper to a large skillet and toss to coat. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and saute the peppers until they start to get slightly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Nestle in the sausages amongst the peppers and lower the heat to low, then cover and gently simmer until the sausages are about 145 degrees F, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove the sausage from the skillet and grill until charred and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Place back in the skillet with the mini sweet peppers and serve.

CHEESY SAUSAGE-STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Add Jimmy Dean sausage and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until browned, stirring frequently to break up the sausage into small pieces, then drain. Remove the sausage and set aside.
• To the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and reduce heat to medium. Add diced mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms are softened and brown.
• In a bowl, mix the sausage and mushrooms with the rice and parsley, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Season to taste, and fill each bell pepper halfway with the mixture.
• Top each pepper with additional cheese, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Carefully remove the peppers from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.