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Stuffed Banana Peppers with Italian Sausage Recipe Easy and Comforting

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Stuffed banana peppers with Italian sausage and cream cheese offer a quick, easy, and comforting meal with a rich, creamy filling and a slight pepper bite. Perfect for casual dinners and crowd-pleasing occasions.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 medium banana peppers, fresh and firm
  • 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (sweet or mild)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (full-fat preferred)
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
  2. Rinse and dry the banana peppers. Slice each pepper lengthwise from stem to tip and carefully remove seeds and membranes. Set aside.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add Italian sausage, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook for 5-7 minutes until browned and cooked through. Drain excess fat if necessary.
  4. Add chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent and fragrant.
  5. In a mixing bowl, combine cooked sausage mixture, softened cream cheese, grated Parmesan, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and pepper. Mix until evenly incorporated.
  6. Stuff each banana pepper half with the sausage and cream cheese mixture, packing generously but not overstuffing.
  7. Place stuffed peppers cut side up in an 8×8-inch baking dish, close together but not overcrowded.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until peppers are tender but hold their shape and filling is bubbly and golden on top. If filling browns too fast, loosely cover with foil halfway through baking.
  9. Let the peppers rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set.

Notes

Soften cream cheese before mixing for smooth texture. Remove seeds and membranes from peppers to control heat. Use medium heat to cook sausage evenly. Avoid overstuffing peppers to prevent spilling. Rotate baking dish halfway through for even cooking. Let peppers rest before serving to firm up filling. If filling browns too fast, cover with foil halfway through baking.

Nutrition

Keywords: stuffed banana peppers, Italian sausage, cream cheese, easy recipe, comfort food, baked peppers, quick dinner, crowd-pleaser

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