Rochester Reminiscing – Sausage Stuffed Hot Peppers

When Andrew was getting his engineering degrees at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Eric & I would drive over for weekend visits a few times during each school year. Every time we went, we would go out for pizza one of the nights at Napa Wood Fired Pizzeria. While the pizza was the main attraction (and we got lots of good pizza combination inspiration from eating there!), their signature drinks and appetizers were also worth replicating at home. I fell in love with their Limoncello spiked lemonade and went home to create my own Vanilla Limoncello Lemonade version. After the incredible appetizers, cocktails & pizzas, we were always too full to try a dessert, but they always sounded delicious as well. I plan to sample the desserts (even if I have to get them to go!) next time we pass through that area. I’m betting I’d want to re-create them, too! But I digress. This post features a sausage stuffed hot pepper inspired by the ones we savored at that Rochester restaurant.

Sausage Stuffed Hot Peppers

Sausage Stuffed Hot Peppers (adapted from allrecipes.com)  Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes, Total time required: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces ground chicken or Italian sausage, chopped
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1 large clove garlic, crushed
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 medium hot peppers, halved, cored, and seeded
  • marinara sauce for serving

Directions:

Place the sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook it over medium-high heat until it is evenly browned. Drain the sausage, crumble it and set it aside.

Cook the sausage.

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

In a medium bowl, mix together the sausage, cream cheese, salt,  garlic, Romano cheese, oregano, basil, bread crumbs, and olive oil.

Mix the filling ingredients.

Stuff the pepper halves with the sausage mixture.

Stuff the pepper halves.

Place the halves on a baking sheet, and bake them in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the stuffing is lightly browned and bubbly.

Bake the stuffed pepper halves.

Serve immediately with marinara sauce.

All the experimentation finally paid off!

These go well with a drink on the deck!  ~Linda

Sausage Stuffed Hot Peppers (adapted from allrecipes.com)  Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes, Total time required: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces ground chicken or Italian sausage, chopped
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1 large clove garlic, crushed
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 medium hot peppers, halved, cored, and seeded
  • marinara sauce for serving

Directions:

Place the sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook it over medium-high heat until it is evenly browned. Drain the sausage, crumble it and set it aside.

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

In a medium bowl, mix together the sausage, cream cheese, salt,  garlic, Romano cheese, oregano, basil, bread crumbs, and olive oil.

Stuff the pepper halves with the sausage mixture. Place the halves on a baking sheet, and bake them in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the stuffing is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve immediately with marinara sauce.