Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers
Mini sweet peppers are filled with a savory mix of pork sausage and cream cheese, then baked until tender.
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet mini peppers 450 g
- 1 lb ground breakfast sausage mild or hot, 450 g
- 8 oz block cream cheese at room temperature, 225 g
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Colby Jack cheese divided, 50 g
- 1 tbsp olive oil 15 ml
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Slice each mini pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and white membranes. Place the pepper halves in a large bowl, add the olive oil, and toss to coat.
- Arrange the peppers cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, just until they begin to soften.
- While the peppers are in the oven, cook the ground sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break it apart with a spoon until it is browned and fully cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). Drain off any excess grease.
- In a medium bowl, combine the room temperature cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth.
- Add the cooked sausage to the cream cheese mixture and stir until everything is well combined.
- Remove the peppers from the oven. Carefully spoon the sausage and cheese filling into each pepper half. It's okay to mound the filling.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese over the top of the stuffed peppers.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. The peppers are done when the filling is hot and the cheese on top is melted and bubbly.
Notes
For food safety, ground meat like pork sausage must be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
Using cream cheese that is fully at room temperature is key. It will make mixing the filling much easier and prevent lumps.
You can prepare the filling up to 2 days ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before stuffing the peppers to make it more pliable.