Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

As I was cooking these stuffed peppers last week I realized - Almost everything I cook has Italian Sausage in it! I mean, I love Italian sausages but I didn't realize how much I love them! As much as I love them, I'm making a serious effort to track down recipes that don't include them! These stuffed peppers were soooo delicious! I found the recipe on Will Cook for Smiles, you can find it HERE. I stuck pretty close to the original recipe but I will detail the changes I made below.

Start by cooking 1 cup of dry long grain rice, to end up with 2 cups of cooked rice. Let the rice sit while you make the rest of the filling.

Heat half a tablespoon of live oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Slice up a medium yellow onion and saute it with 1 minced clove of garlic.

Once the onion starts to become translucent, add in 1 diced bell pepper. I used an orange pepper, but you could use any other color pepper. When the pepper and onion begin to soften transfer them to a medium sized mixing bowl.

In the same skillet that the veggies cooked in, brown 4 Italian Sausages.

Add the onion and pepper back to the skillet and continue to saute with the meat.

Add 2 cups of cooked long grain rice to the skillet and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of oregano and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Once the spices have been added, transfer the filling to the medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Wash 3 red bell peppers and cut them in half lengthwise. Clean out the peppers, removing all of the seeds, stems and membranes. Place the peppers in a a baking dish that has been lightly greased.

Fill each pepper with filling then top with a mix of grated Parmesan and Cheddar cheese. Bake the peppers at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes. The peppers were still quite crunchy after 25 minutes, but I loved having them not too soft. If you prefer peppers that are cooked a little more, you can leave them in the oven longer.

I served these all on their own and they could not have been more perfect! They are so flavorful! There was a little filling left over once I had filled the peppers and the Bean ate it all! Everyone in my family were big fans of these peppers!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED PEPPERS
serves 4-6 people

ingredients
1 cup dry long grain rice (to make 2 cups of cooked rice)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced (I used orange pepper)
4 Italian Sausages
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
grated Cheddar cheese
grated Parmesan cheese

directions
1. Cook the rice.
2. While the rice is cooking start on the rest of the filling - heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.
3. Add the bell pepper and cook until the veggies begin to soften. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a medium mixing bowl.
4. Cook the Italian Sausages in the same pan until they begin to brown.
5. When the sausages are cooked through, add the veggies back to the skillet along with the cooked rice. Stir in the thyme, oregano and cayenne. When the spices are stirred in, transfer the filling to the mixing bowl.
6. Wash 3 red bell peppers, then cut them in half lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds and membranes. Place the prepped in a lightly greased baking dish.
7. Use a spoon to add the filling to the inside of the peppers and top the peppers with a little Parmesan and Cheddar cheese.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the stuffed peppers for 20-25 minutes. Leave the peppers in for longer if you want them to be softer.

Enjoy!