Stuffed Banana Peppers

Stuffed Banana Peppers are a simple, delicious family meal made with pantry ingredients. Made with a simple sausage and rice stuffing, this twist on traditional stuffed peppers will become a family favorite!

I’ve often heard that necessity is the mother of invention. If that’s true, I can thank our local stay-at-home order for this Stuffed Banana Peppers recipe!

Like most people, I’m minimizing the number of trips I take to the grocery store and this forces me to get creative! These Sausage Stuffed Banana Peppers are a fun twist on a traditional recipe AND they use several pantry items.

Usually, you see Italian stuffed peppers that use bell peppers. So why did I use banana peppers? Well, because I love them! They are mild, sweet, and tangy. I thought they would be the perfect complement to the savory stuffing in this recipe.

The stuffing for these simple Stuffed Banana Peppers is deceptively simple! As the base of the stuffing, I used Beef Rice a Roni, but Chicken Rice a Roni would work well, too.

Using Rice a Roni is a smart shortcut that will save you both time and ingredients!

The Beef Rice a Roni flavor has both rice and vermicelli noodle. The flavors are savory and include onions, carrots, garlic, and beef broth. It is a serious timesaver!

To your cooked Rice a Roni, you will add a few simple ingredients to complete your stuffing. I added pasta sauce, cooked lean Italian turkey sausage and a bit of Parmesan cheese.

When picking your banana peppers, choose large, bright yellow peppers with smooth, unblemished skin.

Slice the banana peppers along their widest side to help them stay upright in your pan and remember to remove the seeds!

Once stuffed and in the oven, these Sausage Stuffed Banana Peppers bake for only 15-20 minutes.

When the peppers are almost done, sprinkle with melty mozzarella and return to the oven to finish! If a fork can easily pierce the skin of the pepper, they’re ready to eat.

I recommend serving these Italian stuffed peppers with a simple green salad like my mother-in-law’s fantastic Italian house salad.

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Stuffed Banana Peppers

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Stuffed Banana Peppers are a simple, delicious family meal made with pantry ingredients. Made with a simple sausage and rice stuffing, this twist on traditional stuffed peppers will become a family favorite!

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Ingredients

• 2.5 cups water
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 package Rice a Roni, Beef Flavor (6.8 ounces)
• 8 banana peppers, halved
• 1-pound Italian turkey sausage*
• 2 cups low sodium pasta sauce, divided in half
• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Prepare Beef Rice a Roni in a large skillet using water and butter according to package instructions.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. In a large skillet, brown Italian sausage until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes.
4. Carefully drain the cooked sausage of any additional grease.
5. To the sausage, add 2 cups cooked Beef Rice a Roni, 1 cup of the pasta sauce, parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine.
6. Prepare a 9x13’’ baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1 cup of pasta sauce across the bottom. Place the halved banana peppers in the dish. Scoop the sausage and rice mixture into the pepper cavities, heaping them slightly above the edge of the pepper.
7. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and test the peppers for doneness. A fork should easily pierce through the skin of the pepper.
9. If not done, return to the oven to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
10. When the peppers are cooked through, top each with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
11. Serve warm.

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