Description
Sausage Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers are a delicious and hearty dish that’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, or a flavorful weekend meal. These peppers are stuffed with hot Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, and smothered in a homemade meat sauce, before being baked to perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 Italian hot sausage links
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 medium-to-large Cubanelle peppers
- 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, in block form
Meat Sauce:
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 onion, minced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add the sausage links and sauté until browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- While the sausages cook, rinse the Cubanelle peppers and dry them. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds and ribs.
- If there is excess grease in the pan, remove some before adding the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper and cook until browned.
- Stir in the minced onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, until softened.
- Pour in the tomato sauce (add a touch of water to the can and add that to the sauce), and add the green bell pepper strips. Stir and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- While the sauce simmers, slice the sausages in half lengthwise. Cut about 10 strips of mozzarella cheese from the block and shred the remaining cheese.
- Spoon a generous amount of sauce into a baking dish.
- Stuff each Cubanelle pepper with two to three pieces of sausage (if needed, cut part of the end to fit). Spoon in a bit of sauce, then add two to three mozzarella cheese strips inside. Add more sauce on top.
- Place the stuffed peppers in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining peppers.
- Spoon the remaining sauce over the stuffed peppers and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover and bake for 30-35 minutes. Uncover and broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
- ENJOY!
Notes
- For a milder flavor, use a mild or sweet sausage.
- To spice things up, replace the cubanelle peppers with “hot” peppers. Banana peppers are a great, spicy alternative.
- To save time, use a jarred meat or marinara sauce.
- Use an oven safe baking dish and do not forget to line the bottom with the meat sauce.
- Alternatively, use shredded cheese to stuff the peppers.
- If you prefer a more tender pepper, bake for 10 minutes longer.
- Broil at the end to brown the cheese.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Meal Prep
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: American, Italian