Sausage Stuffed Red Peppers

Brr. It is downright chilly here tonight. Out come the winter pajamas!

At any given time, you will likely find red peppers, sweet Italian sausage and a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in my larder. Onions, garlic and cheese are givens, as important as milk and coffee. So when I found inspiration in The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana, I did not have to venture out for provisions.

The magazine features yellow bell peppers stuffed with ground beef and cheese. I used red peppers, sausage and olives. The recipe below is an adaptation.

Sweet Italian Sausage-Stuffed Red Peppers

  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
  • 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
  • 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, chopped
  • 1/2 cup green and/or black olives, pitted and chopped
  • 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
  • 4-6 red bell peppers
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon each rosemary and thyme, chopped

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil; set aside. In same skillet, brown sausage, using a wooden spatula to cut into small pieces. Add herbs and, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and spaghetti sauce and allow to simmer about 20 minutes over low heat.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the tops and stem off the peppers. Set peppers on their sides and cut away roughly 1/4 of the pepper and remove seeds and membrane. Place peppers in a greased baking pan. Set aside.

Add cheese to sausage mixture. Add beaten egg to serve as a binder. Finally, add rosemary and thyme. Spoon sausage mixture into peppers and bake at in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with Parmesan or other cheese (I used a mild cheddar infused with basil and tomato).

Allow peppers to cool 5-10 minutes before serving. This mild herby and very sweet dish would be perfect paired with a rosé table wine, perhaps something from Provence.

Comments

Kalyn Denny said…
One of my very favorites. Yum.

So sorry to hear about the winter pajamas. This is why I could never live in Wisconsin, even if they do have Penzeys.
Betty Carlson said…
Thanks for sharing the link to the Italian cooking site -- it looks great, as do your peppers.

I miss Italian sausage in France!
Ahhhh, warm days, cold nights -- that's what we're having in Rhode Island this week, too. Perfect cooking weather, as far as I'm concerned! And anything that can be made from pantry staples combined with fresh herbs from my garden sounds just great.
Unknown said…
LOL, Kalyn, I do not blame you a bit. It was sweltering here only three days ago!

Betty, my husband and I thought the sweet Italian sausage we buy here was the closest thing locally to the sausage we bought at Davoli on Rue Cler.

I'm with you on that, Lydia. I have tons of thyme - what to do with it? (Now if I only had more time....)
Ha yes plenty of Thyme just not enough time.
Love the sausage stuffed peppers. We're in Seattle and warm days and chilly nights, that's just perfect to me.
Katie Zeller said…
Gorgeous peppers! There going on next week's menu...or is it this weeks...It's been busy...
Great Italian food!
Happy fall! Now you need a football game to go to.
Unknown said…
Tanna, I wish our days would be a bit warmer than today was! Brr!

Katie, do you miss Packermania? Or perhaps Viking mania?
Anonymous said…
I don't even have to read the recipe. Gorgeous Mimi!
Unknown said…
It turned out well, I thought! Thanks, Maryann.
dharmagirl said…
what a gorgeous photo! red peppers are my favorite veggie, and the sausage looks SO good even though i'm a vegetarian:) i hope you're keeping warm! i'm drinking endless cups of tea here tonight...
Unknown said…
Dharmagirl, we turned our furnace on! I hope that when you do venture up here to the tundra, the weather is warmer!
Julie said…
Looks so good, one of my favorites.
Unknown said…
I made these last night -- adapted to what I had on hand -- and they were super tasty. Quite easy too, since I was using pre-cooked chicken sausage. Just diced it up and cooked it with the onions. I had never thought to stuff sausage in peppers, so thanks!
Unknown said…
Thanks, Zoe!

I'm working on stuffed yellow peppers next.

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