Have you tried taking the shortcut with sausage stuffed peppers? Now when I say shortcut, that doesn't mean everything out of a package, but it does mean not doing every single piece of the dish from scratch. And that is exactly what happened when I had an abundance of big bell peppers. I had deadlines looming and a bag of fresh peppers that had to be used rather quickly.
Sausage Stuffed Peppers | A Shortcut With A Spicy Ending
I thought about pickling some, but I really didn't have the time to make a brine, prep caning jars, heat, and seal, etc. I had plenty of gravy (sauce) for pasta and as well as a bunch of smaller peppers already cut up and in the freezer for stews, sauces, etc. Then my mom mentioned stuffed peppers, however, it just didn't hit the mark. But they still stuck in my head, and I thought maybe I can try using sausage instead of ground beef. So with not a lot of time available, I came up with this idea using shortcuts.
The following will make either 4 average sized stuffed pepper halves or 3 very large stuffed pepper halves.
Short Cut Sausage Stuffed Peppers
What You Need:
- 1lb ground pork sausage- Mild or Spicy-
- Note: Normally I would make my own but, as a shortcut, I used the type in the plastic wrapped tube shape. I used mild to allow the spices I added to stand out more.
- 2 whole bell peppers
- 1 (5oz) pkg Yellow Rice
- Garlic Powder to taste (another shortcut)
- Note: I would normally use fresh garlic
- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (fresh ground) to taste (You can use whatever seasonings you'd like.)
- 2 tsp (or to taste) Carolina BBQ Sauce
- Note: I used Bullseye- Another shortcut. I would normally make my own. If you don't like Carolina, use one you do.
How To:
- Prepare yellow rice according to directions on package. As a time saver, I prepared it in the microwave -which I rarely do- but it came out quite nice. Let it cool before you handle it.
- Meanwhile, Cut bell peppers in half, vertically, and remove the seeds. (You can save the seeds for next year's garden.)
- In a medium bowl, mix sausage, spices, Carolina BBQ and yellow rice. I ended up using about half of the rice with 1 lb of sausage but you can use more or less to taste.
- Note: To test the flavor of your sausage, take a tiny piece of the mixture – about the size of a nickle, and fry it up quickly. Let cool and taste- Add more spice or rice if necessary.
- At this point, you may individually wrap the peppers in plastic wrap then place in freezer bags to freeze, or continue with the baking step.
- Place a piece of foil or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Smear a little oil on the paper or foil.
- Note: I used coconut oil but you can use any. This will prevent the bottom of the pepper from sticking or burning.
- Drizzle on additional Carolina BBQ (Don't Cover…Just drizzle) and sprinkle on a bit more of the jerk seasoning (or your seasoning of choice).
- Bake in a 350 oven or toaster oven for 30 minutes or until sausage reaches 160-165 in the thickest part of the stuffed center.
Campbell's Kitchen shows a video on another way recipe in making Sausage Stuffed Peppers:
When baked immediately after preparation, the sausage stuffing should still be moist and the pepper tender but still a bit firm with a hint of crunch, and very moist.
Do you have other shortcut recipes ideas like sausage stuffed peppers? Let us know in the comments section below.
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