How to Make Italian Stuffed Peppers

Take some rice, sausage, cheese, herbs and spices, throw in a little bread crumbs, and you can pretty much stuff any vegetable and have a lovely, satisfying meal. Peppers, however, have that wonderful crunch, and hold up to the heat, keeping the filling nicely contained. If you want to use this stuffing with other vegetables, though, that’s up to you. Tomatoes work well, as do mushrooms. But with that being said, there is definitely something about the texture and the flavor of the bell pepper that compliments the combination of flavors within this sausage stuffing perfectly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Sauté pan
• Large stirring spoon
• Spatula
• Sharp chopping knife
• Large cooking pot
• Medium sauce pan
• Cutting board
• Large baking pan
• Tongs
• 5 to 6 large red and green bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• ½ cup white wine
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 6 large Italian sausages (hot or mild, your choice)
• 1 cup white basmati rice
• 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cracker crumbs
• 1 ½ teaspoons basil
• 1 ½ teaspoons oregano
• black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut open the top quarter of the bell peppers and clean out the insides, removing the seeds and pulling out the white “veins.” Rinse each pepper to remove any remaining seeds, and place into a large cooking pot. Add hot water until peppers are mostly submerged. Parboil the peppers, boiling them for no longer than 5 minutes. Peppers should be cooked, but still fairly crunchy.
2. Add an inch of water to a large baking pan, and, once the peppers are parboiled, remove them carefully with a tongs and place them into the baking pan. Set aside.
3. Remove the casings from sausages, and set aside. Heat olive oil in the sauté pan on medium-high heat, and when it is hot, add half of the onion, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add half of the garlic, and stir constantly until the garlic scent is strong. Add the white wine and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the sausages to the onion and garlic mixture, crumbling them up with a spatula as they brown. Add the basil, oregano and black pepper, and cook on medium heat until the sausages are completely cooked through, stirring occasionally.
5. Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons of butter, basmati rice, and the chicken stock to a sauce pan, and heat on high until boiling. Once the rice boils, lower the heat to simmer, and add the rest of the onions and garlic. Cover, and cook on low heat for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
6. When the rice is done, add the cheese and the sausage mixture to it and stir until all ingredients are combined. Spoon the rice and sausage stuffing into each pepper.
7. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and add to the cracker crumbs, combining until the cracker crumbs are moist. Spoon the cracker crumb mixture onto each pepper.
8. Place peppers in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cracker crumbs are browned. Serve immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• You can save the bell pepper tops for another recipe, chop them up and add them to the sausages while they cook, or place them on the peppers like little “hats” before you bake them.
• Try using a Ritz-type of cracker, or you can use dry bread crumbs in place of the cracker crumbs. If you use plain dry bread crumbs, remember to season them with some basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and garlic powder, if you wish.
• Serve stuffed peppers with some crusty bread and a good Chianti. Salute!
• Make sure that you constantly stir the garlic once it's been added. Garlic can burn easily, so try and keep it moving in the pan until you add a liquid to it.