Sausage and Orzo Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Sausage and Orzo Stuffed Peppers as a hearty fall dish packed with flavor from harvest vegetables such as tomatoes, corn, garlic, and onion. Easy to make in large batches, these are perfect for football parties, gatherings as well as a great dinner! Sweet peppers vary incredibly in size. I used very large peppers in this recipe; each with a cavity that would hold over a cup of stuffing. I have shared the volume of stuffing the recipes makes and offered two different pepper amounts depending on the size available in your area. The stuffing shrinks a bit while it cooks so don’t be afraid to stuff amply!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1

Servings cups stuffing for 6-8 stuffed peppers (number of stuffed peppers depends on pepper size selected)

Calories 489kcal

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

6 large or 8 medium Sweet Peppers
Tops of the sweet peppers (non-stem), diced (approximately 1 ¼ cups)
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
2 large Garlic Cloves , diced
½ large Yellow Onion , chopped
1 ½ teaspoons fresh Sage Leaves , diced
1 pound loose Breakfast Sausage
6 large or 8 medium Sweet Peppers
¾ cup Corn Kernels , fresh removed from corn cob or frozen and thawed
1 cup Tomato (fresh preferred), chopped
Zest of one large Lemon
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice , freshly squeezed preferred
2 cups prepared Orzo (gluten-free or gluten depending on your dietary needs)*
Salt and black pepper to taste
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Monterey Jack Cheese (note: plan 2 tablespoons per pepper)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil (to blanche the peppers before baking).
Preparing the peppers: using a paring knife cut around the top of the pepper where it curves from the stem area to the sides. Remove all seeds (tip: use a dining spoon facing the pepper sides inside and gently scrape from bottom to top to release seeds and membrane). Once the pot of water is boiling add peppers individually or multiple peppers for 1 minute (medium) or 1 ½ minutes (large). Remove and run under cold water until they are no longer hot. This stops the cooking process; alternatively they can be placed into an ice bath to cool for a few minutes. Remove and set upside down on paper towels to drain while you prepare the stuffing.
In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic cloves and onion; sauté until the onions are translucent.
Add the sage and sauté an additional minute. Add the breakfast sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until no pink color remains in the sausage. Break up sausage into small pieces (crumbles) with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon.
Combine the chopped sweet pepper tops, corn kernels, tomato and Orzo into the skillet; stir to heat through. Salt and pepper if needed.
Place the prepared peppers into a baking dish. Distribute the filling evenly between the peppers, using a large spoon to fill them. Bake peppers 30 minutes or until the middle of the filling is hot.
Sprinkle the tops with Monterey Jack cheese, return to the oven to allow the cheese to melt (a few minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

*If you are gluten-free and have difficulty finding gluten-free orzo locally, Amazon.com carries several varieties/brands in their grocery section.

Nutrition