Stuffed Mini Peppers

Stuffed mini peppers are colorful, bite-sized vegetables filled with a savory cream cheese and sausage mixture, then roasted until the peppers soften and the edges char slightly. They work as a side dish, appetizer, or part of a vegetable platter. The key is roasting hot enough to brown the peppers without steaming them, so they stay tender with a little char.

Ingredients for Stuffed Mini Peppers

Mini bell peppers are the vessel and soften as they roast. Italian sausage adds savory depth and fat to bind the filling. Cream cheese makes the filling smooth and creamy. Parmesan cheese, grated fresh from a block, brings sharp flavor without making the filling grainy. Garlic and onion powder season the mixture. Salt and black pepper balance the flavors. Olive oil helps the peppers brown in the oven.

Why This Stuffed Mini Peppers Works

The sausage is cooked first and broken into small pieces so it distributes evenly through the filling and cooks all the way through before the peppers go in the oven. This prevents undercooked meat and ensures the filling stays moist. Cream cheese softens as it heats, creating a rich base that holds the sausage and cheese together without becoming rubbery.

Roasting at a high temperature browns the pepper skin and creates charred edges that add depth of flavor. The peppers themselves stay just tender enough to eat easily but don’t collapse or turn mushy. Because mini peppers are small, they cook through in about 25 minutes, so the filling reaches a safe temperature at the same time the peppers are done.

Mistakes To Avoid

Stuffing the peppers too full causes the filling to spill out and brown unevenly on the baking sheet. Fill each pepper until the filling is flush with the top, but not overflowing. The finished peppers should look neat and hold their shape on the plate.

Using pre-shredded Parmesan instead of freshly grated makes the filling grainy and thick instead of creamy. The starch coating on shredded cheese interferes with the cream cheese base. Grate a block of Parmesan on a box grater just before mixing.

Roasting at too low a temperature steams the peppers instead of browning them, leaving them pale and soft with no caramelized edges. The filling also doesn’t set properly. Roast at 400°F (200°C) so the oven is hot enough to brown the peppers in the time given.

Undercooking the sausage before adding it to the cream cheese leaves it raw or pink inside the finished peppers. Cook the sausage until no pink remains and it is broken into small, uniform pieces, then let it cool slightly before mixing with the cream cheese.

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Ingredients

• 24 mini bell peppers, mixed colors
• 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 9×13 inch rimmed baking sheet with foil.
2. Slice the tops off the mini peppers and remove the seeds and white ribs inside by hand or with a small spoon, working gently so you don’t tear the walls.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains and it is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
4. Let the sausage cool for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until the mixture is smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain.
5. Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe the filling into each pepper until it is flush with the top, but not overflowing.
6. Arrange the filled peppers upright on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the tops with olive oil.
7. Roast at 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, until the peppers are soft when pierced with a fork and the filling is heated through. The edges of the peppers should be lightly charred.
8. Check the internal temperature of the filling with an instant-read thermometer, which should read 160°F (71°C) at the center of the thickest pepper.
9. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.