NEW ORLEANS —
Hot Sausage Stuffed Peppers
- 1 lb. hot sausage, casings removed
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup white rice, cooked
- 1-14oz can Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 4 bell peppers, cleaned stems and seeds removed
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. dried basil
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flake
- 1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ cup Italian blend shredded cheese
- Garnish: fresh italian flat leaf parsley, roughy chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil and the hot Italian sausage. Cook the sausage, breaking it up into smaller pieces as you go, until fully cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage, place in a bowl, and set aside. Leave juices in the pan.
Lower the heat to medium and add in the onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional minute. Add in the fire roasted tomatoes, the Worcestershire sauce, and the herbs,spices. Stir to combine. Add the sausage back in, the cooked rice, and the chicken stock. Stir to combine and allow the flavors to meld for 5 minutes while you prepare the peppers.
You can cut the peppers either horizontally or just cut a whole in the top and stuff them vertically. Either way you want to remove the stem, the seeds, and the white flesh from the inside using a pairing knife. Place the peppers in a baking dish, if they are having trouble standing shave a flat spot on the back of them with a pairing knife.
Using a spoon, stuff the peppers with the sausage mixture, top with cheese, and cover with foil. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and low broil the cheese for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve with fresh parsley on top.