Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers
Ingredients:
4 cubanelle peppers topped & seeded
1 pound ground Italian pork sausage see notes
1 small yellow onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced or grated
1¼ cups marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock divided
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup pre-cooked rice see notes
¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste
Instructions:
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Prepare a baking dish by lightly spraying with oil.
Set aside.
Step 2:
Place sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Using a wooden spoon or potato masher (my favorite tool for this task), break up the sausage and allow it to start browning.
Step 3:
Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook until the sausage is no longer pink and the onion begins to soften, about 4-6 minutes.
Stir in grated or minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Step 4:
Add marinara sauce (or crushed tomatoes) and ¾ cup vegetable or chicken stock; stir to combine.
Bring to a bubble and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and thickened a bit.
Step 5:
Stir in rice until fully combined.
Mix in mozzarella cheese and cayenne pepper.
Taste and season with salt if needed.
Step 6:
Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, fill each pepper to the top.
You may have extra filling depending on the size of your peppers.
See notes in post for other uses.
Step 7:
Place each pepper carefully on its side in prepared baking dish.
Pour remaining ¼ cup stock in the dish — this will help steam and soften the peppers as they cook.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes or until peppers are tender.