JACKIE'S STUFFED HOT BANANA PEPPERS

Jackie's Stuffed Hot Banana Peppers image

A spicy mix of Italian cheeses and meats with sauce and Italian bread! So good! My friends beg me to make these peppers. You may need more or less peppers, depending on their size. I grow my own and they are average size. They freeze well, too!

Provided by Jackie

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 1h35m

Yield 20

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 pound hot Italian sausage
5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (24 ounce) carton ricotta cheese
1 cup diced stick pepperoni
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
20 hot banana peppers, tops and seeds removed, or more to taste
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, or more to taste

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Mix cooked sausage, 4 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, pepperoni, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic powder, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Stuff each pepper with cheese mixture.
Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 cup spaghetti sauce. Add stuffed peppers, stacking them if needed. Cover with remaining sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and any remaining cheese mixture. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and fragrant, at least 1 hour.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 287.6 calories, Carbohydrate 10.9 g, Cholesterol 82.3 mg, Fat 18.5 g, Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 19.3 g, SaturatedFat 8.3 g, Sodium 742 mg, Sugar 4.9 g