Sausage, Pepper & Pasta Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 – ½ cup orecchiette or a small pasta

2-3 long links of hot or sweet Italian Sausage or a mix of both

3 large, sweet bell peppers, green or color of choice

3/4 large yellow onion, sliced

1 whole head of garlic, peeled, sliced, or chopped

1 ½ medium to large tomatoes, chopped saving the juice

2 cups diced or crushed canned tomatoes

Chopped fresh herbs Basil and Oregano or a few sprinkles of Italian Seasoning

Instructions:  Prepare the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions, however, cook for 3-4 minutes less than recommended for tender or al dente.  Drain reserving a cup of pasta water. Brown the sausage links.  Remove from the pan and allow to cool.  Slice the links into thin rounds and then cut in ½.  Set aside

Cut the tops from 3 large bell peppers.  If the pepper doesn’t sit without rolling over slice just a bit off of the bottom without cutting through. Remove the seeds and the membrane from the inside of the pepper, rinse. Chop the pepper from around the stem.  Slice the onion.

Add some olive oil to the pan where you cooked the sausage.  Add the chopped pepper tops and the onion cooking over medium heat to soften the vegetables. Stirring as needed.  Add the garlic to the pan and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes making sure that the garlic doesn’t brown or burn.  Add the sausage and chopped fresh tomato to the pan and allow to simmer 5-10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add some chopped fresh basil and oregano leaves Add in 1 c of crushed tomatoes.

Scoop a spoonful of cooked pasta onto each pepper, top with generous spoonful of sausage and pepper mixture.  Top with a little cheese of choice, asiago, parmesan, provolone, mozzarella. Repeat the layers until the pepper is filled completely.  Top with some parmesan cheese.

Place peppers into an 8 x 8 pan add another cup of crushed tomato to the sausage mixture add in about 1 c pasta water.  Spoon the sauce around the peppers in the pan.  Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for about an hour or until peppers are still firm but fork tender and sauce is bubbly.

Farm Kitchen Tip – Top with a little extra cheese on the top before serving, garnish with chopped fresh herbs. A large pepper can be cut in ½ to serve 2. Medium peppers would be a single serving. Use 6-8 cheese peppers for appetizer portions. Peppers can be steamed for 5-8 minutes before stuffing for a softer texture

Recipe & photo by Jenn Borealo, Alstede Farms Culinary & Educational Specialist