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    Home » Appetizers

    Stuffed Mini Peppers with Sausage (98 cents/serving)

    Published: Jun 9, 2021 · Modified: Jul 30, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.
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    Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers

    Stuffed Mini Peppers make for a super simple, but elegant appetizer, with Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, and a tomato dipping sauce.

    These mini peppers stuffed with sausage are like mini pizza bites without the crust. Serve them as a starter to dinner or as part of The Ultimate Snacky Dinner. They’d be super fun served alongside Mini Pizzas, too.

    two stuffed mini peppers on a small appetizer plate, one cut in half with a bite on the fork. this …
    Jump to:
    • Why Make This
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • FAQs
    • Recipe Costs
    • More Great Appetizers
    • Tell us what you think!
    • Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers

    Appetizers make for fun food. Appetizers make for fun and easy entertaining. Some nights, appetizers make for a quick dinner.

    It’s true. I am not afraid to serve snacks for dinner when life is busy — or even when it’s not. In fact, serving up a meal of appetizers or tapas can be cause for celebration or just a simple way to get people fed.

    Either way, it’s absolutely delicious. Especially when these Stuffed Mini Peppers are included in the spread.

    Why Make This

    It’s easy. With just six ingredients, these stuffed mini peppers come together quickly and easily — in less than 15 minutes!

    It’s delicious. The combination of tender peppers, creamy mozzarella, spicy sausage, and tangy tomato sauce just can’t be beat.

    It’s fun! Appetizers are always cause for celebration, even when you make them on a Wednesday night to sit on the couch in sweats and watch TV.

    Ingredients

    ingredients for stuffed mini peppers on black table.

    This is a short and sweet ingredients list. For this recipe you’ll need:

    mini peppers – available by the bagful in the produce section of the grocery store. You can use mini bell peppers, spicier yellow banana peppers, or the even spicier jalapeno.

    bulk Italian sausage – mild, sweet, and hot Italian sausage will all work in this recipe. For a slightly different flavor, you can use bulk country sausage as well. If you only have sausage links, be sure to remove the casings first.

    shredded mozzarella cheese – Mozz gives it that pizza feel, but you can also use jack cheese or another favorite melting cheese if you prefer.

    tomato sauce, garlic powder, dry basil – This trio becomes a quick dipping sauce. If you like, you can use any jarred or homemade marinara sauce for dipping the cooked peppers.

    Variations

    While these sausage stuffed mini peppers are delicious, there are plenty of other ingredients you can stuff them with, such as:

    • herbed cream cheese
    • bacon and shredded cheese
    • cooked rice and cream cheese
    • cooked quinoa and tomato sauce
    • tuna salad, topped with cheddar cheese

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    This recipe is super simple to prepare!

    • mini peppers on cutting board with knife.
    • pan of hollowed peppers next to dish of sausage.

    1. Slice each pepper in half lengthwise, through the stem. Trim the stem short. Core and seed the pepper, but leave the cap in place to hold the filling.

    2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Place the pepper halves on the prepared baking sheet.

    • peppers stuffed with uncooked sausage on baking sheet.
    • cheese sprinkled over the unbaked peppers on the baking sheet.

    3. Divide the sausage among each pepper half and stuff each half with the sausage.

    4. Divide the cheese among the pepper halves, sprinkling it over the sausage. Bake the peppers for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

    • tomato sauce and herbs in small glass bowl on black tabletop.
    • glass dish of tomato dipping sauce next to platter of stuffed mini peppers.

    5. While the peppers are baking, prepare the dipping sauce. Combine the tomato sauce, garlic powder, and basil. Heat this in the microwave or atop the stove until warm.

    6. Serve the baked peppers with the dipping sauce.

    Store any leftovers in a covered dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven as desired.

    FAQs

    What are mini sweet peppers?

    Sweet mini peppers are a hybrid of regular peppers, sold in three colors: red, yellow, and orange.

    What goes with mini sweet peppers?

    Sweet mini peppers are delicious eaten fresh, roasted, grilled or stuffed. They are good dipped in Dill Dip or sliced on salads.

    Can you eat the seeds in mini bell peppers?

    The seeds of mini bell peppers are edible, but if you prefer, you can remove the seeds.
    For this recipe, I prefer to cut out the core and seeds, but leave the stem end in place so that the filling doesn’t leak out when cooked.

    Should peppers be cooked before stuffing?

    Mini peppers are fairly tender when they are fresh, so you don’t need to cook them prior to stuffing. After baking, they still have a bit of crispness which helps them hold the filling.

    Can you use other peppers?

    This recipe is delicious made with yellow banana peppers, which are a bit spicier—and harder to find—than mini sweet peppers. They are worth the hunt, though.
    If you like really spicy, you can use jalapeños in place of the sweet peppers.

    Can you make these stuffed peppers spicier?

    These are pretty mellow sausage stuffed mini peppers, thanks to the mild Italian sausage. If you’d like to ramp up the heat a notch, you can use hot Italian sausage instead.

    Recipe Costs

    Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.

    • mini peppers – $2.00
    • Italian sausage – $3.00
    • mozzarella cheese – $2.00
    • tomato sauce – $0.79
    • herbs – $0.08

    Mini peppers tend to be a bit pricier than other peppers as does Italian sausage. Shopping at a mid-range grocery store at non-sale prices, you can expect to pay about $7.87 for the ingredients for these Stuffed Mini Peppers. This works out to be 98 cents a serving. Not bad for an elegant, high quality appetizer.

    Save more on this recipe.

    Reduce the recipe costs on this recipe by shopping the sales and clearance. When you see mini peppers on sale, put this dish on the menu!

    When you find sausage and cheese on sale or markdown, load up on those ingredients and stash them in the freezer.

    Shopping this way, I’ve been able to reduce the cost of this recipe by half!

    platter of stuffed mini peppers loaded with sausage and topped with melted cheese.

    More Great Appetizers

    • English Muffin Pizza Recipe
    • Jalapeño Artichoke Dip
    • 30+ Great Game Day Appetizer Ideas
    • Sheetpan Nachos with Chicken

    Tell us what you think!

    We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.

    mini peppers stuffed with sausage and cheese on white platter.
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    5 from 1 vote

    Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers

    Stuffed Mini Peppers make for a super simple, but elegant appetizer, with Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, and a tomato dipping sauce.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 234kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher
    Cost: $6

    Equipment

    • paring knife
    • cutting board
    • heavy duty sheet pan
    • wire whisk
    • small mixing bowl
    • heavy duty aluminum foil

    Ingredients

    • 8 to 10 mini peppers
    • 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
    • ½ cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
    • 1 cup tomato sauce
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon dried basil
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
    • Slice the peppers in half, lengthwise, leaving the stem intact. Trim the stem short. Remove the seeds and membrane from the peppers. Place the pepper halves on the prepared tray.
    • Divide the Italian sausage among the pepper halves, stuffing each one with as much sausage as it will hold.
    • Sprinkle the mozzarella over the sausage.
    • Bake the peppers in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the sausage is cooked and the cheese is melted and browned in spots.
    • While the peppers are cooking, prepare the dipping sauce. Combine the tomato sauce, garlic powder, and basil. Warm in the microwave or atop the stove.
    • Serve the peppers with the dipping sauce.

    Notes

    Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
    Nutritional values are approximate and based on 2 mini pepper halves.
    Variations: Feel free to swap the mini peppers for yellow banana peppers or for jalapenos if you’d like it very spicy. Your favorite type of sausage and cheese can be used instead of the Italian/mozzarella combo featured here. Use a favorite marinara sauce if you don’t want to make your own.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 620mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1057IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @goodcheapeatsblog or tag #goodcheapeats!

    This post was originally published on December 23, 2020. It has been updated for content and clarity.

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