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.
8 to 10 mini peppers
Divide the Italian sausage among the pepper halves, stuffing each one with as much sausage as it will hold.
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
Sprinkle the mozzarella over the sausage.
½ cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
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.
1 cup tomato sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried basil
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.