Stuffed Baby Sweet Peppers

I had found some small multi-colored sweet pepper when shopping the other day. They are wonderfully sweet, mild and easy to work with. The seeds are nearly nonexistent and the membranes are easy to remove. I bought more than I should have, but the price was right. I have been using them as omelet filling, pizza topping, in salads, roasting them to make a bright colored pepper sauce for pasta.

Today I decided to make a variation on the old stuffed bell pepper recipe. I grabbed a couple hot Italian sausages, made some bread crumbs, grated some Parmesan and mozzarella cheese and a couple more ingredients to make a filling. I chose the sausage because I had some on hand and it had a good punch of hot pepper, fennel, salt, and garlic making seasoning easier. After cooking the juice from the peppers was perfect as a dressing for spaghetti.

I confess I did not measure when cooking this. The quantity may be different. Like all recipes they are just a starting point. Your interpretation of the dish may be different. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds Baby, Green, Red, Orange, and Yellow Sweet Peppers
• 1 cup Vodka and Cream Spaghetti sauce
• Spaghetti Enough for everyone.

Filling

• ½ pound Hot Italian sausage loose
• 4 slices bread for bread crumbs
• ½ cup Mozzarella grated
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
• ¼ cup Milk
• ¼ cup Ricotta Cheese
• ⅛ cup Fresh Parsley chopped

Making the Filling

• Tear the bread into pieces and pulse in a food processor.
• Combine the bread crumbs, milk and ricotta in a large bowl.
• Work in the parsley and cheeses.
• Add the sausage and work the mixture till well mixed.
• Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator a bit.

Bringing it all Together

1. Wash and cut the tops off the peppers.
2. Use a paring knife to remove seeds and membranes.
3. Rinse the inside of the peppers.
4. Stuff the peppers with the filling.
5. Arrange them in a round high side casserole.
6. Cover the peppers in some vodka sauce.
7. Add more Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese on top.
8. Cover and bake in a 325° oven for approximately an hour.
9. When the cheese is melted and beginning to brown remove from the oven.
10. Let rest for 15 minutes.
11. Place the peppers on a platter.
12. Dress the spaghetti with the sauce in the casserole.
13. Serve Immediately.