summer stuffed peppers

Stuffed peppers are a staple on many family dinner tables at all times of year. While bell peppers are available at the grocery store year-around, they are actually seasonal during the summer. That’s why I’m offering my stuffed pepper recipe in the summer. Bell peppers are super easy to grow. You can even grow them in a container garden. If you’re a budding gardener, peppers are good place to start with growing your own nutrition.

At the height of summer, when bell peppers are prolific, folks look for a way to use them creatively. They are great in salads, in stir-frys, grilled with onions and other veggies, but here is one more thing to put in your ‘bell pepper arsenal’.

I think the key to stuffed peppers is the cooking of the pepper itself. If you pre-cook it, then once you fill it, it tends to be soggy and fall apart. I like my stuffed peppers to hold their shape and be hot all the way through but retain a little bit of crunch. Therefore, this recipe calls for cooking the filling, stuffing the raw peppers then grilling for 15 or 20 min. to ensure the melding of flavors and the slight cooking of the peppers. This method yields the best flavor and texture. I hope you enjoy them!

Ingredients:

1/2 Tbs olive oil

1 medium eggplant, diced

1 small white onion, diced

3 small jalapenos, seeded, membranes removed, finely diced

3 Roma or small red tomatoes, chopped

1/2 lb sausage

2 bell peppers

Optional: Shredded cheese for topping

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and jalapenos. Stirring constantly, cook 2-3 min until glistening. Add the eggplant and stir to coat.

  2. Cook the onion, pepper and eggplant mixture for 7-8 min. Stir frequently, as the eggplant will soak up all the moisture and burn.

  3. Remove veggies from skillet. Keeping heat at medium, add the sausage and break apart into crumbles. Cook until there is no more pink showing.

  4. Add the eggplant mixture back to the skillet; stir to combine.

  5. Add the tomatoes. Stir to combine and simmer for 3-5 min.

  6. Cut tops off bell peppers and hollow out seeds and membranes.

  7. Stuff peppers to overflowing with sausage-eggplant filling and grill for 20 min. in an aluminum foil ‘boat’.

  8. Optional: Top each pepper with 1 Tbs. shredded cheese

Cooking note: Feel free to skip the jalapenos OR substitute spicy sausage.

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