Cornbread Stuffed Sweet Red Peppers

Oh yeah! Loved this recipe. The subtle sweetness of the red pepper played perfectly against the salt in the stuffing and the spice in the sausage. I'm even looking forward to leftovers tomorrow.

Here are the red peppers. I almost wrote these long, flat peppers off when I saw them "on special" at the front of the produce section. I had the shorter, fatter peppers in mind for this recipe. How would I stuff these? It's not like they'd stand up in a baking dish. As it turns out, I needed to slice them in half lengthwise, which solved the problem of how they would stand up. But even before I remembered the recipe instructions, I'd made my decision. These peppers were $1.99/lb. The prettier, shorter, rounder version were priced at $6.99/lb. At that price, I'll keep the five bucks in my pocket and make the skinny ones work.



Cut them in half lenghtwise and seed.


Place the pepper halves, cut side down in a baking dish that will fit into your microwave. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. I did mine in 2 batches. They wouldn't all fit into the dish that fit into my microwave.


To make the stuffing, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Add 1 small chopped onion.


And corn cut off of 1 ear, about 2/3 cup. I used 2/3 cup of thawed corn from my freezer. Cook for 4 minutes.


Next you'll need 3/4 lb. of Italian turkey sausage links. I used 2 and 1/2 links. I'll use the rest on my Friday night pizza and the Sunday night Manicotti. The recipe calls for "hot" Italian sausage. However, I used the milder version in consideration of my two young diners with the sensitive taste buds.


You can also buy Italian turkey sausage in 1 lb. bulk packages. My grocery store didn't carry the bulk version so I needed to remove the casing. Just slice down the center of the sausage and peel away the casing. The former Beavis and Butthead fan in me has a few immature comments for the following procedure. Heh heh-heh heh. But the grown up mommy in me will remain mum. I know that most of my readers will thank me.


Toss the sausage into the saucepan with the butter, onion, and corn and cook for 5 minutes or until no longer pink.


Now, add 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer.


Stir in a box of cornbread stuffing mix, until combined.


Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.


Load the dishwasher and chop 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley while you wait. Toss that parsley into the stuffing when you're ready.


Divide the filling evenly among the peppers.



Top each pepper with about 1 1/2 tablespoon of grated cheese. I substituted Monterrey Jack cheese in place of the recommended Pepper Jack.


Bake the stuffed peppers at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender.


Corn Bread Stuffed Peppers from Family Circle magazine
6 servings Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 18 to 20 minutes
Microwave: 4 minutes
Ingredients
3 large sweet red peppers
1-1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized ear of corn, kernels removed (about 2/3 cup)
1 small onion, chopped
4 links hot Italian turkey sausage (3/4 pound total), casings removed
1 box (6 ounces) corn bread stuffing mix
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup shredded pepper-Jack cheese (about 2-1/2 ounces)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Slice peppers in half from stems to bottoms. Remove seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, cut-side down, in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish and add 1/2 cup water to the dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Remove dish from microwave, carefully remove plastic and drain off water.

2. Melt butter in medium-size pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion and corn and cook for 4 minutes. Add sausage, breaking apart with a wooden spoon. Cook 5 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Add remaining 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Add stuffing mix and stir once or twice. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand 5 minutes. Uncover; gently stir in parsley.

3. Flip peppers over. Divide filling among peppers, mounding mixture slightly, about 1 cup for each. Top peppers with grated cheese, about 1-1/2 tablespoons for each stuffed pepper.

4. Bake peppers at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and peppers are tender. Serve warm.

Per serving: 318 calories, 13 g fat, 19 g protein, 37 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 980 mg sodium, 63 mg cholesterol

That's 7 WW points per serving. : )