Stuffed Mini Peppers

Colorful and spicy! They are the perfect two bite appetizer.

• 7 mini peppers
• 1 hot Italian sausage
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 tbsp butter (divided)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like spicy)
• 1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• panko bread crumbs (Italian or plain)

Heat oil in a skillet.  Remove casing from sausage link. Add sausage to pan breaking it apart while cooking to crumble size pieces.  When sausage is cooked through remove from pan and set aside.  In the same pan add the onion and one of the tablespoons of butter. Sauté for a few minutes until onions are translucent.  Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and thyme, stir.  Lower the heat to low.  Return the sausage back to the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.  It might look like a lot of butter at the moment but the bread crumbs will soak it up. Now add the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.  Stir until mixture is moist.  Add the fresh chopped parsley.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Slice the peppers in half clean out any seeds.  Your mixture should be moist if its dry add a little melted butter.  Gently yet firmly pack and stuff the peppers.  I say gently because they are so small you want the stuffing to stay inside.  Sprinkle on top of each pepper some panko bread crumbs.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

NOTES:

• These are a bit spicy definitely use less or no crushed red pepper flakes if you don’t like to much spice.  You could also use a sweet Italian sausage.
• I actually just pop these is my toaster oven and cook them all the time
• Sometimes when there done some of the stuffing comes out.  Its very easy just to spoon it back in and serve.  I think its due to the shape of the inside some of the peppers.  You’ll see what I mean.  Enjoy