Stuffed cubanelle peppers

Stuffed cubanelle peppers are a delicious and versatile dish that can be filled with a variety of ingredients such as meat, rice, vegetables, or cheese. Here’s a simple recipe for stuffed cubanelle peppers

Cubanelles stuffed with a garlicky mixture of Arborio rice, sausage, mozzarella, parsley, and Pecorino Romano cheese, topped with marinara and more mozzarella, and baked until bubbly.

Stuffed cubanelle peppers step-by-step process

1.Begin by mincing a 1/4 cup of flat-leaf Italian parsley and 6 cloves of garlic.  Also, dice 1 medium onion.   Preheat your oven to 350f and set the rack to the middle level.

2.Slice the tops off of 8 cubanelle peppers.  Reach in with your finger or a spoon to remove all of the seeds.

3.In a large pan over medium heat, saute 1 pound of bulk Italian sausage.  Break it up with a wooden spoon.  Once it browns (about 7-10 minutes) place the sausage into a dish and set aside.

4.Return the pan to the burner and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the diced onion.  Saute for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat then add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more.  If you like a bit of spice, add a pinch of hot red pepper flakes at this time.

5.Remove the pan from the heat and add in the sausage, 1 1/2 cups of cooked Arborio rice, 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, 1/2 cup marinara sauce, and a 1/4 cup of minced parsley.  Mix well.

6.Pour marinara sauce a 1/2-inch high into a baking dish.  Also, add 1 cup of water into the sauce and mix together.  Season the inside of each pepper with a sprinkle of salt and pepper – this is very important!  Then, stuff the peppers with the sausage filling and place them down into the dish.  Add a bit more sauce over each pepper and distribute the remaining mozzarella.  Note: A large 10 by 15 baking dish will fit all of the peppers.  I used a smaller dish in the pic above so I had to fit the last one in another dish.  

7.Puncture a hole into the bottom of each pepper with a toothpick or a sharp knife – this will allow steam to escape while baking.  Cover the dish tightly with parchment paper, then foil.  Really cover tightly so that the peppers steam and soften while baking.   Note: The purpose of the parchment paper is to prevent the cheese from sticking. 

8.Bake the sausage stuffed cubanelles for 60 minutes covered.  Remove the foil and check the peppers. If they are sufficiently tender you can remove them from the oven or continue cooking for 10-15 minutes longer if you want them even softer.  If you like, you can broil the top for 30-60 seconds before serving, but watch carefully. Enjoy!

Stuffed cubanelle peppers

Recipe by admin1

3.5 from 4 votes

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

minute

Total time

1

minute

Stuffed cubanelle peppers are a delicious and versatile dish that can be filled with a variety of ingredients such as meat, rice, vegetables, or cheese. Here’s a simple recipe for stuffed cubanelle peppers

Ingredients

• 8 large cubanelle peppers tops cut off and seeds removed

• 5 cups (1.2kg) marinara sauce

• 1 cup (240g) water

• 1 pound (454) bulk mild Italian sausage

• 2 tablespoons (30g) olive oil

• 1 medium onion diced

• 6 cloves garlic minced

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes optional

• 1 1/2 cups (170g) shredded mozzarella cheese divided

• 1 1/2 cups (300g) cooked Arborio rice can sub plain white rice

• 1/2 cup (45g) grated Pecorino Romano

• 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F and set the rack to the middle level. In a large pan saute the sausage over medium heat until browned (about 7-10 minutes), then remove and set aside.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add in the olive oil and onions and sautee for 3-5 minutes until softened, then add in the garlic and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes longer. If desired, add the optional hot red pepper flakes at this time and cook for 30 seconds.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sausage, rice, parsley, Pecorino Romano, half the mozzarella cheese, and a 1/2 cup of marinara sauce. Mix together well and set stuffing aside.
• Pour the marinara sauce a 1/2-inch high into a large baking dish and add the water. Mix together.
• Season the interior of each pepper with salt and pepper. Stuff the peppers and place them lying flat in the baking dish. Add a thin layer of sauce to the top of the peppers and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top.
• Puncture a hole with a knife or toothpick into the bottom of each pepper. This will prevent the peppers from bursting. Cover the baking dish with parchment paper then aluminum foil tightly and bake the peppers for 60 minutes.
• Remove the foil and check the peppers. If they are sufficiently tender you can remove them from the oven or continue cooking for 10-15 minutes longer if necessary. If you like you can broil the top for 30-60 seconds before serving, but watch carefully. Enjoy!

Notes

• Use this easy 15-minute marinara sauce, make your own, or a use store-bought version.
  
• Seasoning the interior of the peppers is very important so that they come out flavorful and not bland.  
  
• The stuffed pepper’s cooking time will vary.  If they are not soft enough just let them cook for another 10 minutes or so depending on how tender you like them.
  
• Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave.