Sides | The Food Practitioner

I have officially found a new summer food love!

Cream Cheese. Sausage. Cheddar. Ranch. Banana Peppers!

The best quarantine decision I made was getting a weekly vegetable box from a local farm. I do not know what I’m getting until a few days before pickup, but it has yet to disappoint. It has also afforded me the opportunity to try new recipes with the freshest ingredients, some of which are not carried in my local grocery store. When I think back on these veggie boxes the recipe that makes my mouth water the most is Stuffed Banana Peppers!

I must admit, I have not ever bought or prepared fresh banana peppers before this summer. I was under the impression that banana peppers where generally about the size of a jalapeno or straight from a jar. Boy was I wrong! Also, if I’m being honest the only way I have really eaten banana peppers is from a jar prepared on a pizza or Mississippi Roast (you should defiantly give that if try if you haven’t already!).

When I opened my vegetable box and saw the beautiful nearly foot long peppers. I knew these where too pretty to just chop up but should be stuffed…with cheese, cheese, and sausage! I am seriously getting excited just typing this out!

After that first taste I immediately ordered three extra pounds for the next week and have been enjoying them ever since!

Print Recipe

Stuffed Banana Peppers

Banana Peppers stuffed with Sausage, Ranch, and Cheese! A delicious summer side!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Author: The Food Practitioner

Ingredients

6-7 Banana Peppers large size
1 pound sausage cooked, crumbled, and drained
8 ounce cream cheese
1 pkg dry ranch mix
2 cups cheddar cheese

Instructions

Slice Banana Peppers in half then scoop out and discharge the seeds. Place in a large, sprayed baking dish with center facing up.
Mix together the cream cheese, cooked sausage, dry ranch mix, and cheddar cheese.
Spoon filling into the Banana Peppers.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

Notes

The inside sausage filling made enough for me to fill 14 halves of the large peppers (depends on size). You can easily freeze sausage mixture for a later usage.

I will certainly be keeping this recipe for many years to come! Some helpful tips I found, If there is a curved edge to the pepper half the pepper with the curved part in the air then slice down the exposed center that way the pepper will lay flat in the baking dish. Also the filling does make a lot. I froze my remaining mix and we made two meals out of these peppers and I was not mad about that! The filling would also be amazing baked on top of a crescent roll dough. Just bake until the dough is cooked through!

When I was growing up my Mom made these beans a lot for our “special occasion” meals. I would look forward to these when we had special guests coming over and usually around holidays. My parents have always tried to cook healthy. Since one of the four ingredients was bacon (and bacon grease) it was a big treat when we had these green beans! This flavor packed side has certainly stolen the dinner show many times!

Food H & P:
3 cans of cut green beans in 14.5 ounce cans
6 slices of bacon
¼ cup of white distilled vinegar
¼ cup of sugar

Food Rx:
Cook bacon and save the grease. Drain the green beans and rinse with cool water. Mix equal parts bacon grease, vinegar, and sugar. I have found that usually 6 pieces of bacon produces about ¼ cup of grease. I usually measure the grease first then mix together equal parts of the vinegar and sugar. Pour mixture over the beans and refrigerate until ready to bake. The longer they marinate the more flavor they have. Before baking top with the crumbled cooked bacon. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 mins or until heated through.

Nursing Tip:
I have found that some emergency room personal can have a gruff exterior; however, like these sweet and sour green beans it turns out they are surprisingly sweet and tangy! The general comforts of having your pillow fluffed, room temperature just right, and soothing background music is the last thing that the staff is considering, as at any given moment an ambulance is pulling in or another patient is clinging to life. Sometimes that can be easily overlook by a stable patient, but word of advice be nice to your nursing staff as they determine your needle size and sign your work excuse!

The Food Practitioner

Food For Any Emergency

Tag: Sides

Stuffed Banana Peppers