R Stuffed Banana Peppers

Prep time: 15-20 min          
Cook time:
40 minutes or 4-8 hours depending on cooking method
Servings: About 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound Rath Farms hot or sweet Italian sausage (whichever you prefer)
  • 1 pound Rath Farms ground beef
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. Garlic powder
  • Red pepper flakes (optional for more heat)
  • 5-7 large banana peppers
  • 1 jar of your favorite vodka or marinara sauce (we prefer vodka sauce)
  • 1 Cup Mozzarella cheese

Steps:

  • If baking in the oven: preheat to 375 degrees
  • Prepare peppers by washing the exteriors, cutting the tops off and removing ribs and seeds. For less heat, remove all seeds. If you like more heat, leave some seeds inside the peppers.
  • Slice the peppers down one side, leaving a bit of space at the bottom that is not cut.
  • In a medium sized bowl, mix sausage, ground beef until just combined.
  • Stuff the peppers with the sausage/beef mixture until full.
  • If baking in the oven: place peppers into a baking dish. Cover peppers with sauce, then cover baking dish with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Check temperature using a probe. Peppers are ready when middle reads 160 degrees. Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes under broiler to melt cheese.
  • If cooking in crockpot: place peppers in crockpot and cover with sauce. Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add cheese.
  • Enjoy with sliced bread and oil or by themselves!