Cheesy Stuffed Banana Peppers
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Banana peppers retain their delightful, unique flavor profile even after roasting. This recipe for stuffed banana peppers combines pillowy ricotta cheese along with stretchy mozzarella and herby, rustic sausage. It’s a great way to use up an abundance of sweet banana peppers from your harvest.
Recipe highlights
- Three different types of cheese come together for melty, flavorful stuffed peppers.
- This is an easy stuffed pepper recipe with simple ingredients, perfect for an easy dinner or side dish.
- You can use this recipe for other types of sweet peppers, like bell peppers or poblano peppers. But, we think it’s the perfect way to complement the flavors of sweet or hot banana peppers.
- While we suggest growing your own, banana peppers are available at most grocery stores, especially when they are in season.
How to make stuffed banana peppers
These gooey and cheesy stuffed banana peppers are very simple to make. It’s a recipe that is suitable for the home cook, and it will quickly become a family favorite. Looking for stuffed bell peppers? Try our easy stuffed bell pepper recipe.
Prepwork: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the banana peppers. Slice down the center of each pepper, leaving about 1/2 inch uncut on each end. Use a spoon to scrape out and discard the seeds and ribs. Keeping the peppers intact this way will help keep moisture in as the peppers steam and cook. Brown the sausage on a skillet.
Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce evenly on the bottom of a deep casserole dish. If you’re using a larger baking dish, you can use a bit of extra sauce.
In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, cooked ground sausage, and 1.5 cups of mozzarella.
Stuff each pepper with the mixture and place in the prepared casserole dish.
Top off peppers with a drizzle of remaining marinara sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove foil after baking and top peppers with the remaining mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup). Cook without foil for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with fresh chopped parsley and serve.
Recipe tips
- I don’t mind a bit of crunch in a stuffed pepper. But, if you prefer them to be very soft, try pre-roasting before stuffing. Remove the seeds, drizzle with olive oil and salt and roast for 15 minutes. This will char the peppers and soften them further. Just be sure to let them cool before stuffing.
- Gloved hands make stuffing these peppers much easier. A spoon or piping bag will also work.
- For a vegetarian filling, use sautéed veggies or rice.
- If you prefer a crispy cheese topping, broil the peppers for 5 minutes as a final step. For melty cheese, cook the peppers on the middle rack.
- To test for doneness, stick a fork into the thickest part of the pepper. If it slides all the way through, the peppers are cooked and ready.
- If you like a bit more of crunch, try incorporating bread crumbs onto the top of the peppers.
- Use hot sausage if you like it a bit spicy.
- Large banana peppers work best, as they are easiest to stuff.
- You can prepare the filling ahead of time to save on prep work.
Storage and reheating
Store these stuffed banana peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months by allowing them to cool down and sealing them in freezer bags. Reheat in the oven at 400 degrees F. Add a bit of marinara sauce to the bottom of a baking dish to ensure they won’t stick.
Other banana pepper recipes
Stuffed Banana Peppers
Ingredients
- 12 medium banana peppers
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage browned
- 1 ¾ cups ricotta cheese 15 oz.
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese 2 oz.
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella 8 oz.
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- Fresh finely chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce evenly on the bottom of a casserole or baking dish.
- Brown the sausage in a frying pan over medium heat, breaking into small pieces. Tip: Use a potato masher to easily create fine pieces of sausage.
- Wash and dry the banana peppers. Slice them down the center, leaving 1/2 inch uncut on each end. Use a spoon to scrape out seeds and ribs.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, dried parsley, 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese, and browned sausage.
- Stuff each pepper generously with the mixture and place in the casserole dish.
- Drizzle remaining cup of marinara sauce over the stuffed peppers. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- After baking, carefully remove foil and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella on top of peppers. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Notes
- For a crispier texture, sprinkle breadcrumbs over the peppers before the final 10 minutes of baking
I used medium to large banana peppers straight from my garden. Very difficult to make the slit and clean out the seeds and membranes and then get that stuffing in there without tearing up the peppers. Very tasty though.
Recipe makes way too much stuffing for only 12 peppers. Luckily I have an abundance of zuchinni in the garden so I can use the rest of the stuffing for stuffed zuchinni.