Sausage Stuffed Peppers (With Cornbread)

These Italian sausage stuffed peppers include tender bell peppers positively packed full of flavor from multiple cheese blends, cornbread, tomatoes, and jalapenos for that spicy touch.

If you like traditional stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice, you’re in for a treat! We’re flipping the switch and using Italian sausage instead of ground beef and cornbread batter instead of rice. This Southern take on a classic is bursting with flavor and is one of those recipes I just know all your family and friends will love.

So besides Italian sausage, green bell peppers, and Martha White’s Sweet Yellow Cornbread Mix, what else do you need? I’m gonna need you to gather up some buttermilk, an egg, onion, jalapeno peppers, and diced tomatoes (with green chiles). The final piece of the puzzle is the wonderful blend of cheese: Colby and Monterey Jack cheese and mozzarella cheese. Oh yes, ooey-gooey melted cheese goodness is on its way.

To make Italian sausage stuffed peppers, all you need to do is get your peppers in order, mix together the batter, and get stuffin’! Then we bake our peppers before adding the cheese in the final few minutes. Your baked stuffed peppers are ready to serve in under an hour and they’re cooked just enough to bring out the sweetness and soften them without getting all mushy.

One of the best parts of this sausage stuffed pepper recipe is that it makes the perfect side dish or a main meal, whatever cranks your tractor! If you’re serving them as a main dish you could serve them with Simple Zucchini and Squash Recipe, Mediterranean Quinoa Salad With Roasted Vegetables, or Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast.

Now, let’s dig into these sausage stuffed peppers, my favorite!

 

Recipe Ingredients

• Green bell peppers
• Martha White Sweet Yellow Cornbread and Muffin Mix
• Buttermilk
• Egg
• Browned sweet Italian sausage
• Onion
• Jalapeno peppers
• Diced tomatoes and green chilies
• Shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend (a.k.a Colby Jack cheese)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Cutting Board
• Mixing Bowl

How to Make Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Heat oven to 400°F.

Put vegetable oil into a 15-inch cast iron skillet.

Place in the oven to heat for 7 to 8 minutes or until hot.

Cut the tops and bottoms off each bell pepper.

Remove ribs and seeds.

Cut each pepper shell into two rings.

Stir together the cornbread mix, buttermilk, and egg in a large bowl just until blended.

Add sausage, onion, jalapeños, and a can of tomatoes and green chilies. Stir until combined.

Fold in the shredded Colby Jack cheese blend and stir again.

Place the green bell pepper rings in the bottom of the hot skillet.

Spoon the sausage mixture into each pepper ring until well-rounded.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the stuffing is set and golden brown.

Top each pepper with a slice of mozzarella or sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted.

YUM!

Remove the stuffed bell pepper rings from the skillet with a spatula.

Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Storage

Store leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, a 350-degree oven, or an air fryer until heated through.

Recipe Variations

Here are some variations to make this sausage stuffed pepper recipe work for you:

• Use 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese or 8 slices of mozzarella.
• If you don’t want to do stuffed pepper rings, just don’t cut off the bottoms and you’ll have stuffed peppers.
• Use red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers instead of green bell peppers.
• Use hot Italian sausage instead of sweet Italian sausage for a nice kick! In fact, any ground sausage or ground meat like ground beef, ground turkey, turkey sausage, or breakfast sausage will work.
• Another way of adding a kick? Add a dash of crushed red pepper flakes.
• Substitute the diced tomatoes with green chilies for plain diced tomatoes or fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
• Saute the onion with the sausage and 2 minced garlic cloves.
• Add chopped parsley or fresh basil as a garnish.
• Use your favorite cheese or shredded cheese blend. Parmesan cheese and ricotta cheese are both delicious options!

Recipe FAQs

Should peppers be precooked before stuffing?

Some people do recommend pre-roasting the peppers in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes before stuffing. However, because we’ve cut the peppers in half and are doing stuffed pepper rings instead, this isn’t necessary.

Do you de-seed peppers before roasting?

Yes, you want to remove the white ribs and seeds before stuffing and roasting your bell peppers.

What goes well with stuffed peppers?

If you decide to serve your stuffed peppers as a main dish, here are some side dish suggestions:

• Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
• Greek Cucumber Salad
• Simple Zucchini and Squash Recipe
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad With Roasted Vegetables
• Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
• Zesty Garlic Bread

You may also like these recipes:

Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Tex-Mex Style

Stuffed Peppers With Ground Turkey or Beef

Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Peppers in Crockpot

Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe (Easy and Delicious)

Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe

My work philosophy:
1. If you’re gonna do a job, do it with joy. 
2. If you can’t do it with joy, don’t do it. 
3. If #2 isn’t an option, see #1. 

~Source, Me 🙂