Fall is here in the ‘Burgh which means we have an abundance of banana peppers! Today I’m taking the classic stuffed banana pepper and putting an Italian spin on the meat filling and using my Spicy Banana Pepper sauce as well! Perfect for dinner now and dinner later (freezer-friendly!)
Oh Fall how I love you. The cooler weather, hoodies, farmer’s markets with Fall fruits and vegetables and comfort food. For me I’m all about “stocking up” for the winter food-wise. I’ll make huge batches of soups or chili for both dinner and the freezer. Pans of lasagna or stuffed shells make great freezer meals and then stuffed “stuff”. Growing up this time of year, early October was our “busy” season in the house. Mom was a canning madwoman between apple sauce, apple chutney, 87 million stuffed cabbages and pretty much everything else she could stuff. She’d regular stuffed green peppers (which I HATED – still do actually) for the family and my one brother she’d make stuffed banana peppers.
First, I cannot stand green peppers. They taste complete different from red/orange/yellow peppers.. they are more bitter. And of course Mom never grew the ‘fancy’ peppers. LOL And for the banana peppers my brother would get those from a neighbor and only he would eat them. I never had them as I was a wuss and thought they were hot. Yeah I know, idiot. LOL
It wasn’t until years later did I try one at a restaurant and was like “Whoa! These are awesome!”. Now it did take me a few tries to get the heat level right as I will tell you this, the first time I made them they were so hot that I actually had a blister form in the roof of my mouth!
That is not these. *smile*
No these stuffed banana peppers will not make you spew fire (from either end lol) but they do have some heat, naturally from the pepper itself as well as some of the filling ingredients. I’ll be honest, I actually like these peppers better than my traditional hot sausage stuffed peppers. These have a more well-rounded flavor profile. Both recipes freeze beautifully but I would go with these for say a football party or even holiday party. These tend to appeal to more people.
Plus let’s get real here for a minute.
That Spicy Banana Pepper Sauce is AMAZING! I am over the moon in love with the sauce!
When I made these our accountant was at the house helping Mr. Fantabulous with some of the remodeling. Does your account help you? Yeah, it’s not something that is typical of most people’s accountants but we’re fortunate as he’s also a really good friend AND he loves my cooking. The man is a bigger chocolate freak than anyone I’ve ever met. I mean he once ate an entire triple layer pan of brownies filled with chocolate chunks, ganache, chocolate buttercream and each brownie stack was dipped in melted chocolate! He ate the WHOLE THING! I mean I love chocolate but that was even too much for me!
Anyway that day I whipped up a batch of these and OMG he went nuts over these. Like the tray you see below, he ate almost the entire tray (and no, he’s not a bigger guy either!). The few leftovers I had he took them home. And every time after that when we’d see him I’d give him a tray of frozen peppers (plus something chocolate extreme).
So next time you’re at the farmer’s market or your neighbor asks if you want some banana peppers, get them and whip up a couple batches of this – one for dinner and one for the freezer! These definitely will not disappoint!
Enjoy!
PrintThree Meat Stuffed Italian Banana Peppers
- Yield: 4-6
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Ingredients
- 10–14 banana peppers
- 1lb ground pork
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
- 1/2 pound loose Italian hot sausage
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced (~5 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
- 3 slices bread, torn into pieces
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 Xl eggs
- 3 – 3 1/2 cups Spicy Banana Pepper Sauce (or favorite marinara)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Cut the tops off the peppers and set them aside (throwing away the stem itself reserving the tops for another use). Wearing rubber/plastic gloves, take a knife and chop off the top of the peppers and run the knife on the top about 1/4” from the tip to the top of the pepper. You do not want to split them in half; you want the pepper whole. Remove the rib and seeds; discard.
- In a small bowl add the milk and bread. Press the bread down to ensure all of the pieces are wet. Let sit for 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine the pork, beef, sausage, onion, garlic, oregano, parsley, pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, tomato puree, eggs, 3/4 cup of cheese and milk/bread mixture. Gently mix just to combine. The mixture should be wet but hold a shape
- Using a large piping bag or plastic bag filled with the meat mixture (with large hole cut in the corner) pipe the mixture into the peppers. Fill the peppers up completely taking the meat to the tips of the peppers.
- In a large baking dish ladle half of the Spicy Banana Pepper Sauce on the bottom. Lay each pepper down into the sauce. If needed make another row of peppers with sauce in between the layers or use a second tray. Spoon the rest of the sauce over top of the peppers.
- Cover with foil tightly and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the pepper is tender and the temperature reads 165F inside the meat.
- Remove the foil, add the rest of the cheese over top of the peppers and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until melted.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
To freeze:
I cook mine then freeze them. Some folks freeze raw. I don’t care for the way the pepper turns when it’s frozen raw. It gets an almost slimy texture.
To freeze, once baked and cooled put some Spicy Banana Pepper Sauce in a freezer pan, add the cooked (cooled) peppers, top with some more sauce and double wrap in plastic then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To cook later on, unwrap to remove the plastic wrap, re-cover with foil and stick the cold pan in the oven. Set the oven to 350F and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is hot.
Heidy M says
I haven’t had stuffed banana peppers in years! Such a wonderful classic idea. I have to hand it to you your recipe for Three Meat Stuffed Italian Banana Peppers came out perfect and were just as good as I remembered from years ago. I wouldn’t change a think with the recipe. It’s perfect.
Have a great day
H
Shelley says
Oh, Lori! These look absolutely divine – so much like the stuffed banana peppers my husband loves to order anytime he sees them offered on a restaurant appetizer menu. Now I can make them for him at home – he’ll be THRILLED! Thank you!
Sharon says
I love banana peppers but I really love this comfort food dish where they are the star of the meal.
Paula says
I’m making these tomorrow night. What do you normally fix to go with them, as a side?
TKWAdmin says
Hi Paula,
We’ll do rice or mashed potatoes and a Caesar salad. This also pairs beautifully with a side of pasta. The sauce is amazing!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Rosanne says
Great recipe! I will be making this again!
TKWAdmin says
Thank you so much! So happy you loved it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Cindy says
This recipe was phenomenal! My family and I went crazy over them. Thank you for sharing!!
Josh says
Absolutely amazing! The flavors are incredible- not too hot but with a perfect balance of heat! Definitely a keeper!
Kaye says
Made today. Absolutely delicious! Used banana peppers from our garden and made homemade marinara. Served with my husband’s fresh gnocchi from scratch.
Karen says
I might have to try this, Lori, for my husband since he loves everything hot and spicy! (For myself, I’ll make a small batch of the meat mixture, eliminating the red pepper flakes.) Of course, I’ll ask Mr. S. to clean the peppers! I figure it’s the least he can do to later enjoy this dish of yours. 😉 Mr. S. can give you a first-hand report after he eats them.
TKWAdmin says
Lol that makes sense! Lol Definitely let me know what he thinks!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Kris says
I made these for dinner last night as I had a ton of banana peppers and they are so good! These are the best stuffed banana peppers I’ve ever had! I made regular and then spicy (added more hot peppers to it). The guys ate 2 trays of these. You never cease to disappoint with amazing recipes! Thank you!
TKWAdmin says
Yeah! Thank you so much Kris! I’m so happy you guys loved them too!
Best Kitchen Wishes!