These Sausage and Stracchino Stuffed Sweet Mini Peppers are delicious: brightly coloured mini peppers filled with a creamy, cheesy Italian sausage mixture. An ideal antipasto to enjoy with a glass of red wine.
Spring is beginning to arrive in Italy. Days are getting warmer, the sun is out more often and olive trees are being pruned. The first buds and flowers are starting to open, and it feels good to spend more time outdoors.
When the weather warms, aperitivo migrates to the garden — wrapped in a coat if needed — to soak up every last ray of sunshine. I look forward to planting herbs and flowers, relaxing with a glass of vino and nibbling on a simple antipasto like these stuffed mini peppers.
I couldn’t resist the bright orange, yellow and red mini sweet peppers the moment I saw them. They look beautiful and are perfect for stuffing with the classic Italian pairing of sausage and stracchino.
Stracchino, also called crescenza, is a soft, spreadable cheese with a delicate, slightly lemony flavour. It’s excellent on crusty bread, stirred into sauces, or combined with Italian sausage — my favourite way — then baked inside peppers or spread on toast.
This recipe is simple and quick. Remove the sausage from its casing and mash it together with stracchino, a little rosemary and black pepper. Italian sausages are usually well seasoned, so no extra salt is required.
Spoon the mixture into halved, deseeded mini peppers, arrange them on a lined baking tray and bake for about 15–20 minutes until the tops are golden and the filling is cooked through. These bite-sized peppers are best served warm, straight from the oven.
Sausage and Stracchino Stuffed Sweet Mini Peppers
By Emily
Ingredients
- 110 g (4.1 oz) stracchino
- 200 g (7.2 oz) sweet mini peppers
- 1 Italian sausage
- 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F / gas mark 4). Slice the mini peppers in half and remove the seeds. Arrange the halves on a lined baking tray and set aside.
- Remove the sausage from its casing and place the meat in a bowl with the stracchino and chopped rosemary. Mash and mix until evenly combined, seasoning with black pepper to taste.
- Spoon the sausage and stracchino mixture into each pepper half, filling them evenly.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the filling is browned on top and fully cooked.
- Serve warm as an antipasto alongside a glass of red wine.
Notes
Serves 4–6, depending on appetite and whether served with other antipasti.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I use extra virgin olive oil in recipes unless stated otherwise.
- When using canned tomatoes I prefer trusted brands for consistent flavour.
- All vegetables are assumed to be medium size unless noted.
- Recipes are tested using a fan (convection) oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 169 kcal (approximate)
Nutrition information is an approximation and should be used as a guide only.
Leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out!