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Every year my husband plants banana peppers and I never know what to do with them all. One plant produces so many and I hate to see them go to waste. This recipe is wonderful, especially topped with cheese.

Stuffed Banana Peppers

  • 8 banana peppers
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 small can tomato sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 pound hot Italian sausage
  • 1/4 pound mild Italian sausage
  • 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Heat butter in a medium skillet. Saute reserved chopped pepper, onion and celery until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and garlic. Season with basil, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in hot sausage, mild sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture. Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour. Top with cheese if desired.

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