Cheesy Stuffed Banana Peppers

Posted on by marymangia20

I’m here to share an old favorite with all of you: my cheesy stuffed banana peppers. I’ve mentioned this particular recipe on my “About Me” page. It all started in childhood, my family would often celebrate big life events at a local Italian spot in Orland Park called, Rocco’s. It had your basic Italian favorites, but also something that was always listed as an appetizer special…their stuffed banana peppers. They were so spicy, cheesy, saucy and my family would always get a few plates to share for our big family. It didn’t occur to us that we could order this as an entree with a small side of pasta until one day…we did. We didn’t turn back. Now that I moved away from home, I set out to make it myself. I took my time to make this recipe exactly what I dream it to be. It’s stuffed with herby, garlicky ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella. You get a mix of mild and hot banana peppers that bring a fun wild card aspect to the dish, and of course…I serve this up with a small side of pasta.

Cheesy Stuffed Banana Peppers
Ingredients:
  • 6-8 banana or cubanelle peppers
  • 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella, divided
  • 1-2 tbsp of egg whites
  • 2 cups of ricotta cheese
  • 4 tsp of parmesan cheese
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 3 tbsp of parsley
  • 3 tbsp of basil
  • 1 cup of spinach
  • 1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
  • 6 oz. of spaghetti
Directions
  1. The first thing I do, preheat my oven 400.
  2. Now, it’s time to prepare your peppers. It may be wise to use gloves, and banana peppers can be fickle and you never know when you get a spicy bunch. Cut the stem off, gut the seeds, and create a slice down the middle of the pepper.
  3. Saute the garlic and spinach with a quick spray of olive oil spray and cook through. Add this to a bowl with my ricotta cheese, egg whites, parmesan and herbs.
  4. Combine this cheesy mixture until it looks balanced throughout. Begin stuffing my peppers with the cheese mixture.
  5. Place your cheesy stuffed banana peppers into a baking dish that has a layer of sauce at the bottom.
  6. Top your peppers with your mozzarella cheese and place it in your preheated oven.
  7. Cook your peppers until cheesy is bubbly and peppers are soft, approximately 35-50 minutes.
  8. While peppers are cooking, get your big pot of water to a boil and prepare your pasta.
  9. Once your peppers are done, pasta is al dente (or to your preferred texture), add the sauce to your pasta and serve banana peppers with portioned pasta.
Category: Recipes

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