Italian Sausage and Lentil Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a classic Italian dish. Most times it calls for chop meat and rice as a stuffing. In this particular case, I decided to change it up a little. Italian sausage is so versatile, it can be used in so many different ways, in or out of the casing. And, I’m a big fan of lentils, they’re a super food, but also versatile and delicious. So, in this recipe I changed the chop meat for Italian sausage and rice for lentils. And here we have Italian sausage and lentil stuffed sweet peppers

My recipe for Authentic Homemade Italian Sauce with Sausage , is full of deep and rich flavors. I wanted to incorporate some of those those into the stuffed peppers. I also have a delicious recipe for Cheesy Chorizo Stuffed Poblanos , I wanted to incorporate some of those ideas into the stuffed pepper recipe too.

So I’ll start with the Italian sausage. Sausage brings lots of flavor, it’s already loaded with seasoning. We have choices. Hot or sweet, I’m usually a hot Italian sausage fan, but in this case I used sweet, it came out delicious. Chicken or pork, The flavor of pork sausage is stronger than chicken, I choose chicken for dietary reasons. I will leave the ultimate decision to you, based on your preference

The base will be a mirepoix (please read Mirepoix: The Building Block for the Best Soups and Stews) but instead of onions, I’ll use fennel. Because I’m stuffing a bell pepper, I’ll substitute it with poblano in the mirepoix. Add a jalapeño with seeds and webbing removed. Garlic rounds out the aromatics.

Before I stuff the peppers I’ll char them a little. This helps in a couple of ways. Firstly, it softens them a little and makes them easier to stuff. Also, it starts the cooking process. 5 mins on each side under the broiler. Once they start to blister, turn them, when done remove and put on a plate to cool. Then remove the stems and seeds, then they’re ready to stuff

Going back to the aromatics. Cut all the vegetables fine, put in pan with tablespoon of oil over a medium heat. Slowly cook, stirring as needed, don’t allow to caramelize. Cook about 15 mins till soft, the secret of a mirepoix is to release the aromas. When done, remove to a bowl and reserve.

In the same pan add the Italian sausage, casing removed. Stir breaking up while cooking. When done should have the consistency of chop meat. Then add the vegetables, tomato paste, the lentils and stock. Stir to mix, cover and let simmer for about 45 mins to let a the lentils cook and the flavors mix

Now we have to move on to the cheese portion of the dish. Being that the dish is Italian, we’ll add Italian cheeses. First, some Parmesan added to the sausage mix. When the sausage and vegetables and lentils are done, remove the pan from the heat and add the Parmesan, stir well. But Parmesan alone does not make an Italian dish. For this we’ll add some mozzarella. When the peppers are stuffed put them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 mins. That will allow the peppers to finish cooking. Generously add shredded mozzarella on top and put back in the oven for 5 mins to melt.

How you plate this is really up to you. The peppers can be on a bed of rice or pasta. A tomato sauce works well too, you can keep it simple. A simple sauce would be a large can of whole San Marzano tomatoes, crush the tomatoes in your hand, add a whole stick of butter and simmer for 45 mins. Or a good pasta sauce could work, there are many options.

So here is Italian sausage and lentil stuffed sweet peppers. No matter how you plate it, please enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you