True story-- When we lived in Vermont, every single time I made these peppers, I would make enough for an extra tray to put into the freezer of some of my favorite people, Mark and Jeff. These were their favorite. After we all moved away from each other, I stopped making them, because it made me too sad. But Mark came to visit last month, so I got to make them again! YAY! So yummy and so much fun to share!
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground hot Italian sausage
20ish jalapenos, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
1 8-oz. block cream cheese, softened (I use Neufchatel, which is a little lighter but still with all the creaminess.)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 to 1 cup cooked red quinoa
sriracha to taste
Tony Chachere's seasoning to taste
shredded cheddar and/or Parmesan for topping peppers
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place seeded jalapeno halves into shallow glass baking dish. If desired, pre-cook for 10-15 minutes to soften and mild. (The longer the peppers cook, the milder they become, so use your judgment as to how much you might like to mellow the heat. You can start from raw or pre-cook up to 15 minutes.)
3. Cook sausage until browned and set aside.
4. Discard excess oil, and then use same pan to caramelize onions and garlic.
5. In large bowl, mix cream cheese and Parmesan.
6. Add sausage, garlic and onion, sriracha, Tony Chachere's, and quinoa, and mix well.
7. Fill peppers and top each with shredded cheese of your choice. My favorite is cheddar, but use whatever tastes best to you.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling is fully heated and cheese is bubbly and browned.