This delicious dish of baked Hungarian wax peppers stuffed with Italian sausage and cheeses is a real crowd-pleaser.

I can’t describe just how much I love these stuffed hot peppers. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water. The subtle heat of the wax pepper combined with the taste and texture of the stuffing is simply out of this world.

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I’m not the only one that feels this way about these peppers. My family goes crazy for them! Whenever we have a family gathering, I am requested to make these peppers, each and every time. I never seem to make enough, as they always get gobbled up pretty quickly. The nice thing about this recipe is that it can easily be doubled or tripled. I usually stuff about 25 peppers (which is 50 halves) every time I make it.

On occasion, when I make a large batch, I have more of the mix leftover than peppers. This is usually because the store didn’t have very large peppers in stock when I was shopping. In any case, I simply grease a ramekin or two and fill with the remaining stuffing mix, and bake along with the stuffed peppers. Grab your favorite pita chips or baby toasts, because it makes an amazing good dip!

What’s Needed to Make Stuffed Hot Peppers

Ingredients:

⅓ cup ground Italian sausage (3 links, no casing)
8 oz cream cheese softened
6 whole Hungarian wax peppers
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated
⅓ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp garlic salt
course ground pepper, to taste

Feel free to use hot Italian sausage if you like to turn the heat up. I have found that sometimes the peppers are extremely hot themselves, and sometimes they don’t have much heat. It seems to depend on the batch of peppers. I use the hot sausage so that I’m sure to get at least a little heat. Of course, you can go with mild sausage if you are afraid of it being too hot. It’s completely up to you.

Pecorino Romano is my grated cheese of choice, however, any grated Parmesan will work well. I have never tried this recipe using panko breadcrumbs, but assume it would be just fine. Sometimes, you just need to use what you have on hand and improvise a little.

Stuffed Hungarian Hot Peppers

Before I jump into how to make this recipe, I want to make sure to tell you about two other fabulous pepper appetizer recipes I think you are going to love — my  Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers and Bacon-Wrapped Cheesy Stuffed Jalapenos. They are both wonderful finger-food snacks that bake up to cheesy, bacon-y goodness in no time.

Ok then, back to how to make these stuffed banana peppers. Start by preheating the oven to 350°F, and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, wash the peppers and pat them dry. 

To cut the peppers for stuffing, begin by cutting off the stem and the core. Then, carefully cut the peppers in half LENGTHWISE, so that they are canoe-shaped. Next, run a spoon through the middle of the peppers, removing any pith and seeds.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the Italian sausage, crumbling it as it cooks. 

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sausage, garlic salt, romano cheese, breadcrumbs, oregano, basil, oil, and remaining olive oil, and mix well.

With a spoon, pack the stuffing into each pepper canoe. Place the stuffed hot peppers onto the lined baking sheet and place it into the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes or until stuffing is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.

If you have any leftovers, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Honestly, they may hold up for longer but they get devoured quickly around here, so I can’t say for certain.

To reheat, cover the stuffed hot peppers with foil and place in the oven at 300°F for about 8 minutes.

This recipe is perfect for a party appetizer, a romantic dinner for two, or just about any other time you are craving these delicious mouth-watering stuffed Hungarian hot peppers.

Let me know in the comments below when you give these amazing stuffed hot peppers a try!