Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers are a fan favorite, currently the most requested appetizer with family and friends. My son was home from school for a long weekend and requested that I make some Poppers. Our friends often ask us to bring them when a group of us get together at someone’s house. The recipe is pretty straight forward with only five simple ingredients. Note, these can also be grilled or baked and are equally delicious. My wife, Leigh, is not big on hot/spicy foods, but she does love these poppers!
Ingredients:
- 12 Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
- 1lb. Italian Sausage
- 8oz. Softened Cream Cheese
- 4oz. Shredded Parmesan Cheese + Extra For Topping
- 4oz. Grated Parmesan Cheese
Preparation & Cooking:
Let me start out by telling you to get yourself some food preparation plastic gloves. Trust me on this as I made the mistake of making these the first time without the gloves and my hands and other parts were a little hot for the rest of the day.
Let’s get started making these tasty treats.
- Cut the stem ends of the Jalapenos off and split them in half.
- Deseed and Devein the Jalapenos – I use a teaspoon for this step as it’s easier than using a paring knife. Watch it on this step as seeds and pepper juice will be jumping all over if you’re not careful.
- Cooking the Italian Sausage – I use a sweet Italian sausage, but you can substitute spicy Italian or your favorite. I try to buy the sausage in bulk vs. links, but in a pinch you can use the links and just remove the casing.
- In a frying pan brown the sausage and drain off the fat. Be sure not to over cook the sausage as it will be cooked again in the last step. Set aside until it’s cool enough to mix with the cheeses. I also use a potato masher to make it crumbly – it helps in making the cheese and sausage stuffing consistent in texture. I’m told by some that I’m a bit retentive sometimes. Ha! Ha!
- Take the softened cream cheese, parmesan cheeses and browned sausage and mix together until you have a well blended and uniform distribution of the ingredients.
- Stuff the Jalapeno halves with the sausage and cheese mixture. Put a pinch of shredded parmesan cheese on top of each popper. I pat it down a little to stop the cheese from falling off.
- Smoke, Grill or Bake, the choice is yours.
- Smoker – In the summertime I usually try to cook the poppers on my smoker. It gives them that great smoky flavor and you’re cooking outdoors. About 20 minutes on the smoke setting (180°) and then I turn it up to around 300° for another 20-25 minutes to finish cooking.
- Grill – Over medium heat (350°) for about 30 minutes. I’d suggest grilling with an indirect heat to avoid burning the bottom of the peppers.
- Oven – When the weather is bad or you don’t have access to a smoker or a grill, you can always bake the stuffed jalapeno poppers on a cookie sheet at 350° for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top.
Finished! if you can get them on a plate, that’s great. I’m usually fighting the crowd from the smoker/grill/oven to get them to the table.