Sausage-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

There's nothing quite like the piquillo pepper. They're sweet, fruity, slightly smoky, and just bitter enough. For me, they're the San Marzano tomatoes of peppers. And while I enjoy them in literally anything, these delicate, triangular beauties are just made for stuffing.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Calories: 128 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 8 teaspoons olive oil, or as needed, divided
• 4 ounces chorizo sausage, casings removed and meat crumbled
• ½ cup diced green onion
• ½ cup cooked long-grain white rice
• 1 blood orange, zested and juiced
• 12 piquillo peppers

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Brush a baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Step 2

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute sausage, green onion, and a pinch of salt in hot oil until meat is browned and crumbly and onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Step 3

Mix rice, goat cheese, egg, 2 tablespoons parsley, garlic, cumin, 1 teaspoon blood orange zest, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Spoon rice mixture into each pepper. Place stuffed peppers in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Scatter almonds over the top, drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.

Step 4

Bake in the preheated oven until stuffed peppers are heated through and filling is hot, 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon blood orange juice, remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil, and remaining parsley over the top.