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Stuffed Banana Peppers

These Stuffed Banana Peppers are loaded with spicy ground pork, smothered in homemade marinara sauce, and topped with golden brown mozzarella cheese. They’re great served as party food, an appetizer, or as the main dish.

Stuffed banana peppers on a plate with marinara sauce and a fork.

These stuffed banana peppers are a hearty savory dish with the perfect amount of heat and plenty of melty cheesiness. They’re sure to be a hit!

They can be served at parties or as an appetizer. Or, serve them with rice or Crusty Dutch Oven Bread for a hearty meal.

Looking for more appetizers? Try these Crispy Oven Fried Zucchini Chips or these Sweet and Spicy Meatballs. Need more ideas? Check out the entire collection of appetizers.

Ingredients

Ingredients for stuffed banana peppers.

Key Ingredient Notes

Banana Peppers – mildly spicy banana-shaped peppers perfect for filling and roasting.

Ground Pork – the meat filling in these stuffed peppers.

Spices – fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, dried basil, dried oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper give the ground pork a ton of flavor.

Crushed Tomatoes – canned crushed tomatoes, preferably with basil, are the perfect base for a quick and easy marinara sauce.

Mozzarella – freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese adds a nice cheesiness to the stuffed peppers.

Step By Step Instructions

Note: The recipe card below contains a full list of ingredients, their amounts, and instructions.

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a 9×13 or 10×15-inch baking dish.

Step 2:

In a large saucepan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Then, add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.

Diced onions sautéing in a skillet with a wooden spoon and then minced garlic added.

Step 3:

Stir in the crushed tomatoes and salt. Allow the marinara sauce to simmer gently over low heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Marinara sauce in a skillet with a wooden spoon.

Step 4:

In a bowl, combine the ground pork, diced onion, minced garlic, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, parsley, basil, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Ground pork in a bowl with a mixture of spices and diced onion and then mixed together.

Step 5:

Spread about 1/3 of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.

Step 6:

Stuff each of the banana pepper halves with the seasoned pork. Place them into the baking dish on top of the marinara.

They will need to be tucked in tightly to all fit.

Pork stuffed banana pepper halves in a baking dish with marinara sauce.

Step 7:

Top the stuffed banana peppers with the rest of the marinara sauce. Spread it evenly over the top.

Stuffed banana peppers covered with marinara sauce.

Step 8:

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the top of the peppers.

Shredded mozzarella cheese on top of stuffed banana peppers in marinara sauce.

Step 9:

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

Broil for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is nice and brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Wait about 10 minutes before serving to give the dish time to settle and cool a bit. Top with chopped parsley before serving and enjoy!

Baked stuffed banana peppers in a baking dish.

Tips & Ticks

  • Wear gloves when cutting the peppers to avoid getting pepper juice on your hands which can leave them feeling spicy for a while.
  • Look for banana peppers that are similar in size and shape. This will make it easier to fit them into the baking dish.

Substitutions & Variations

  • For convenience, use mild or spicy Italian sausage (not in casings) that is already seasoned. Omit adding the other spices.
  • Try ground chicken or ground turkey in place of the pork.
  • Italian sweet peppers or Hungarian wax peppers would be good substitutions for the banana peppers.

Storage & Reheating

Storage

Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge and should be eaten within 3 to 4 days.

Reheating

In the oven:

Place the stuffed peppers in an oven-safe dish and cook at 350 for about 15 minutes or until warmed through.

In the microwave:

Place the peppers on a microwave-safe plate and cover with either a microwave-safe cover or paper towels. Microwave in 30-second bursts until heated through.

Freezing

These peppers can be frozen before or after baking in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. If they are already baked, be sure to allow them to cool fully before freezing.

Allow them to fully thaw before baking or reheating.

Tips for Getting Rid of Spicy Pepper Hands

Soaking your hands in milk or yogurt may help to quickly remove any spice from your hands.

However, I find that washing my hands in hot soapy water for several minutes and moisturizing after helps the most.

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Two stuffed banana peppers on a plate with sauce and a fork.

Stuffed Banana Peppers

Alicia
These banana peppers are loaded with perfectly seasoned ground pork, smothered in homemade marinara sauce, and topped with golden brown mozzarella cheese.
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Appetizers
Servings 6 searvings

Ingredients
  

Marinara Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes with basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine kosher or sea salt

Stuffed Peppers

  • 7 to 8 banana peppers cut in half long ways and seeds and ribs removed
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh parsley finely chopped, plus more for serving
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine kosher or sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella preferably freshly shredded

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a 9×13 or 10×15-inch baking dish.

To Make the Marinara Sauce:

  • Heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
  • Stir in the crushed tomatoes and salt. Turn the heat down to low and allow it to simmer while prepping the stuffed peppers.

To Make the Stuffed Peppers:

  • In a bowl, combine the pork, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, dried basil, dried oregano, paprika, and black pepper.
  • Spread 1/3 of the marinara in the bottom of the baking dish.
  • Stuff about 2 tablespoons of the seasoned pork mixture into each half of the banana peppers until all of the stuffing is used up. Place the stuffed peppers into the baking dish on top of the marinara sauce.
  • Top with the rest of the marinara sauce spreading it out to evenly cover the peppers.
  • Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the peppers.
  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes. Broil for 2 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly. Top with extra parsley.
  • Allow the peppers to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • This makes enough for about 6 servings if served as an appetizer with other food.
  • If serving these peppers as a main dish, it’s enough for 4 people. I recommend serving them with steamed white rice or crusty bread to round out the meal.
  • Store the stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 24gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 1622mgPotassium: 720mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 702IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 265mgIron: 3mg
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2 Comments

  1. So excited, and looking forward to see your mouthwatering different recipes. I’m currently on dialysis and my soon to be 96 yr. “Young dad “have kidney problems he loves peppers so I’m going to try the banana peppers recipe. Thanks so much . Do I have to pay to subscribe? Many blessings to you and your gift of cooking and creating these recipes. Your family looks lovely. THIS IS MY FIRST COMMENT.

    1. Thank you so much for your sweet comment. I hope you and your dad enjoy the recipes! No, there is no subscription to access the recipes but if you’d like to be notified of new recipes I’d love for you to join my free email newsletter. Best wishes to you and your family!