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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Step 7:

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

Step 8:

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

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!

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.