Turkey Sausage Stuffed Jalapeños

Last night after work, I went out with a good friend for margaritas and queso… literally a bowl of queso was my dinner. I could eat my weight in Cocina Superior’s queso. Since I knew I was going out, I thawed some of my Dad’s famous spaghetti for Eric. I’m such a great wife!! After I get permission, perhaps I can share my Dad’s spaghetti recipe with you. He still has dreams he is going to open up his own spaghetti house. Actually, his dream is for Eric and me to open it up and for him to reap the benefits! Side note—when Nothing But Noodles opened up on 280, my dad was so upset. His restaurant was going to be named Anything with Noodles. I tell ya my friends, we have had long discussions about this restaurant.

Monday night, I cooked another one of Eric’s favorite meals. He actually commented that I cooked all his favorites this week. When my sister lived with us for a short time, she introduced us to this recipe. It is off the Jimmy Dean website, and I would not call this healthy at all, BUT I now use Turkey Sausage instead of Regular Sausage. Let me clarify, this is ONLY Eric’s favorite if it is made with Jimmy Dean Sausage and not Turkey Sausage.

Ingredients

1 pkg. Jennie-O Turkey Sausage Roll

1 pkg. (8 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

2 cups (8 ounces) reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

32 medium fresh jalapeño peppers

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Cook sausage in large skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat 8-10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; drain. Place in medium bowl.
• Add cream cheese and cheddar cheese; mix well.
• Cut peppers lengthwise in half; discard seeds. Fill each pepper with a generous portion of sausage mixture; press lightly into peppers to secure. (Filling should mound slightly above top edges of peppers.)
• Place on lightly greased baking sheet or in broiler pan.
• Bake 10 minutes or until peppers are crisp and tender and filling is lightly browned.

Cooking Notes

• When handling fresh jalapeno peppers, be sure to wear disposable rubber or clear plastic gloves to prevent the oils from the peppers from irritating your skin. Never touch your eyes, nose, or mouth when handling hot peppers.
• Baking the poppers on the indented top of a broiler pan will help to hold the peppers upright and prevent the filling from spilling out.

Original Recipe- http://www.jimmydean.com/recipes/appetizers/sausage-stuffed-jalapenos