STUFFED ITALIAN STYLE BANANA PEPPERS

It has been a very good summer in our garden for Banana Peppers, so I thought I would share one of the ways we have been enjoying them.

Ingredients

4 banana peppers

1 tbls margarine

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt, divided

1 egg

4 oz Hunt's Tomato sauce

14 oz Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Green Pepper, Celery and Onions1/4 tsp ground black pepper, divided

1/2 tsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 lb mild Italian sausage

3/4 cup Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs 

Preparation 

Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds, and set aside.  Heat butter in a medium skillet and saute onion until tender, or about 4 minutes.  Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and garlic.  Season with basil, oregano, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Next preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine egg, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese.  Mix in sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.  Using a small spoon, fill each pepper with the meat mixture.  Place in an baking dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mix over peppers.  Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour.