Stuffed Red Peppers With Wisconsin Mozzarella And Provolone, Italian Sausage And Orzo Pasta
4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup orzo pasta*
12 ounces fresh mild Italian sausage, either hot or mild
1 cup bottled roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup Wisconsin Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Wisconsin Provolone cheese, shredded
6 large fresh whole red peppers, tops sliced off and seeded
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons homemade or purchased basil pesto
*Orzo is a dried pasta, shaped like short grain rice.
Preheat oven to 400oF.
Bring water to a boil in a large deep pot. Add salt and orzo. Boil for 9 minutes. Drain in a wire sieve and rinse with cold water. Drain again. Set aside.
Remove sausage from casings, if necessary, and break up into small pieces. Sautee over medium high heat until browned and barely cooked through. Add chopped red peppers. Remove from heat and stir in orzo and cheeses until cheese melts. Cool.
Coat a 10'' x 10'' baking pan with cooking spray. Stuff mixture into whole peppers and place upright in the pan. Mix the bread crumbs and pesto. Spread evenly over pepper tops. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the surface is lightly browned.
Serve immediately.
Number of Servings: 6
© 2004 Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.