Sausage and Apple Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Memorial Day is this weekend and I bet a lot of us will be celebrating this holiday with the first cookout of the season. Hopefully the weather will be a little better than today, although we definitely needed the rain! Try my stuffed jalapeno poppers as a starter to your meal!

I think a lot of you probably know someone who has a stuffed jalapeno pepper recipe, most probably consisting of cream cheese and bacon as the star ingredients. For my peppers I added a few other ingredients. You get some spice from the ground sausage and jalapeno pepper, sweet from the minced apple, creaminess from the cheese, along with salty crunch from the bacon - what more could you ask for? Not really the healthiest starter, but don't you feel better since there is apple in it?! Don't be scared of the apple - those who have tried my poppers can't even tell it's there, you just get a little added sweet to help balance the heat.

I will say I have made these a few times and this is the first time the stuffing has been the exact amount I needed! Of course the size of jalapenos can vary drastically and this time they were quite large. Make modifications as you need to based on the size of pepper you get from your grocery store or famers market.

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
Servings: 20 poppers

Ingredients:

Jalapenos, 10 large
Apple, ¼ c  minced very small
Ground sausage, 1 c cooked (approx ½ lb)
Cheddar cheese, ½ c
Cream cheese, 4 oz softened
Garlic powder 1 tsp
Bacon, 10 slices, cut into two

Slice the peppers into two. I find it is easiest to start at the tip and cut towards the head of the pepper so the stem stays intact. This makes them easier to eat once they are cooked. The flesh and seeds are where the heat lives, so I like to remove those. The outside shell provides enough heat for me. To do this, use a spoon and scoop out the insides.  

Better Bonus Tip: The spicy juice will get onto your fingers. Don’t touch your eyes without washing your hands first. You might also want to consider wearing plastic gloves.

Chop the apple into very small pieces and combine all ingredients together.

After mixed, scoop into peppers and wrap each pepper with half of a piece of bacon. 

Grill outside or bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Place under the broiler for another 3-5 minutes to crisp up bacon.

Happy Memorial Day!

~Ashley