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It’s that time of year again – party season! We’ve got holiday gatherings, sporting events, potlucks, you name it. These Sausage, Caramelized Onions, & Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers are a deeeeeelicious appetizer addition to any event! If you’ve ever had a dish with sausage and cream cheese you know it’s a dynamite combo…. but add caramelized onion to the mix?! We’re talking a whole different level of amazingness! These pepper appetizers are rich, savory, and take just a few ingredients to make. The star of the show is Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage which is perfectly flavored and eliminates the need for extra seasonings. Each of my stuffed peppers is 2 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green plans and 53 calories.
To start we’ll need to gather our ingredients – Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage, mini peppers, whipped cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, 2 onions, olive oil, and some shredded mozzarella. Here’s the gang:
I stopped by Walmart and was able to pick up all the ingredients for this dish in about 5 minutes. The sausage is so flavorful and versatile you don’t need to add much in order to whip up a variety of fun creations. It comes in several different varieties so there’s something for everyone. From breakfast to dinner and everything in between, Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage has you covered!
The first thing we need to do is get our onions going because it takes a bit of time to get the perfect caramelized onion. I don’t want super long pieces of onion in the peppers so I quartered onions, sliced them thin, and threw them in a skillet. I prefer to cook onions in cast iron so if you have a cast iron skillet go ahead and break it out! Add a little olive oil with a pinch of salt and patiently let them cook over medium-low heat until they turn dark brown and deliciously sweet.
What a beautiful sight – I’m drooling already!
While our onions are cooking we have time to prepare our peppers and cook off the sausage. To get the peppers ready just cut each one in half so that it will lay flat. Use the tip of a spoon to remove the seeds and any of the white pith. Lay all the peppers with the cut side up on a sprayed baking sheet or two. We’ll be softening these guys up in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes while the sausage cooks.
Our next job is to brown the sausage. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until it is fully cooked. Once cooked, remove the sausage to a paper towel lined plate and wipe any excess grease from the skillet. Return the sausage to the skillet and add in the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and the caramelized onions. It’s easiest to do this part while the skillet is still warm – it’ll help the cheese blend easily.
Time to stuff! Fill each pepper with about 1 tablespoon of the sausage mixture. It’s super thick so don’t be afraid to pile it in even if your pepper is small. I use a cookie scoop to help get the perfect portion in each pepper. I had just the right amount for my 36 peppers! Finally we’ll sprinkle the top of the peppers with some shredded cheese so they get brown and toasty on top.
After a few more minutes in the oven our peppers are ready to eat. How delicious do they look?! I promise these are going to be a crowd pleaser and more than that, you’re toooootally going to be the party winner. They do give awards for that sort of thing, right?
My Sausage, Cream Cheese, & Caramelized Onion stuffed peppers are rich, flavorful, and the perfect appetizer to serve any time. Each pepper is 2 WW SmartPoints on both the Blue and Green plans and 53 calories- Enjoy!
- 18 mini sweet peppers, ~ 1 lb, cut in half with the seeds and pith removed
- 1 lb Odom's Tennessee Pride Country Sausage, Mild variety
- ¾ c (12 tbsp) whipped cream cheese
- ½ c plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 2 small onions, quartered and sliced into thin pieces
- 2 tsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 2 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella
- fresh parsley to garnish, if desired
- In a heavy skillet (cast iron preferred) heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and saute until onions are soft. Once softened reduce heat to low/medium-low and continue to cook onions, stirring occasionally, until they are very dark brown and caramelized. It took about 25 minutes for my two onions to cook down.*TIP: If your onions seem dry and they are sticking you can add 2 tbsp of water at a time, scrap any bits that are stuck to the bottom, and continue cooking over low heat. Add water as many times as you need - it'll keep things cooking and will cook off each time. It will not change the flavor of the finished product and it eliminates the need for extra oil to be added.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- While the onions are cooking cut each pepper in half. Make sure you cut them so that they will lay flat on a baking sheet. Scrape out the seeds and pith with the tip of a small spoon. Spray a baking sheet (or two) and arrange peppers cut side up. Spray the tops of the peppers and put them in the oven for 10 minutes, to slightly soften them.
- While the peppers are in the oven heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until the is browned and cooked through.
- Transfer cooked sausage to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the grease. Wipe the skillet clean of any excess grease.
- Our onions should now be cooked so to the warm skillet add the sausage, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and caramelize onions. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Place about 1 tbsp of the sausage mixture into each pepper (I use a cookie scoop to make it easy). Sprinkle the top of the filled peppers with the mozzarella cheese and return to the oven to bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese on top is nice and melty. Feel free to broil the tops for a couple of minutes until the mozzarella is golden brown.
Nutritional information is calculated with MyFitnessPal and may vary based on brands used. Smart Points information is calculated with the Weight Watchers app and may also vary based on brands used.
I am so excited you are making one of my recipes and I would love to see how it turns out! Make sure to share it on Instagram and tag me @rachelshealtyplate and use #rachelshealthyplate so I can see your creation!
Delicious but it’s chop small and instead of peppers use mushroom caps!
Sounds delicious!