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Spicy Sausage Jalapeño Poppers
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While classic versions of bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers are stuffed with a blend of cream cheese and Cheddar cheese and wrapped in bacon. This version is instead made with hot Italian sausage, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. These spicy sausage jalapeño poppers are based on my Uncle’s recipe – he served them one weekend for a football game with peppers from his garden, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them! The key is pulsing the hot Italian sausage in a food processor after cooking and cooling it. This breaks the pieces up much more evenly and makes for a better filling.
This recipe can easily be prepped ahead of time and frozen for an effortless entertaining appetizer. This always disappears fast at parties – just like sausage and peppers toast and cheesy buffalo chicken dip.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Jalapeños – Jalapeños range between 2,000 to 5,000 Scoville units (SHU). The longer you leave the the pepper the vine, and the more lines on the pepper, the hotter it will be. Removing the seeds and membrane helps to remove a majority of the heat but leaves you with a good flavor. Look for similar size jalapeños, about 3-4 inches (7.5 – 10cm) in length, as smaller peppers will be harder to stuff.
- Hot Italian sausage – This sausage is made from ground pork shoulder and seasoned with a blend of garlic, paprika, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. If you can only find hot Italian sausage in the casing, simply cut a slit with a paring knife and remove the casings.
- Cream cheese – The cream cheese should be left at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour so that it easily blends with the other filling ingredients.
- Parmesan cheese – Parmesan-Reggiano is definitely one of my favorite cheeses. It’s a hard cow’s milk cheese aged for different lengths of time. I’d recommend buying a roughly cut piece of wrapped cheese from the grocery store – it’s typically a higher quality cheese and will result in better flavor.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
pro tip
I recommend wearing gloves when cutting and stuffing the peppers. If you happen to get any of the Capsaicin (the chemical that makes peppers spicy) on your hands, soaking them in milk helps!
How to Prep These in Advance
You can stuff the jalapeños and even wrap them in the bacon in advance, then put into a resealable plastic bag and frozen until ready to serve, up to 2 months. To cook the sausage jalapeño poppers from frozen, simply place on the baking sheet and bake as directed.
Swaps and substitutions
- To tone down the spice, try substituting sweet Italian sausage or another favorite sausage for the hot Italian.
- Rather than stuffing jalapeños, you can also seed and stuff other peppers like Hatch chilies or Anaheim peppers. Different peppers will change the spice level and flavor.
How to Make Spicy Jalapeño Poppers (Step-by-step)
Heat a large cast iron pan over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it into pieces, until golden brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan, draining as much oil as possible, to a medium mixing bowl and let cool completely.
Add the cooled sausage to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse a few times just until the sausage is finely ground.
Add the cream cheese. Parmesan cheese and chives, blending just until combined.
Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a paring knife or spoon and discard.
Spoon the cream cheese filling into the scooped out jalapeños and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake the sausage jalapeño poppers until the jalapeño is tender and the filling is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool and serve.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! For best texture and flavor, cook the ground sausage (removing any casings if necessary), then let it cool and blend in a food processor briefly. This gives you a fine consistency that makes for a more uniform, creamy filling.
I recommend wearing gloves when deseeding and stuffing the jalapeños. The heat compound (capsaicin) can linger on your skin and cause discomfort if you touch your eyes or face.
Yes! Prepare, stuff, and wrap them ahead. Freeze individual poppers on a tray, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. When ready, bake from frozen – simple and great for entertaining.
To tone down the spice level, use sweet or mild Italian sausage instead of hot. You can also choose to fill milder peppers like Anaheim or Hatch.
Opt for full-fat cream cheese at room temperature – it blends more smoothly. If needed, add a tablespoon of milk or sour cream to loosen it slightly for easier stuffing.
Reheat in a 350°F (180ºC) oven until warmed through; avoid microwaving, which can make the peppers soggy. You can also air-fry them briefly to refresh the texture.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this spicy sausage jalapeño popper recipe, give these other game day recipes a try and follow me on Instagram for more updates:
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Spicy Sausage Jalapeño Poppers
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Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed if needed
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
- 2½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 18 medium jalapeño peppers
- 1 tablespoon diced chives for serving
Instructions:
- Heat a large cast iron pan over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it into pieces, until golden brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan, draining as much oil as possible, to a medium mixing bowl and let cool completely.
- Add the cooled sausage to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse a few times just until the sausage is finely ground.
- Add the cream cheese. Parmesan cheese and chives, blending just until combined.
- Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a paring knife or spoon and discard.
- Spoon the cream cheese filling into the scooped out jalapeños and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake until the jalapeño is tender and the filling is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool and serve.
Nutrition:
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These jalapeño poppers are an absolute family favorite during football season. The heat from the peppers hits just right-spicy enough to wake up your taste buds without overpowering the dish. Inside, the cream cheese perfectly balances the kick, while the sausage adds a savory, hearty bite that makes them feel more like a satisfying appetizer than just a snack. Highly recommend if you like your food with a little spice and a lot of flavor!
Always a hit for game days!!