Sausage-Filled Piquillo Peppers

Ingredients

• 8 teaspoons olive oil, or as needed, divided
• 4 ounces chorizo sausage, casings removed and meat crumbled
• ½ cup diced green onion
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup cooked long-grain white rice
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 blood orange, zested and juiced
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 12 piquillo peppers
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds

Step 1

Lightly heat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and lightly brush a baking dish with a tablespoon of olive oil. In a skillet over medium-high heat, warm another tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sausage, green onion, and a pinch of salt, cooking until the sausage is nicely browned and crumbly and the onion turns translucent—this should take about 5 to 7 minutes. Once done, take the skillet off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Step 2

While the sausage cools, mix together the cooked rice, goat cheese, egg, two tablespoons of parsley, garlic, cumin, blood orange zest, and a pinch of cayenne pepper in a bowl. Carefully stuff each piquillo pepper with this mixture and arrange them in your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the almonds over the peppers, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil, and add a little salt on top.

Step 3

Pop the dish into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until everything is heated through and the filling is hot. When it’s out of the oven, drizzle the peppers with a tablespoon of blood orange juice, the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, and scatter the rest of the parsley over the top. Enjoy!