Stuffed Banana Pepper Soup

I have only ever yard the banana peppers that come in a jar either sliced or whole. I've never had a fresh one, let alone looked for a fresh one. I never imagined that I would have trouble finding fresh banana peppers. So there I am in the grocery store looking at the peppers and searching google to find a good substitute. Turns out, Anaheim peppers are a good substitute and better yet my grocery store had them.

I bought 2 of them thinking that would give my the two cups diced I needed, but it turns out I estimated wrong and only got just over 1 cup. Oh well, the soup still tasted delicious and had a slight spiciness to it from the peppers and it was a little bit creamy. Definitely a soup I plan on making yearly and why wouldn't I, seeing I love banana peppers.

Stuffed Banana Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups diced banana peppers, seeds removed
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic, heaping
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup dry orzo

Directions:

1. Spray the bottom of a large stock pot with cooking spray. Add in the sausage and cook, crumbling the sausage over medium high heat until completely cooked.
2. Remove the sausage, leaving any grease in the pot.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the olive oil and butter to the pot along with both peppers, the onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Add the cooked sausage back into the pot, along with the chicken stock and evaporated milk. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Add in the parmesan cheese, cream cheese, black pepper, basil, oregano and thyme. Stir until the cheese begins to melt.
6. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the orzo to the pot and stir constantly until the pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes.
8. Top each serving with some pickled banana peppers or reserve some slices of fresh banana peppers to top the soup with.

Enjoy!!!

Notes:

If you can't find fresh banana peppers you can use Anaheim peppers instead.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 529
Total Fat		35.7g
Saturated Fat		17.1g
Trans Fat		0g
Polyunsaturated Fat		0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat		2.3g
Cholesterol		97.1mg
Sodium		955.8mg
Total Carbohydrates		30.8g
Dietary Fiber		4.7g
Sugars		5.6g
Protein		24g
Calcium		40.6%
Iron		48.4%
Potassium		174.6mg
Vitamin A		13.7%
Vitamin C		42.5%
*Nutritional information will vary depending on the brands you use.

*Adapted from Anns Entitled Life.