Pepperoni Pizza Poppers Recipe

Makes 12 poppers or 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup grated mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup cream cheese (I used low-fat)
• 1/8 tsp. basil
• 1/8 tsp. oregano
• Pepper to taste
• Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped pepperoni
• 12 whole sweet piquante peppers (may substitute your favorite pickled or fresh peppers, seeded)
• 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• Additional 1/4 cup of mixed, grated Parmesan and mozzarella

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix together ingredients 1–7 in a bowl.
3. Once the ingredients are combined, add pepperoni and stir until it is equally distributed.
4. Stuff each of the peppers with as much of the cheese mixture as possible.
5. Place stuffed peppers in a deep baking dish.
6. Pour sauce over top of peppers.
7. If you have any remaining grated cheese, sprinkle on top of peppers.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, or until hot throughout.

Helpful Tools and Tips

• There are some great new kitchen gadgets that take advantage of the versatility of plastics to help you streamline game day food prep. For example, try using a cheese grater with an attached plastic measuring cup. The bottom of the cup is made with nonstick plastics so it stays put on the countertop as you grate your cheese. And thanks to the durability of plastics, the entire grater is shatter-resistant and easy to clean.
• When stuffing your peppers with the cheese mixture, using a flexible plastic spatula will help give you more control over the amount of cheese you place into each pepper. Another benefit to this plastic tool is that it helps you scoop every last bit of the cheese mixture from your bowl—reducing food waste while making your game day food prep easier and more convenient.
• When it’s time to pour spaghetti sauce over your peppers, try using a turkey baster made with flexible plastics. This handy tool makes it so much easier to be sure you’re topping your peppers with the perfect amount of sauce, which means less mess and less waste.