These delicious Jalapeno Poppers with Sausage are great to set out at your next gathering – perfect for serving at parties and tailgating events!
Celebrating holidays with food is a hobby of mine. Of course my family and I love to eat standard Thanksgiving fare in the fall, we love to eat chocolate and cookies at Christmas, and barbecue on the Fourth of July. Cinco de Mayo is often mistaken as a Mexican Independence Day (it is instead the commemoration of the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862). Regardless, that hasn’t stopped much of America from celebrating Mexican heritage in early May with Tacos, Chips, Salsa, and Mexican beer.
This year Cinco de Mayo fell on a Tuesday, so it was an easy decision to make tacos for the kids. My wife and I have a slightly more sophisticated palate, so while the tacos for great for younger members of our family, I wanted to make something special for us.
My choice was Jalapeno Poppers. These are great finger foods for parties and potluck get togethers. They’re also really fun to make and fun to eat.
The other place where I love to serve these at is football watch parties at home. Here’s some truth for you! Going to football games is fun, but it’s expensive. I have a family of five, so it’s a minimum of $200 just to get tickets to the game. Then concessions at the game will easily be $100. Not because you and your family will eat $100 worth of food, but stadium prices are just insane!
Then the other commitment besides money is time. When going to any sporting event, you need to leave the house early, fight traffic, park, then still walk a mile to the stadium. Of course the game will last three hours, and if your family is like mine, the kids get worn out after hour number two. Add in the fact that weather could be bad and the fact that you have to wait in line to use the bathroom, and attending games quickly become undesirable.
Instead, what I love to do is host a watch party! Why not have folks over, carry on more personal conversations, drink cheaper beer and sodas, use your own bathroom, and make your own food! That’s why I love making my own food and watching football from the comfort my own home. Let me share with you this recipe that I first learned from my father-in-law, and that I’ve adjusted to make it my own.
Jalapeno Poppers with Sausage
Ingredients:
- 12-15 Jalapenos
- 8 oz of block cream cheese
- 1 small onion
- 12 oz package of uncooked breakfast sausage
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Directions:
Set your cream cheese out on the counter for about 30 minutes to allow it to soften.
Then, it’s time to prepare the jalapenos.
Please let me caution you when working with spicy food! Once you start working with spicy food, do not touch your eyes, nose, or face. In the past, even after I have washed my hands, I have accidentally touched near my eyes or nose and I felt the effects of the jalapeno seeds.
Touched Jalapeno Then My Nose
First, I would recommend using food safe gloves when seeding jalapenos. When you are finished handling the jalapenos, remove and dispose the gloves and wash your hands well with soap and water, just in case you get any on your hands when removing the gloves.
If you have accidentally touched your nose (or other part of your face) after cutting jalapenos, you can try flushing the area with cold water, or using dairy based products like whole milk, cream, yogurt (Greek yogurt), butter, or olive oil to help with the pain by rubbing some on the area affected. If that doesn’t work, just be patient and wait until the pain wears off.
To prepare the jalapenos, I cut off the tops and then I slice each of them in half. Next, I will take out the seeds and veins from the inside of the jalapenos. This can be done with a spoon or a butter knife. If you do decide to use your hands, please wear gloves. Then set the jalapenos aside.
Next, I will cook the 12oz package of breakfast sausage. Rather than cut the sausage into patties, I will empty the entire roll of breakfast sausage into the frying pan, and stir until the sausage is cooked through and crumbled.
Then I will finely dice an onion. Once diced, I will add the onion into the rendered pork sausage fat. Let the onions sautee until they are translucent and the edges just start to become brown.
Next, add the cooked sausage, onions, and ¼ tsp of garlic powder to the softened cream cheese. Stir until mixed well.
Once the cream cheese, sausage, onion and garlic powder are mixed well, scoops a spoonful into each jalapeno half. The size of your jalapenos and the size of the scoops will determine if you have any left over filling. If you do have any left over filling, don’t fret! You can easily add the cream cheese as a topping or dip with corn chips at your dinner or party.
Finally, once the jalapenos are all filled, pop them into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. I will admit though that sometimes I can’t wait to try one, so if you want to skip this step that’s fine. Putting them in the oven or even on the grill for a few minutes softens the jalapeno and toasts the cream cheese and sausage filling.
Set them out at your next party and enjoy!
Print the recipe card:
Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 12-15 Jalapenos
- 8 oz of block cream cheese
- 1 small onion
- 12 oz package of uncooked breakfast sausage
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
Note: Take cream cheese out of the fridge and place it on the counter for about 30 minutes to allow it to be easier to mix.
First, prepare the jalapenos. Caution: when working with spicy food, do not touch your eyes, nose, or face.
To prepare the jalapenos, cut off the tops and then slice each of them in half. Next, take out the seeds and veins from the inside of the jalapenos. This can be done with a spoon or a butter knife. If you do decide to use your hands, please wear gloves. Then set the jalapenos aside.
Next, cook the 12oz package of breakfast sausage. Rather than cut the sausage into patties, empty the entire roll of breakfast sausage into the frying pan, and stir until the sausage is cooked through and crumbled.
Then, finely dice an onion. Once diced, add the onion into the rendered pork sausage fat. Let the onions sautee until they are translucent and the edges just start to become brown.
Next, add the cooked sausage, onions, and ¼ tsp of garlic powder to the softened cream cheese. Stir until mixed well.
Once the cream cheese, sausage, onion and garlic powder are mixed well, scoops a spoonful into each jalapeno half. The size of your jalapenos and the size of the scoops will determine if you have any left over filling. If you do have any left over filling, don’t fret! You can easily add the cream cheese as a topping or dip with corn chips at your dinner or party.
Finally, when the jalapenos are all filled, pop them into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Putting them in the oven or even on the grill for a few minutes softens the jalapeno and toasts the cream cheese and sausage filling.
Set them out at your next party and enjoy!
More Recipes:
Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion Salad
Pin to Pinterest:
Leave a Reply