Sausage and Pepper Puffs
These bite-sized Sausage and Pepper Puffs are the perfect gameday appetizer!
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These Sausage and Pepper Puffs are an amazing gameday appetizer. Thing sausage and pepper hoagies – but in handheld, bite-size form. The buttery puff pastry shell is filled with sausage, cheese, onions and peppers. The flavor is out of this world! And I can promise that the plate will be empty by the end of the game!
My wife comes from a large Italian family, and sausage and pepper hoagies were one of her go-to meals. And honestly, they’re incredibly easy to make. Slow cooked peppers and onions topped with Italian sausage. Delicious! They’re still one of my favorite meals. But this handheld, game-day version? It’s the perfect party appetizer!
With the Super Bowl coming up soon, I thought about making sausage and pepper hoagies. They’re a classic football food. But eating a hoagie loaded with sausage, peppers and onions can be difficult…especially when trying to watch the game at the same time. So I decided to take the same delicious flavors and turn them into a finger food. Say hello to Sausage and Pepper Puffs. I apologize in advance if you eat the entire tray of these before they ever make it out of the kitchen. (That very well could happen, too. Trust me on that one.)
These Sausage and Pepper Puffs are similar to a playoff puffs recipe, except these are way better! Playoff puffs basically involve a cream cheese + cheesy mixture inside of Tostitos Scoops. Easy to eat. Delicious. But these puffs are better!
Sausage and Pepper Puffs are pretty much the same thing as sausage and pepper hoagies. Except instead of dropping the sausage, onions and peppers into a soft roll, you just drop them into little puff pastry pockets instead. Bake ’em up, and you end up with these little bite-sized pockets of deliciousness! I can absolutely promise that these will be a huge hit at your football party. We made a test run of these bad boys during the playoffs last weekend, and they didn’t last long at all.
We used mild Italian sausage for these puffs as that’s my wife’s go-to sausage. She’s part-Italian, so she knows her Italian sausage. (She grew up eating ravioli, meatballs and Italian sausage for Christmas dinner. That deserves some respect in my book!) However, you could also use ground Italian sausage or hot Italian sausage for a spicy version.
If you’ve got a hungry crowd of football fans coming over for the Super Bowl this year, then these Sausage and Pepper Puffs need to make an appearance! Not only are they delicious and bite-sized, they can be prepped in advance of the party. Just cook up the sausage, peppers and onions and then drop them into the puff pastry cups. Then once your friends show up, pop these puffs in the oven to bake. Delicious food, exciting football and time spent with good friends…that’s what it’s all about!
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover puffs should be allowed to cool fully before being stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, tent the puffs with aluminum foil and then reheat in an oven or toaster oven at 300°F for 10-12 minutes, or until heated through. I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers – they taste much better fresh!
Did you make this Sausage and Pepper Puffs recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Sausage and Pepper Puffs
Ingredients
- 19 oz. Italian sausage, sliced
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium white onion diced
- 1 medium bell pepper diced (see note)
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
- ½ cup provolone cheese shredded
- 1 egg beaten
- Optional: Dried oregano sea salt
Instructions
- Place ½ Tbsp of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet; place skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sliced sausage and cook until first side is browned (~5 minutes). Flip and cook for 5 more minutes. Transfer cooked sausage to a paper-towel lined plate; set aside. Once cool, slice each piece of sausage into 2 halfmoon pieces.
- Drain all but ~1 Tbsp of grease from skillet; add diced onions and peppers. Stir and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Meanwhile, roll each sheet of thawed puff pastry into a 12”x12” square. Cut each sheet into (12) squares. (Note: each square will be ~3”x4”).
- Lightly spray a mini-muffin tin with baking spray. Gently press one pastry square into each cup.
- Fill each cup with 1-2 pieces of cooked sausage and ~1 Tbsp of cooked onions and peppers. Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese. Bring the 4 corners of the puff pastry together and pinch to seal.
- Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp of water; Brush closed tops of puff pastry with the egg wash. (Optional: Sprinkle tops of puff pastry with a pinch of dried oregano and sea salt.)
- Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.
Notes
Looking for more party appetizers? Check out these other favorites, too:
When I was a student (And few years after I graduated from the University) I was dreaming of being a professor (Working with kids didn’t excite me. However, later on, when I was working at the museum, I found out I can deal with them greatly as well). My favorite part of those dreams were the final exams. I would have been a strict guy during the finals. But I believe If the student had brought me on a regular basis these delicious snacks you’ve been posting recently, including these bad guys, their finals would have been easier to pass. Bringing some food to a professor doesn’t count like a bribe, does it?;)