Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers with Sausage

Cheesy, spicy, rich, and perfectly seasoned. These jalapeño poppers with sausage, cheddar cheese, and BBQ rub are about to become your new favorite appetizer. You can throw them on the grill in the summer for a smoky snack, or bake them up in the oven to keep things quick and easy. They come together in under 1 hour!

Author: Sunday Table

Meal Type: Peanuts Free

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: EASY

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 24 jalapeño poppers

Calories: 115 kcal per serving

Ingredients

12 - jalapeños
1 ½ teaspoons - olive oil
½ lb - ground pork sausage
8 ounces - full-fat cream cheese
1 cup - freshly-shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons - BBQ rub
2 tablespoons - green onions
Kosher salt & black pepper
½ cup - good-quality ranch dressing
2 tablespoons - Sriracha

Instructions

Preheat the grill to 400-425°F (204-218°C). If you're baking the poppers, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Using a sharp knife, slice the jalapeños in half length-wise through the stem. You can remove the stems if you'd like, but I usually leave them attached as a little handle. Then, use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds & ribs. Feel free to leave some of the seeds in the peppers for extra spice.
Next, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up into crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink and has caramelized spots on the edges. Transfer the sausage crumbles to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any extra grease. Once it's cooled, chop the sausage into small crumbles.
In a large bowl, combine the sausage crumbles, cream cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, BBQ rub, and green onions. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Then, using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or rubber spatula, mix the filling until it's well-combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Use a rubber spatula or butter knife to evenly spread the filling between the halved jalapeños.
Gril: grease the grates of the grill with neutral oil. Line the jalapeño poppers on the grill and bake for 6-10 minutes, until the filling is melty and the jalapeños are slightly softened. Sprinkle with extra green onions or chives, for garnish.
Bake: place the poppers in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until the peppers are softened and the filling is bubbly. Garnish with extra green onions or chives.
Combine the ranch dressing and Sriracha in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste and add more Sriracha, if desired. Serve the Sriracha ranch with the warm jalapeño poppers and enjoy!

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