Cajun Chicken Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce.Melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes.Keep covered off heat until ready to use in Step 4.

Meanwhile, halve bell peppers lengthwise; remove stems and seeds.Place bell peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle each half with oil; rub to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange cut sides down. Roast until browned and softened, 18-20 minutes.Meanwhile, finely dice celery. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.

Remove pork sausage* from casing if necessary; discard casing. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned, 4-5 minutes.Add celery and scallion whites; cook, stirring, until veggies are slightly softened and sausage is cooked through, 2-3 minutes.Season with half the Cajun Spice Blend (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds more.

Add stock concentrate and ⅓ cup water (½ cup for 4 servings) to pan with sausage mixture; simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.Add cooked rice; stir until thoroughly combined. Turn off heat.Once bell peppers are done, remove from oven. Carefully flip and stuff each half with as much filling as will fit.Place stuffed peppers in pan with remaining filling, nestling each into mixture. (TIP: If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer stuffed peppers and extra filling to a small baking dish.) Evenly sprinkle with pepper jack.

Bake stuffed peppers on middle rack until cheese melts, 3-4 minutes.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream with hot sauce to taste. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency.

Divide remaining filling between plates and top with stuffed peppers. Drizzle with hot sauce crema and garnish with scallion greens. Serve with any remaining hot sauce on the side.