Make cream cheese stuffed peppers on your subsequent straightforward appetizer! All it takes is 6 components and these colourful tacky stuffed mini peppers bake up heat and gooey in minutes. Make them within the oven or use your air fryer!
Seeking to supersize your stuffed pepper obsession? Strive my quinoa stuffed peppers and these tacky jambalaya stuffed peppers made with massive bell peppers, too.
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In relation to stuffing peppers, don’t threaten me with a great time. From skillet cheese-stuffed peppers to spicy stuffed poblano peppers, I’ll by no means go up a mini pepper crammed with melted cheese!
These cream cheese stuffed peppers are the best appetizer they usually’re at all times gone from the plate in minutes. Candy and tender roasted mini peppers are crammed with seasoned cream cheese and shredded cheddar and baked till mentioned cheese is melted and gooey. This mini pepper recipe is loopy easy to make and oh-so-good.
Why You’ll Love These Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers
- Straightforward finger meals. Cream cheese stuffed peppers are straightforward to arrange, fast to bake, and don’t want quite a lot of components. You would even get away with out seasoning the cream cheese if you happen to’re actually pressed for time.
- Social gathering-ready. These colourful stuffed peppers look superb on a plate. I typically make these for events and meals in the summertime when mini bell peppers are in season. My native farm stall should assume I’m loopy as I go away there with what appears like a trunkload of recent peppers each week. In my protection, some are used for ajvar!
- Make-ahead. Combine the cream cheese filling the day earlier than, and pop it into the fridge till the subsequent day whenever you’re able to fill the peppers and bake. It’s an effective way to avoid wasting time, plus it offers the flavors within the filling an opportunity to mingle.
What You’ll Want
Listed below are the straightforward components you’ll must make these tacky stuffed peppers. Scroll to the recipe card after the submit for a printable listing of the components together with the quantities.
- Mini Bell Peppers – Wash and dry the peppers properly, slice them in half lengthwise and take away the seeds. You should utilize any coloured mini pepper you’d like.
- Olive Oil – Select a mild-flavored olive oil for roasting. Avocado oil additionally works properly.
- Cream Cheese – Take your block of cream cheese out of the fridge about 20-Half-hour forward of time, in order that it softens to room temperature.Â
- Bitter Cream – If you happen to don’t have bitter cream, you’ll be able to substitute it with Greek or plain yogurt as a substitute.
- Chives – Freshly chopped chives, or you need to use dried. Different herbs, like basil, oregano, or thyme, additionally work.
- Garlic Powder – If you happen to’d desire recent garlic, use 1 clove for each ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Onion powder can be a great substitute.
- Shredded Cheese – I exploit cheddar, however you need to use any melty cheese. For finest outcomes, shred it recent from the block (versus utilizing packaged pre-shredded cheese). Different good choices are provolone, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack cheese.
Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers
Each time I whip out a platter of those cream cheese stuffed mini peppers, a minimum of one particular person begs for the recipe. Nicely, the key’s out: it’s SO easy. Right here’s easy methods to make them in 3 fast steps:
- Prep the bell peppers. First, you’ll wish to toss the peppers with olive oil, salt, and pepper, after which unfold them out on a lined baking sheet. There’s the choice to go away them as-is, or you’ll be able to pre-bake the peppers for five minutes if you happen to desire much less crunch.
- Assemble. Stir the filling components collectively in a bowl. Add about 2 teaspoons of filling to every pepper half, and sprinkle the tops with shredded cheese.
- Bake. Bake your cheese-stuffed peppers for 10 minutes at 375ºF. I like to change on the broiler afterward and brown the tops for a minute or two. Then, this app is able to serve!
Can I Use the Air Fryer?
Undoubtedly! I like to make use of my air fryer to make a smaller batch of stuffed mini peppers for simply the household. It’s fast and foolproof. Put together the cream cheese stuffed peppers as instructed, and prepare them in your air fryer basket, leaving house between every pepper. Air fry at 380ºF for 8 minutes.Â
Ideas and Variations
- Don’t overbake the peppers. Make certain to not overcook the peppers, particularly if you happen to pre-bake them, as they’ll grow to be limp and soggy. They might want much less time within the oven relying on the scale.
- Wrap them in bacon. As a result of all the things’s higher with bacon, proper? When time permits, I like to wrap these stuffed peppers with a chunk of streaky bacon earlier than I bake them, as I do with my bacon-wrapped stuffed mini peppers. Too good!
- Flavored cream cheese. You should utilize common cream cheese, or mess around with totally different flavors like chive, jalapeño, garlic and herb, vegetable, roasted crimson pepper taste, and so forth. Relying on the type you select, you don’t even must season it.
- Completely different cheese. As a substitute of cream cheese, fill these peppers with Boursin cheese, goat cheese, or whipped feta.
- Garnishes and mix-ins. Strive mixing in cooked crumbled bacon, floor beef, Cajun spice, The whole lot Bagel Seasoning, or minced chilies, or give these cream cheese stuffed peppers a drizzle with scorching sauce after baking
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
It’s not necessary, however pre-baking the pepper halves earlier than you fill them does assist to launch among the moisture and makes the peppers much less crisp. It’s as much as you!
Nope, for these mini stuffed peppers, baking beneath foil isn’t crucial. They’re within the oven for such a brief period of time, that the cheese wants on a regular basis it may well get to soften down and grow to be gooey.
Serving Ideas
These cream cheese stuffed peppers make wonderful last-minute finger meals. I’ll throw a batch within the oven when associates are over, they usually’re able to serve in minutes subsequent to easier appetizers like avocado hummus with crudites, baked battered shrimp, and grilled BBQ hen pizza. Holidays, sport day, you identify it– they by no means disappoint.Â
On weeknights, the entire household loves these stuffed peppers as a aspect dish with hen tenders or burgers. They make a enjoyable veggie various to French fries!
Retailer and Reheat Leftovers
Refrigerate. Retailer any leftover cream cheese stuffed peppers hermetic within the fridge for as much as 4-5 days.
Reheat. Heat the stuffed peppers in a 350ºF oven till they’re scorching all through. You may as well use your air fryer or the microwave.
Extra Appetizer Recipes
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Prep. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Season the bell peppers. In a big bowl, toss the bell peppers with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
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Prep-bake the peppers. If you happen to like softer peppers, prepare the seasoned bell peppers on the baking sheet and bake for five minutes. You’ll be able to skip this step if you’d like extra of a crunch.
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Make the filling. Stir collectively the cream cheese, bitter cream, chives, garlic powder, and half of the cheddar cheese till properly mixed. Style and season with salt and pepper if desired.
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Assemble. Stuff every pepper with 2 teaspoons of the filling and re-arrange them on the baking sheet, filling-side up. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheddar cheese.
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Bake. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the oven off after which activate the broiler. Broil the peppers for 1-2 minutes or till golden brown.
Serving: 1piece | Energy: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fats: 3g | Saturated Fats: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in keeping with the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
