When my day is longer and I crave something spicy to snack on, I give special thanks to these easy goat cheese-stuffed mini peppers. They are stuffed with sweet mini peppers with mild heat and a creamy stuffing that will leave you and your guests highly satisfied.
This savory stuffed mini peppers recipe is perfect for the party or the family(this ground turkey stuffed peppers are great, too). It also makes an excellent game day snack, although it is ideal for any time of the year.
Sweet mini peppers look in vibrant rainbow colors and turn out fabulous food at parties or get-togethers. Perfect to serve with fries or salad.
About this Goat cheese stuffed mini peppers
- Low heat. Are mini peppers spicy? They are nill to low heat, the same as the bell peppers. They are mildly spiced, which does not hurt your taste buds much.
- Easy. The process of making and the ingredients required for this recipe are minimal. It makes it easy to put these goat cheese mini peppers together effortlessly. Not to mention, prepping is so much easier. Make the filling ahead of time and bake it whenever needed, like this jalapeno poppers without cream cheese.
- Satisfying. Mini peppers come in various colors, including red, orange, and yellow, and filling them with goat cheese makes them eye-catching at the party table and excellent tasting.
The key ingredients
- Mini sweet peppers. These are mildly hotter than bell peppers or other types of pepper. These goat cheese-stuffed mini peppers are multicolored and small, an excellent fit for bite-sized appetizers.
- Goat cheese. Feel free to swap with cream cheese if you would like to.
- Garlic powder. An enhancer that boosts up the peppery flavors. If you are planning to use freshly minced garlic sauteed slightly before adding it to the cheese.
- Red pepper flakes. These add smokiness, are well absorbed by the goat cheese, and deliver a rich taste.
- Herb. I have used fresh rosemary. However, you may conveniently use dried rosemary in roasted mini peppers with goat cheese recipe.
How to make goat cheese stuffed mini peppers?
For the filling. In a small mixing bowl, add goat cheese, garlic powder, minced rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Mix until all the ingredients combine.
Prep the mini peppers. Divide the mini peppers into half with the broad side as the base. Remove the seeds if you prefer to mellow down the heat level.
Roast the pepper. Arrange the sweet mini peppers in a baking tray, with the cut edges facing upwards. Roast them in the preheated oven at 400° Fahrenheit for about 8 -10 minutes or until tender.
Stuff. Remove the roasted peppers from the oven and allow them to cool down for 10 minutes or until you can handle the heat. Then, start stuffing the inside with a scoop of goat cheese mix. Repeat for the remaining peppers as well.
Bake. Arrange them in a baking tray without crowding. Place the tray in the middle rack in the oven, and bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the range to broil for 2 minutes or until the goat cheese mini pepper's edges wilt.
Serve. Serve as an appetizer or as a snack.
Best to serve with
- Dipping sauce. The cool dipping sauce is ideal for calming the heat in goat cheese stuffed mini peppers. Try serving with Sriracha aioli, Boom Boom sauce, or spicy mango sauce.
- Fries. Good fries or chips make the snacking moment even better. If you're thinking to spice up a little bit more, check out these spicy tortilla chips, and spicy plantain chips.
- Salad. A fresh, simple, crunchy salad always plays perfectly. Try serving stuffed mini peppers with goat cheese with a side of fiesta salad, fresco salad, or spicy kale salad.
How long do stuffed mini-pppers last?
- Refrigerate. Store the leftovers in an air-sealed container lasting up to 3 days.
- Freezer. Freeze them to use within 2 months. And thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat. Bake in the preheated oven for up to 5 minutes or until warm. You may also gently reheat in the microwave.
Make-ahead ideas.
This goat cheese stuffed mini peppers, a delicious appetizer dish, is excellent to put together effortlessly. You need to focus on other things.
- Make the filling. Blend all the stuffing ingredients and refrigerate in an airtight container till needed. This stays good for two days in the refrigerator.
- Get ready with roasting. Roast peppers a day in advance and store them in an air-sealed bag or container.
- Assemble. Place all the roasted peppers in a baking tray and start stuffing with the stored filling. Bake until it's done; note that baking time increases to a couple of minutes if the pepper and the filling are cold.
Variations
- Bell peppers. This recipe can be substituted with bell peppers, other mild peppers like Cubanelle peppers, or sweet cherry peppers.
- Balsamic vinegar. Another popular variation of goat cheese stuffed peppers with balsamic vinegar. Just drizzle the vinegar and enjoy.
- Blue cheese. Substitute the goat cheese for blue cheese in stuffed mini peppers and serve a wide platter with multiple flavors.
Frequently Asked Questions
The narrow base must be only one reason for the roasted peppers with goat cheese to keep falling over. To rectify this, slightly cut down the bottom of the pepper(without making a hole) so that they have a flat base at the bottom.
Yes, they have minimal heat. If you have tried spicy food before and feel you can withstand its low heat, you're most welcome to enjoy the goat cheese stuffed mini peppers with seeds.
The idea is to match the pepper’s cooking time with the filling. The ingredients in this stuffed sweet pepper’s goat cheese filling need a few minutes to cook. Hence, we roast them beforehand and soften the pepper's flesh.
Despite roasting in the oven, microwave for a few minutes to save time. Place all the halved mini chili peppers in the microwave Bowl to do this. Sprinkle a little water and microwave for 2-4 minutes or until it becomes tender.
Recommended tools for making this recipe
- Paring Knife. Perfect for slicing open mini peppers and removing the seeds.
- Measuring spoons. Fill it with creamy goat cheese for an easy and precise way to stuff your peppers.
- Baking Tray. Where your stuffed peppers will turn golden and irresistible.
Printable recipe card
Goat cheese stuffed mini peppers
Ingredients
- 12-16 sweet mini peppers
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon rosemary fresh/dried
- 1 teaspoon roasted red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, add goat cheese, garlic powder, minced rosemary, and red pepper flakes.
- Mix until all the ingredients combined well.
- Cut the mini peppers lengthwise into half.
- And arrange them in a baking tray without crowding and the cut edges facing upwards.
- Bakethem in the preheated oven at 400° Fahrenheit for about 8 -10 minutes, or until it is tender.
- Remove the mini peppers from the oven, allow it to cool down for 10 minutes or until it reaches the room temperature.
- Then start filling the pepper's cavity with a scoop of goat cheese mix. Repeat for the remaining peppers as well.
- Again arrange them in a baking tray without crowding.
- Place the tray in the middle rack in the oven, and bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Then, set the oven to broil, and broil for 2 minutes or until the cheese's surface turns sligtly crispy.
- Serve hot with a salad or with a dip.
Angela
Love the flavor combination here and so easy to make! This looks like the perfect appetizer.
Luci Petlack
I had a dinner party a couple weeks ago and made this! It was such a hit. Thanks for sharing!
Sisley White - Sew White
Perfect party food for the festive season. Easy to make and even easier to eat.
Stephanie
I really like the combination of the creamy goat cheese with just a hint of spice from the peppers. I've actually had these with cream cheese before, but this is even better!
Tayler
I made these stuffed peppers for Thanksgiving and everyone loved them. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!