I lovelovelove a good appetizer – receipts here, here and here – and football season seems to bring out the best of them. Jalapeño poppers have never really been my thing. My palate’s a great big chicken when it comes to anything more than the suggestion of spice. (I’m trying to grow up, but IT BURNS!) My husband mocks my disdain for the painful spice and makes it his mission to seek out the hottest, nastiest, peppery stuff. Me, I’m good with these sweet mini peppers.
What do you get when a bell pepper has a baby pepper with a hot pepper? You get mini sweet peppers, which are just as their name implies, mini peppers that are sweet, not spicy. Just my style.
They’re great roasted, pan seared and stuffed. My Creamy Chorizo-Stuffed Mini Peppers are always a crowd favorite. The chorizo adds a hint of spice but the cream cheese and cheddar soften the blow. They make the perfect snack for impromptu get togethers or game day spreads.
You can get ahead of the game by mixing your filling ahead and even stuffing peppers up to a day before you want to cook them. Cover the stuffed pepper halves with plastic wrap or in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Set them out for about 30 minutes before you want to cook them. Learning to stuff mini peppers is easy-peasy. Here’s how.
How to Stuff Mini Peppers
1. Rinse peppers thoroughly and pat them completely dry. This is important because excess water will make your peppers soggy.
2. Cut each pepper in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds and membrane in each pepper.
3. Use a spoon or piping bag to fill each pepper half. Use only fully-cooked ingredients in your filling. Mini peppers cook quickly, not enough time to fully cook any raw proteins in your filling.
4. Bake just until filling is heated through, about 10 minutes. This is all the time your mini peppers need to soften to perfection.
5. Let Stuffed Peppers cool five minutes before serving. Piping hot, cheesy filling will be unkind to your tastebuds.
Check out other simple appetizers here.
TIPS:
You can choose a mild or spicy chorizo depending on your taste.
Don’t forget to set aside 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheddar to sprinkle on top of your peppers just before baking.
Let the peppers cool for a few minutes before serving. The cheesy filling is too hot right out of the oven.
TOOLS:
Baking Sheet
Spoon
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TECHNIQUES:
Cooking Chorizo
Mixing filling
Chorizo-Stuffed Mini-Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 pound mini sweet peppers (about 15)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 ounces chorizo
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Rinse mini peppers and pat dry. Cut each one in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Arrange peppers on baking sheet lined with foil.
- Cook chorizo in a sauté pan over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break the sausage into small pieces. Cook until chorizo is cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Mix cream cheese, cooled chorizo and all but 2 tablespoons shredded cheese together in bowl of a mixer with a pinch each of salt and pepper.
- Divide filling evenly between peppers, using a spoon to fill them completely. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese.
- Bake until filling is hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool five minutes before serving.
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