Best Mini Stuffed Peppers Recipes

MINI STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place halved peppers in a bowl. Add olive oil and salt; toss to combine.
• Mix goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, jalapeno, garlic, chives, and black pepper in a separate bowl. Stir until evenly combined. Spoon cheese mixture into pepper halves and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until peppers have softened and cheese is browned, about 15 minutes.

CRAB-AND-CHEESE-STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Cut the peppers lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds and ribs. If needed, trim a small amount off the bottom of each pepper half so that it will lie flat when cut-side up (making them steady is important so the filling stays intact during baking). Chop the trimmings into small pieces and set aside.
• Toss the pepper halves in a medium bowl with the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
• Stir together the softened cream cheese and reserved pepper trimmings in another medium bowl until smooth. Gently fold in the crabmeat and season with salt and pepper.
• Fill each pepper half with about 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture so it comes over the top of the pepper slightly. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Serve warm.

MINI STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the bell peppers in half top to bottom and remove the seeds and ribs. Set aside. Cook the rice in a medium saucepan following the package directions.
• In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic over medium-high heat, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the meat and remove the skillet from the heat. Combine the ground beef mixture, rice, tomatoes, black pepper and salt in a large bowl and mix until blended.
• In a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish, place the bell peppers cut-side up. Evenly divide the beef mixture among the pepper halves. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the Cheddar on top. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

MINI BELL PEPPERS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. Place peppers on the baking sheet and roast 8 to10 minutes (small peppers - less than 2 inches long - will cook faster), turning them over halfway through. The peppers should be soft but not charred, except perhaps in a few spots. Remove from heat and allow to cool. If there are some larger peppers in the bag and they haven't softened in 10 minutes, return to oven for another 5.
• While peppers are cooling, make filling. Combine goat cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until mix is very smooth, at least one minute. Scrape down sides of bowl and process for another minute. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch star tip.
• When peppers have cooled, slice off ends just below the shoulders. Carefully remove any seeds and membranes. The peppers should be intact, but sometimes, they split down one side. Place any that have not split upright in a small glass or cup to facilitate filling, and pipe in goat cheese mix. Lay those that have split on a plate, pipe on the filling and close the pepper around the filling. Arrange stuffed peppers on a plate or platter. Serve at once, or chill until 30 minutes before serving. Bring to room temperature so cheese is soft and creamy.

GARLIC AND HERB STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray.
• Cut each sweet pepper in half lengthwise, leaving stems intact. Remove seeds and membranes. Place halved sweet peppers on pan, cut sides up.
• In small bowl, mix Boursin™ cheese, cream cheese and ground red pepper with spoon until well blended. Place cheese mixture in small resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut 1/2 inch off 1 corner of bag. Pipe mixture evenly among pepper halves, about 2 teaspoons for each pepper.
• In another small bowl, mix bread crumbs, melted butter and pepper. Sprinkle each pepper half with about 1/2 teaspoon bread crumb mixture; gently press into cheese mixture.
• Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon Parmesan cheese on each pepper. Return to oven; bake 5 to 8 minutes or until tops are brown and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Top with chives. Serve warm.

MINI SWEET PEPPERS STUFFED WITH HERB GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Leaving the peppers stem intact, cut a slit from the stem to the bottom tip of each pepper and remove seeds.
• In a bowl combine the goat cheese, snipped herbs, garlic, salt and black pepper.
• Spoon the mixture into the peppers.
• On a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray arrange the peppers in a single layer.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until peppers are tender crisp.
• Arrange the prepared peppers into a pyramid shape on a small platter and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
• Enjoy!

AIR FRYER MINI PEPPERS STUFFED WITH CHEESE AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease; set aside.
• Preheat an air fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut a slit in one side of each sweet pepper lengthwise from stem to tip. Brush peppers with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place in the air fryer basket.
• Cook in the preheated air fryer for 3 minutes. Shake the basket and cook until peppers start to brown and soften, about 3 minutes more. Remove peppers and let stand until cool enough to handle; leave air fryer on.
• While peppers are cooling, stir together sausage, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, blue cheese, chives, garlic, and black pepper in a medium bowl until well combined. Mix bread crumbs with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl.
• Spoon cheese mixture into each pepper and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Place stuffed peppers in the air fryer basket, working in batches if necessary, and cook until filling is heated through and bread crumbs are toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Cool slightly; serve warm.

BROCCOLI & CHIVE STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cut peppers lengthwise in half; remove seeds. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, chives, salt and pepper; stir in broccoli. Spoon into pepper halves., Place on a foil-lined baking sheet; bake until heated through, 9-11 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 3-4 minutes longer. Cool slightly before serving.

CHEESY SAUSAGE-STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Add Jimmy Dean sausage and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until browned, stirring frequently to break up the sausage into small pieces, then drain. Remove the sausage and set aside.
• To the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and reduce heat to medium. Add diced mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms are softened and brown.
• In a bowl, mix the sausage and mushrooms with the rice and parsley, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Season to taste, and fill each bell pepper halfway with the mixture.
• Top each pepper with additional cheese, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Carefully remove the peppers from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

STUFFED MINI SWEET PEPPERS

Steps:

• 1. Cut peppers in two and remove seeds.
• 2. Brown sausage, drain and crumble.
• 3. Mix sausage with cream cheese and parmesan.
• 4. Stuff each pepper half with the sausage/cheese mixture.
• 5. Bake at 350 until brown on top.

TACO-STUFFED MINI SWEET PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper; set aside.
• Cut each sweet pepper in half lengthwise, leaving stems intact. Remove seeds and membranes. Place halved sweet peppers on cookie sheet, cut sides up.
• In medium bowl, mix refried beans, cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning mix until well mixed. Place mixture in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut 1/2 inch off 1 corner of bag. Pipe mixture into pepper halves.
• Top each pepper half with crushed corn chips. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender. Cool on cookie sheet 10 minutes. Top with chopped fresh cilantro.

MINI STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Rinse peppers in cold water. Using a small paring knife, carefully remove stems and seeds preserving as much of the top of the peppers as possible.
• Sauté garlic, onion and celery in a large pan with olive oil until soft. Add chicken broth to pan and increase heat too high. Turn burner off Just prior to boiling,.
• Add stuffing mix, Tuscany seasoning, parsley and shredded Italian cheeses. Mix all ingredients until well combined, softened and moist. You can adjust softness by adding more stuffing mix or chicken broth. You are now ready to stuff.
• Using surgical gloves, stuff the peppers with a teaspoon or by hand. Once all the peppers are stuffed, pierce them with a paring knife in several places. This will allow steam to escape, helping to prevent stuffing from oozing out.
• DO NOT oven bake the stuffed peppers. Cooked peppers need to soften but retain their texture. Oven baking will over cook them, destroying their flavor and texture.
• Place them in a large frying pan with an ample amount of olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté peppers on all sides, only turning them over as their surfaces begin to singe. Peppers should be softened but retain texture.
• Made too much stuffing? That's a good problem. Form the stuffing mix into a burger. Brown one side in the pan used to fry the peppers. Flip the stuffing burger and top the cooked side with more cheese. Covering pan as you brown the other side will help the cheese melt.

HERBED FETA STUFFED MINI BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Cut the tops off the mini bell peppers and take out the seeds and larger white veins; rinse out with water, then set aside.
• Put the crumbled feta cheese in a bowl and add the sherry; toss to coat.
• Mix together well the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, then add the mixture to the feta cheese and toss to mix them all well.
• Spray a large casserole dish (I use a large oval white Corning Ware) with an olive oil mister or pan spray.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stuff each mini bell pepper with the herbed feta mixture, making sure there's a good amount of feta in each pepper; place peppers in the casserole dish.
• When all peppers are stuffed, place cover on casserole dish and bake in oven for 30 to 45 minutes until peppers are nice and soft and the cheese is melted. If too much of the cheese melts out of the peppers, use a spoon to put it back in. :)
• Serve and enjoy!

CHEESE STUFFED MINI SWEET PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and halve the peppers and remove the seeds. Leave the stem intact so that the cheese does not ooze out at it melts--also for the cuteness factor. Mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan together in a small bowl. I used Emeril's italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs; if you're using plain, you will want to season with salt and herbs. Using a small spoon, stuff about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoons of cheese in each pepper half; no more than half full as the cheese puffs as it bakes. Sprinkle cheese and bread crumbs on pepper halves and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes depending upon how soft you like your peppers.

RICE STUFFED MINI SWEET PEPPERS(TURKEY)

Steps:

• First, prepare the filling. Put the onion in a medium frying pan, and without adding the oil, "sweat" it over medium heat, stirring often, just until slightly softened. Add the oil and when it is heated up, add the tomato paste and pepper paste. Stir to mix. Toss in the rice and sugar, and cook over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan, for 10-15 minutes. To check for doneness of the filling - take a bite on a rice grain: if it is soft on the outside and only slightly grainy inside, the filling is ready. Take care not to overcook. The rice will cook further inside the peppers. Remove the filling from the heat. Add the mint. Season with salt. Stir to mix and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, wash the peppers and pat dry. Cut a circle around the pepper stalk, leaving the circle attached. It will serve as a lid later. With your fingers, push the core of the peppers to the sides (because their core is tiny and the seeds are minimal, there is no need to remove them). Rub the inside of the shells with some salt.
• Fill the peppers with the rice filling half full (do not overfill - the rice will expand while cooking). Put the pepper "lids" on. If you like, you could place a small grape tomato under each lid. Arrange the peppers in a saute pan (large enough to fit all the peppers) in a slightly overlapping manner. Pour in the water.
• Cover and cook over medium heat, until liquid is reduced to oil and the rice is fully cooked, about 1 hour. Note that the cooked peppers should not be mushy and should hold their shape nicely. Remove from the heat. If you wish, drizzle some olive oil on top of the peppers. Cover and allow to cool completely (yes, covered). Serve cold. This dolma stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

MINI PEPPERS STUFFED WITH TUNA AND OLIVE RILLETTES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. Place peppers on baking sheet and roast very small peppers (less than 2 inches long) for 8 to 10 minutes, larger peppers for 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through. They should be soft but only charred in a few spots. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, in a mini-chop or in a mortar and pestle, pulse or grind olives, garlic and capers to a paste.
• In a bowl, mash tuna with a fork and work in olive mixture, mustard, olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, rosemary and thyme.
• When peppers have cooled, slice off ends just below shoulders. Carefully remove any seeds and membranes. The peppers should be intact, but sometimes they split down one side. Cut large peppers in half lengthwise. Spoon tuna rillettes into peppers and arrange on a plate or platter. Serve at once, or chill until 30 minutes before serving. Bring to room temperature before serving so that the rillettes are soft.

CHORIZO-STUFFED MINI SWEET PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat broiler, with rack in top position. Make a long slit down three-fourths of the length of each pepper, leaving stem attached. Stuff each pepper with 1 slice dried chorizo and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until peppers are blistered and browned on all sides, about 4 minutes, turning peppers frequently. Serve warm or at room temperature.

STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the peppers: Lay each pepper sideways on a flat surface and cut off the top so it's like a little hat for the rest of the pepper. Use a paring knife to carefully cut away any seeds stuck to the top. Use the paring knife or a small spoon to scoop any seeds from inside the pepper. In a large bowl, toss the pepper tops and bottoms with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon salt. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. When it is hot, drop in the pepper tops and bottoms and cook until they are browned and slightly wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Tilt the pan so the peppers spill out onto a baking sheet. Set aside to cool.
• Prepare the filling: Use a rubber spatula to spread the goat cheese over the bottom and up the sides of a medium bowl so that you can season it evenly. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt, the scallions and the pine nuts all over the cheese. Mix to blend. Taste to make sure the flavors are balanced.
• Fill and bake the peppers: Use a small spoon to stuff the peppers with the cheese mixture and then arrange them on a baking sheet with room between them. (Reserve the tops.) Bake until the filling is hot in the center, 8 to 10 minutes (test the center with the tip of a knife).
• Make the dressing and finish the dish: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Remove the peppers from the oven and drizzle with the lemon dressing. Top the peppers with the reserved tops. Serve immediately.

GARBANZO-STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a dry small skillet, toast cumin seeds over medium heat until aromatic, 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a food processor. Add garbanzo beans, cilantro, water, vinegar and salt; pulse until blended., Spoon into pepper halves. Top with additional cilantro. Refrigerate until serving.

BACON WRAPPED, STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• 1. On a foil-lined baking sheet, rub chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake @ 425 for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Set aside to cool. Place applewood bacon on a rack set over a cookie sheet and place in the same oven for 20 minutes. Remove when done but not crunchy. Slice into ribbons the short way and set aside.
• 2. Thinly slice the onions and mushrooms. Using 1/2 the rendered chicken fat, cook the onions over a medium-low heat until they are caramel in color, but not burned or crunchy. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Using the remaining chicken fat, cook the mushrooms over a medium heat until they are soft. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• 3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add flour and butter and cook or about 1 minute until it is a light amber. Add the ½ and ½. Once the mixture begins to thicken, add the crumbled Gorgonzola cheese about a handful at a time, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.
• 4. Remove the chicken skin and discard. Shred the chicken with your hands and add to the cheese sauce. Add the ribbons of applewood bacon to the sauce.
• 5. While the sauce cools, cut the top off of each pepper (remove as little as possible) and scoop out the ribs and seeds. Tightly stuff each pepper with some of the sauce mixture, getting them as full as you can.
• 6. Beginning at the open end of each pepper, wrap one slice of bacon around it the long way, making sure to cover the hole with the bacon. The bacon should meet, with a little but of overlap. Cut the excess of the slice of bacon and wrap it around the pepper the other way. (It will kind of look like you are wrapping a ribbon around a present). Secure the bacon to the pepper with a toothpick. Repeat for all the peppers.
• 7. Place the peppers on a rack set over a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees, or until bacon is done to desired crispness.
• 8. Serve 5 peppers with a nice tossed salad for dinner, or serve them on a platter as appetizers.