These fun little appetizers are so easy to make and sure to please a crowd. Little mini peppers get stuffed with a mixture of tangy goat cheese, salty parmesan, and crunchy walnuts and baked until the cheese is soft and melty and the peppers are slightly charred. Top it off with some quick pickled jalapenos and a drizzle of honey for a yummy sweet, salty, spicy bite!
Ingredient highlight
Goat cheese! This soft, tangy cheese is made with goat milk, which many people find easier to digest than cows milk because it contains smaller fat molecules and a lower lactose content. It’s also a good source of calcium, protein, and B vitamins.
Servings 4
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb mini peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds removed*
- 1 (4 oz) log goat cheese or chevre
- ½ cup finely chopped raw walnuts
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 jalapeño (or other spicy pepper), thinly sliced**
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey, for drizzling
- *If you can’t find mini peppers, you could also make this using a regular bell pepper (I tried this and it worked fine, it’s just not as easy to pick up). Just cut it into slabs and press the goat cheese filling on top.
- **Easily sub this with jarred pickled jalapeños.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the peppers on the baking sheet, cut-side-up.
- In a medium bowl, add the goat cheese, walnuts, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix until combined so you end up with loose crumbles.
- Divide the cheese mixture between the peppers, filling each just below the brim and gently pressing it without packing it in (if you pack it in too much, you’ll run out of cheese!). If you end up having not enough filling for the amount of peppers, you can fill the remaining peppers with any kind of cheese or set them aside.
- Drizzle a bit of oil over the peppers. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is starting to turn golden brown on top and peppers are charred on the edges.
- Meanwhile, in a medium jar or bowl, add the jalapeño and enough apple cider vinegar to cover. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Top each pepper with a jalapeño and drizzle of honey.
- These are best warm, but also delicious at room temp.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Halve and de-seed 1 lb mini peppers
- Mix together to goat cheese filling
- Thinly slice 1 jalapeno and soak in vinegar
- Fill the peppers with the cheese mixture so they are ready to be baked when you want to eat them!
- You could bake these ahead as well and just warm them up to serve.
Substitutions:
- To make this dairy-free, you could use a dairy-free soft cheese in place of goat cheese and just skip the parm or sub parm with another dairy-free grated cheese.
- To make nut-free, skip the walnuts and add a bit of extra parmesan and/or goat cheese.
- Skip the jalapeno if you don’t want the spice. You could put anything pickled on top in place of the jalapeno – like a dill pickle or pepperoncini…
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- To warm up leftovers, pop them into the microwave for about 15-30 seconds to warm them up. You could also warm them gently in a 300F oven for about 10-15 minutes.
- Make a simple dinner plate with leftovers: stuffed peppers, sauteed greens, grilled/cooked sausage or other protein + cooked grains or avo toast.
leave your comments!