Cheesy Bacon Stuffed Mini Peppers — a simple, crowd-pleasing appetizer for any occasion. Sweet mini peppers filled with a creamy cheese and bacon mixture, baked until bubbly and golden.
Stuffed Mini Peppers
These Cheesy Bacon Stuffed Mini Peppers make an excellent appetizer or party snack. They can be prepared ahead of time and frozen, then baked from frozen when you’re ready to serve — convenient and delicious.
Ingredients:
Gather these ingredients before you start — they come together quickly.
- Mini peppers – typically red, orange, and yellow. Use a mix for color or a single color if preferred.
- Cream cheese
- Cooked bacon – chopped or crumbled. Bacon bits work if you don’t want to cook bacon yourself.
- Roasted garlic – or substitute 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – other options include Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or mozzarella.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Onion powder
- Sour cream – optional but adds a nice tang to balance the cream cheese.
- Green onion – for garnish and extra flavor (optional).
Supplies:
Make sure you have these basic kitchen tools on hand.
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon
- Stirring spoon
- Knife
Instructions:
Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, half of the cooked bacon, roasted garlic, ½ cup shredded cheese, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and sour cream. Stir until smooth and well blended.
Prepare the peppers. Slice each mini pepper in half lengthwise and remove seeds and membranes.
Prebake the peppers (optional). For softer peppers, arrange halves on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 7 minutes. If you prefer a firmer bite, skip this step.
Fill the peppers. Place the pepper halves on the baking sheet and spoon roughly 1 tablespoon of the filling into each half, adjusting for pepper size.
Recipe Tip
This filling works well in other vegetables too — halved jalapeños (for poppers), bell peppers, poblanos, or even hollowed Roma tomatoes make great alternatives.
Bake. Bake the filled peppers uncovered at 400°F for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup shredded cheese over the tops, then bake another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
Serve. Serve warm, garnished with chopped green onions and the remaining bacon crumbles.
Make-Ahead & Freezer Instructions
Fill pepper halves (prebaked or raw) and place them on a sheet pan in a single layer. Freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, place frozen stuffed peppers on parchment-lined sheet and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes before adding the final cheese topping.
Stuffed Mini Peppers
Equipment
-
Sheet pan
-
Parchment Paper
-
Measuring cups and spoons
-
Mixing bowl
-
Spoon
-
Stirring spoon
-
Knife
Ingredients
- 8 mini peppers (red, orange, yellow)
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (divided)
- 1 teaspoon minced roasted garlic
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
- 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
Instructions
-
Prep. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Prepare the peppers. Halve peppers lengthwise and remove seeds and membranes.
-
Prebake the peppers (optional). For softer peppers, bake for 7 minutes before filling; otherwise skip this step.
-
Make the filling. Combine cream cheese, half the bacon, garlic, ½ cup shredded cheese, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and sour cream until smooth.
-
Fill the peppers. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into each pepper half, arranging them on the baking sheet.
-
Bake. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese, then bake 5 more minutes until cheese melts and turns slightly golden.
-
Serve. Garnish with chopped green onions and the remaining bacon crumbles, and serve warm.
Notes
- To store. Cool to room temperature, then seal leftovers in an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- To reheat. From frozen, thaw in the fridge then bake on a parchment-lined sheet at 350°F covered with foil for about 15 minutes, or until heated through. For quick reheating, microwave individual peppers in 30-second intervals until warm.