Goat Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers (Print version)
Creamy goat cheese stuffed into sweet mini peppers and roasted golden for a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
# What goes in:
→ Vegetables
01 - 16 mini sweet peppers
→ Filling
02 - 6 oz fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
03 - 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
04 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
05 - 1 garlic clove, minced
06 - 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
07 - 1 tsp lemon zest
08 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1/4 tsp sea salt
→ Garnish
10 - 1 tbsp pine nuts (optional), toasted
11 - Fresh herbs, to serve
# Cooking steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Wash the mini peppers thoroughly. Slice each pepper lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and membranes, keeping the halves intact.
03 - In a mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese, chives, parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, black pepper, and salt. Stir until smooth and well blended.
04 - Generously fill each pepper half with the goat cheese mixture using a spoon or piping bag.
05 - Place the stuffed peppers on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly.
06 - Roast in the preheated oven for 18–20 minutes until the peppers are tender and the cheese is slightly golden on top.
07 - Remove from the oven. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and additional fresh herbs if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
# Tips from flavorandfeast:
01 -
- These come together in barely half an hour and disappear even faster at any gathering.
- The combination of tangy melted goat cheese and sweet roasted peppers is the kind of contrast that makes people close their eyes when they bite into one.
02 -
- Overfilling the peppers will cause the cheese to spill over the edges during roasting, so a generous but controlled amount works best.
- Toasting pine nuts in a dry pan for just two minutes transforms them from waxy to nutty, but watch them carefully because they burn in seconds.
03 -
- Use a piping bag or a zip top bag with the corner snipped off to fill the peppers quickly and without mess.
- Let the goat cheese sit at room temperature for twenty minutes before mixing so it blends smoothly without stubborn lumps.