Southwestern Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers
These stuffed mini sweet peppers have a perfect touch of the southwest. Spicy, creamy, crunchy and so tasty! What more could you want?
These little buggers are one of my latest favorites. They are so good and so addicting. Little tiny (and might I add, adorable) sweet peppers stuffed with spiced-up gooey cream cheese and topped with crunchy panko breadcrumbs? I mean, really–what could go wrong in this scenario?
Did I add that they are unbelievably easy to make? Granted, prepping the peppers and stuffing them is slightly on the time-consuming side, but let me tell you–they are worth it! If you want to cut down on prep, prepare the filling in advance and then stuff and bake the day of your event. Also, don’t stress too much. These are terrific hot out of the oven, but they also taste great as they cool.
And soooo adorable! These stuffed mini sweet peppers would make the perfect appetizer for a Cinco de Mayo party, or any other party for that matter.
Or for a midnight snack. Or a morning snack.
If you’re looking for more party-perfect appetizers, make sure to check out: Spinach Balls (I made these healthier!), Pepperoni Pizza Tortilla Pinwheels, Whipped Feta with Lemon and Dill, or Toasted Cheese Ravioli.
Needed for this recipe:
- Panko bread crumbs
- Sheet pan
- Sharp paring knife for prepping peppers
- Silpat baking mat or parchment paper
I updated this Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers recipe with a fun step-by-step recipe VIDEO! Make sure to watch it – it will make prepping this recipe a breeze!
Southwestern Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers
These stuffed mini sweet peppers have a perfect touch of the southwest. Spicy, creamy, crunchy and so tasty! What more could you want?
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound of sweet mini peppers
- 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar (I used white cheddar)
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cup peppers in half, leaving stems on. Remove seeds and ribs.
- In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese and taco seasoning with a fork. Fill each pepper half with this mixture, so it is level with the edges (not heaping). Place pepper half on a large rimmed sheet pan and continue until all peppers are stuffed.
- In a small bowl, pour melted butter over panko crumbs and mix to combine. Top each stuffed pepper half with these bread crumbs, lightly patting down to adhere. Return to sheet pan.
- Bake peppers for 15 minutes, turn oven off and turn broiler on. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until breadcrumbs are browned. Watch carefully! Cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 12 appetizer servings, Serving Size: 2-3 stuffed halves
- Amount Per Serving:
- Calories: 86 Calories
- Total Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Cholesterol: 18mg
- Sodium: 109mg
- Carbohydrates: 7g
- Sugar: 2g
- Protein: 2g
Verdict: Better than potato chips. Wait, did I just say that? No really, these things are so stinkin’ tasty.
Husband’s take: Ben loves these stuffed mini sweet peppers! So does my mother-in-law and everyone that tries them. I recently made them for a get together with some of my friends and they were a HUGE hit.
Changes I would make: Make more next time.
Difficulty: Slightly time consuming to stuff the peppers, but still so easy!
Update: My mom made these for a NYE party and she said they were a huge hit. She had some leftover filling and she said it was fantastic as a cold spread on crackers. So you could always make triple what you need and then enjoy it all week long.
PS: I love it when my mom makes and loves my recipes. And if you’re raising an eyebrow, don’t. She’s totally honest and she would tell me if she hated a recipe. She also texts me when I have typos on my blog, for which I am eternally grateful.
Hi, I'm Rachel! This site features a wide variety of recipes with one common thread: easy preparations. I love creating accessible and delicious food that will please the whole family. Hope you enjoy! (
These were great! I made this for church fellowship hour and they went quickly, even though I think I may have doubled or even tripled the recipe! You can put the panko breadcrumbs in a bowl and dip the filled peppers. Next time I’ll take the stems off though.
I’m so glad to hear they were a hit! Great tip about dipping into the breadcrumbs – I’m sure that’s a much faster method! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
These are so delicious!!! I have made them many times and they always disappear quickly. I find though that there is enough filling for a whole pound of the little peppers.
I’m so glad you like these! Thanks for the tip about using a whole pound of peppers. The filling is great with crackers, too! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Just made these and took them to a party the RAVES were huge and they were gone in no time even though there were many other dishes there!! The only difference I made was that I did not have taco seasoning so I used chili seasoning! IT WAS A HUGE HIT!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know. I bet they were delicious with chili seasoning! :)
I wonder if you could put the cream cheese filling in a sandwich bag and pipe it into the peppers…
I see bags of those mini sweet peppers in the store and always wonder what they could be used for…besides just cutting up. I love your idea of stuffing them like a mushroom. So tasty! I bet they would be good with a little chorizo thrown into that mix too…yum!
Love how dinky these are!
Wow these look fantastic!! What a fabulous spring app!
Ohh like jalapeno poppers but sweet! AWESOME! :)
What a great idea-yum, yum, yum!
these are MUST to every party
YUM! These look amazing. Definitely make some for Cinco de Mayo! :)
There is no way I can NOT make these. Loooooooooooove!!
I love the addition of the taco seasoning! They look great :)
I was just thinking that I needed an app for this Sunday that was more creative than chips and salsa – thanks for solving my problem!! :)
Ahh the taco seasoning is in full swing this week. Love this recipe.
Oh my gosh! I buy big bags of sweet peppers and also wonder, “what else could I do with these.”
So, thank you.
I’ll take 354534645.
We love these little sweet peppers and the filling sounds wonderful!
Fun!!! I love that you used the mini sweet peppers for these. So colorful! :)
I could probably eat the whole pan of these!!
These really are the cutest, I love them! The peppers are so fun and colorful, I need to find minis!