These Mini Stuffed Sweet Peppers are loaded with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. This is the perfect appetizer to make for a party or for game day and it's only 3 ingredients!
The first time I made this appetizer, I was pregnant with my youngest, and thought it would be a great idea to use jalapeños. They were the hottest ones I've ever eaten, and I am surprised to this day that they didn't initiate labor. Needless to say, I decided to switch over to mini sweet peppers and I never looked back.
This is my favorite recipe to make with mini sweet peppers and they are delicious with the sweetness from the peppers with the salty bacon. It is my absolute go to appetizer for football season.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- This recipe only has THREE necessary ingredients-bacon, cream cheese, and mini sweet peppers
- They bake low and slow and the result is AMAZING
- Salty bacon meets sweet peppers for a match made in heaven
- They can be prepped ahead of time and sit in the fridge for a while, so you can pop them in the oven and go back to watching the game
- This recipe is loved by all. Trust me, I have years of experience making it and I never have leftovers
If you're looking for more appetizers ideas, check out my Cowboy Caviar, Mexican Street Corn Dip with Avocado, Roast Beef Sliders & Spinach & Artichoke Dip.
The Ingredients:
Mini Sweet Peppers- These mini peppers are crunchy, sweet and bite sized. Look for the biggest ones in the bag, that are nice and wide. You will be able to stuff a bunch of filling into them.
Original Cream Cheese- The creamy inner filling for the peppers. Cream cheese pairs absolutely perfect with bacon.
Traditional Style Bacon- Wraps around the sweet peppers and cooks low and slow for a nice juicy and crisp bite. Use traditional, original bacon for this recipe. Also, use a regular cut, not thick. Thick will need to bake too long for the correct texture.
Salt, Pepper and hot sauce- Optional seasoning to add into the cream cheese for a flavor boost. For the hot sauce, I prefer the brand Cholula. The original hot sauce isn't too spicy, but it's thick and so flavorful.
Popular Substitutions or Additions:
If you love spicy, substitute the sweet peppers for jalapeño. You can remove the stems and seeds to avoid flaming heat. Be sure to wash your hands well after slicing these.
Want extra seasonings in the cream cheese? Try adding ½ teaspoon garlic powder with ¼ teaspoon chili powder or ¼ teaspoon cumin.
Looking for a little extra heat? Add in ¼ to ½ teaspoon of chili powder and/or a few dashes of hot sauce.
How to Make Mini Stuffed Sweet Peppers:
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Here are the step by step instructions on these Cream Cheese Stuffed Sweet Peppers.
Step One: Prep the Peppers & Bacon.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Cut the bacon in half in the middle of the strips.
Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stems. Try to cut them in a way that creates enough room to stuff with cream cheese. These little sweet peppers are always different shapes and sizes, so it can be tricky.
Step 2: Make the Filling
Mix the cream cheese in a bowl. Optional: Season with salt and pepper, hot sauce, garlic powder and/or chili powder.
Step 3: Fill the peppers & wrap
Fill the peppers with the cream cheese mixture using a spoon. You want to fill them a little less than full and flatten it completely out. Gently press a piece of bacon into the cream cheese filling and wrap around the pepper and back to the front.
You can use toothpicks to hold the bacon at this point, but I don't have any issues with the bacon falling off and I find them annoying to pull out after.
Step 4: Bake
Place the peppers on a baking rack over a cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes. This is important because it allows the grease from the bacon to drip down into the cookie sheet and the peppers won't get greasy.
Once they are finished cooking, remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips:
- When choosing the peppers from the bag, pick the bigger ones that aren't super skinny. These will be best to fill.
- Don't overfill each pepper with cream cheese. This will cause overflowing and a mess and you might not have enough for all the peppers.
- Choose original bacon, not flavored and regular cut, not thick.
- If you like your bacon nice and crispy, you can bake them for 40 minutes instead of 35 minutes. Just be sure to peek in the oven and check on them.
Recipes FAQs:
Yes! My dad is a vegetarian and I always make about 5 that are just cream cheese stuffed sweet peppers.
Mini sweet peppers are similar to bell peppers, but they are a bit sweeter than larger bell peppers.
You can find them in a bag at the grocery store in the produce section. I know Target and Harris Teeter both carry them.
Not one bit! If you are looking for spicy, substitute the mini sweet peppers with jalapeño.
More Appetizers You'll Love:
Recipe
Stuffed Sweet Peppers
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 peppers 1x
Description
These Stuffed Sweet Peppers are loaded with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. This is the perfect appetizer to make for a party or for game day and it's only 3 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1 bag of mini sweet peppers *You only need 8 peppers
- (1) 8 ounce cream cheese
- 8 slices of original bacon (Don't buy maple or thick)
- Optional: ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Cut the bacon in half in the middle of the strips. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stems. Try to cut them in a way that creates enough room to stuff with cream cheese. These little sweet peppers are always different shapes and sizes, so it can be tricky.
- Mix the cream cheese in a bowl. Optional: Season with salt and pepper, hot sauce, garlic powder and/or chili powder.
- Fill the peppers with the cream cheese mixture using a spoon. You want to fill them a little less than full and flatten it completely out. Gently press a piece of bacon into the cream cheese filling and wrap around the pepper and back to the front. *You can use toothpicks to hold the bacon at this point, but I don't have any issues with it falling off and I find them annoying to pull out after.
- Place the peppers on a baking rack over a cookie sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The baking rack is important because it allows the grease from the bacon to drip down into the cookie sheet.
- Once the stuffed sweet peppers are finished cooking, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- When choosing the peppers from the bag, pick the bigger ones that aren't super skinny. These will be best to fill.
- Don't overfill each pepper with cream cheese. This will cause overflowing and a mess and you might not have enough for all the peppers.
- Choose original bacon, not flavored and regular cut, not thick.
- If you like your bacon nice and crispy, you can bake them for 40 minutes instead of 35 minutes. Just be sure to peek in the oven and check on them.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: american
Keywords: stuffed sweet peppers, sweet peppers with cream cheese, bacon wrapped peppers
Rich
So good and addicting!
★★★★★