Goat Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers (Printable)
Creamy herbed goat cheese tucked into sweet mini peppers and roasted until golden and tender.
# What You'll Need:
→ 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, toasted (optional)
11 - Fresh herbs, to serve
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Wash mini peppers thoroughly. Slice each pepper lengthwise and carefully remove seeds and membranes, keeping the halves intact.
03 - In a mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, chives, parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, black pepper, and salt. Stir until smooth and well blended.
04 - Fill each pepper half generously 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 lightly golden on top.
07 - Remove from oven and optionally garnish with toasted pine nuts and fresh herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- These come together so fast you will barely believe something this elegant takes almost no effort.
- The combination of tangy goat cheese and sweet roasted peppers is the kind of flavor pairing that makes people close their eyes when they take a bite.
02 -
- Do not overfill the peppers or the cheese will spill out and burn on the parchment during roasting, which I learned the messy way.
- Letting the goat cheese soften at room temperature before mixing is the difference between a lumpy filling and one that pipes like silk.
03 -
- Toasting pine nuts in a dry pan takes barely two minutes and burns in three, so stand there and shake the pan constantly like you mean it.
- A piping bag with a wide tip makes stuffing the peppers significantly faster and looks much neater than spooning, especially if you are making a double batch.