With a 4-ingredient herb and cheese mix, these Stuffed Sweet Peppers are a great appetizer for entertaining. Assemble them ahead and just slide them in the oven right before guests arrive for a warm, crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Quick and Easy Party Food
I'm bringing this recipe to you today (it's New Year's Eve for those of you who might be reading this from the future) because it's pretty perfect for those of us who are a bit burned out on holiday cooking. That's because, it's:
- Festive
- Fast
- Needs only 5 ingredients!
And here are those ingredients below. The secret really comes from Boursin cheese. Boursin is an herb and garlic cheese that basically begs to be spread over crackers and devoured, but in this case, makes a fast, easy filling for the peppers.
We add a few fresh chopped herbs and grated parmesan to boost the flavors, but truth is, you could skip all that and stuff the peppers with Boursin and people would still beg for the recipe.
Mini sweet peppers are all over my grocery store these days - sold in bags of about 20-30. They come in bright colors and are super affordable. Any peppers will work, but make sure they are sweet (though jalapeños would be great too if you like spice - just remove the seeds before you fill them).
Perfect Make Ahead Appetizer
Perhaps the greatest thing about this recipe is that you can make the whole thing ahead. The best sort of recipe for a party, right? Combine the ingredients in a bowl, slice the peppers in half and stuff them, refrigerate for up to 3 days! When the doorbell rings, slide these in the oven, and by the time you've poured everyone a glass of wine, they will be hot and ready to serve.
More Fun Appetizer Ideas
- Cheese Pinwheels with Crispy Prosciutto
- Crispy Baked Spring Rolls
- Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Brie and Balsamic Honey
- Crispy Baked Breadsticks
- Baked Cheesy Chicken Wontons
- Pretzel Wrapped Pigs in a Blanket
Favorite Tools
Herb and Cheese Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Half Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 20 Mini Sweet Peppers, measuring about 2-3 inches each (look for the bagged mix of sweet peppers in the produce section)
- 1 5.2 ounce round Boursin Cheese
- 3 ounces Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 2 stalks Green Onions, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoons Cilantro, finely chopped
- Salsa, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Turn on the oven's broiler (if prepping right before cooking).
- Halve the sweet peppers and arrange them, cut-side up, on a greased baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, combine the Boursin, parmesan, green onions and cilantro. Stir until smooth and evenly combined (if the mixture is very hard to stir, you can add a splash of milk or water to make it easier to combine). Spoon the mixture into the sliced peppers.
- Place the pan approximately 6 inches under the broiler and broil just until golden brown and heated through, about 6 minutes.
- Serve alone or with salsa for dipping!
Nutrition
Molly and Clara are all over Instagram this week, so the cat demanded her 5 minutes of fame. Here she is debating whether or not she'd like to pull the blog props down and eat some of those peppers.
Jen
These were a big hit at our Christmas Eve dinner! Even Hubby, who isn't crazy about Parmesan cheese, really liked them. I drizzled an extra pinch of Parmesan on top of each one before they went under the broiler. They need to be watched while cooking -- they began to brown and sizzle before the 6-minute mark. I served them with salsa but they are delicious alone as well.
Jess
Thanks so much for letting me know, Jen. I'm glad they even passed the test parmesan cheese test from your husband! Merry Christmas!
Jen
I took another batch to my family's home on Christmas day - another hit! "These are sooooo good!" I should mention that I omitted the cilantro only because my mom doesn't care for it; next time I will add chopped Italian parsley but even without it the cheese was very tasty. I served the leftover cheese mix with some small savory crackers -- another hit! I've already added these to next year's menu.
Sue
HUGE hit at our neighborhood get together. A great appetizer when you're trying to avoid carbs!! Agree with the comment regarding the time under the broiler. Watch them closely!
Crissy
This was such an easy appetizer, wow! I used Alouette cheese because it was way cheaper than Boursin. I used freeze dried green onion and left out the cilantro! So good to bring for Christmas dinner along with pigs in blankets! Will make these again for sure!
Jami Biwer
Delicious! I will be making these again!
Abbey
Used this same concept for easy jalapeno poppers! Combined boursin cheese and shredded cheddar cheese, then stuffed jalapeno poppers with mixture and baked/broiled. So delicious! Will definitely make again and ot made me want to try the sweet pepper version, too!
Jess Smith
I love the jalapeño idea!! So glad you liked these!