Roasted Goat Cheese Peppers (Printable)

Creamy goat cheese stuffed into sweet mini peppers and roasted until tender and golden. A warm Mediterranean appetizer.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 16 mini sweet peppers

→ Cheese Filling

02 - 5 oz fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
03 - 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
04 - 1 garlic clove, finely minced
05 - 2 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, chives, or basil)
06 - 1 tsp lemon zest
07 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
08 - Pinch of salt

→ Topping & Finishing

09 - 1 tbsp olive oil
10 - 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)
11 - Fresh parsley or basil, to garnish

# How-To:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Rinse mini peppers, slice each one in half lengthwise, and carefully remove seeds and membranes.
03 - In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, cream cheese, garlic, chopped herbs, lemon zest, black pepper, and salt. Mix until smooth and creamy.
04 - Fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture using a spoon or piping bag.
05 - Arrange stuffed peppers on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
06 - Roast in the oven for 18–20 minutes, or until peppers are tender and cheese begins to turn golden.
07 - Remove from oven. Top with toasted pine nuts (if using) and fresh herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The entire thing comes together in about half an hour, which means you can decide to make it right before guests arrive and still have time to tidy up.
  • That creamy, tangy filling against the sweet roasted pepper is the kind of contrast that makes people close their eyes when they take a bite.
  • It naturally covers vegetarian and gluten free without anyone feeling like they are eating around a restriction.
02 -
  • Overfilling the peppers causes the cheese to spill out and burn on the parchment, so a modest mound is safer than a towering one.
  • Toasting pine nuts in a dry pan takes about two minutes and they go from golden to burnt in seconds, so stand there and shake the pan constantly.
03 -
  • Cream cheese straight from the fridge will not blend smoothly, so leave it out for thirty minutes before mixing or microwave it for ten seconds to soften.
  • If your goat cheese is particularly crumbly, add a teaspoon of olive oil to the filling to bring it together without diluting the flavor.

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