These Bacon-Wrapped Cheese-Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers were an irresistible little appetizer! Sweet baby bell peppers are stuffed with herbs and Italian cheeses and wrapped in applewood smoked bacon for a light but decadent feeling appetizer or snack.
One of my daughter’s favorite summertime vegetables are baby bell peppers. When she was maybe 3 years old, she plucked one right out of a friend’s hand and started eating it. My husband and I were shocked! At that age, we were struggling to get her to eat non-pureed fruits and vegetables.
To this day, we have no idea what made her steal that baby bell pepper, but we’re so glad she did. She gets super excited to plant baby bell pepper plants in our garden each summer, and is always thrilled every time she spots a new pepper growing. I usually plan to grill those peppers or enjoy them for snack, but Miss. Hazelnut rarely lets them get through the front door.
Needless to say, I usually have to buy my baby bell peppers in bulk if I want any for myself. Today’s baby bell pepper recipe was the result of a friend’s Pampered Chef party earlier this summer. I don’t have any of their cookbooks, but I had to say, the Pampered Chef recipes I’ve tried, I’ve all really enjoyed.
So this Bacon-Wrapped Cheese-Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers is my version of one of their recipes – ingredient list and techniques modified a bit for what we normally have in our fridge/kitchen. I made them for my girlfriend one weekend this summer (it was one of the few get togethers we’ve had that actually felt normal– goodness I’ve missed that!) and the batch quickly disappeared. The sweet peppers and sweet and salty applewood smoked bacon pair beautifully with the creamy, herby cheese stuffed in the pepper. Definitely a recipe we’ll be making again.
Recipe Notes:
- Ingredients: Two recommendations. First, use the straightest peppers you can find – those that have a bend in it are a bit harder to stuff. Secondly, the cheese works better if it’s grated, rather than shredded – the shredded cheese is a bit hard to pipe. If necessary, toss shredded mozzarella in a food processor or coarsely chop.
- You’ll need a thick plastic baggie, such as a quart-sized freezer bag. The freezer bags are thicker – a normal sandwich bag will likely burst.
- Prep Ahead: The entire recipe may be prepped ahead and left at room temperature. Bake just before serving.
Don’t forget to check out the other Farmer’s Market Week recipes posted today. Links are below, or you can search #FarmersMarketWeek on social media.
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- Bacon-Wrapped Cheese-Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers by Books n’ Cooks (recipe below!)
- Cheesy Tomato and Squash Casserole by Blogghetti
- Corn and Bacon Casserole by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Farmer’s Market Tortellini by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Garlic Scape Pesto by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Lemon Raspberry Buckle by Savory Moments
- Mexican Street Corn Pizza by Palatable Pastime
- Mushroom Ceviche by The Freshman Cook
- Orange Cantaloupe Smoothie by Making Miracles
- Blackened Steak Cobb Salad by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Pesto Chicken Lasagna by The Spiffy Cookie
- Root Beer Float Smoothie Popsicles by Our Sutton Place
Bacon-Wrapped Cheese-Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers
These Bacon-Wrapped Cheese-Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers were an irresistible little appetizer! Sweet baby bell peppers are stuffed with herbs and Italian cheeses and wrapped in applewood smoked bacon for a light but decadent feeling appetizer or snack.
Ingredients
- 12-16 baby bell peppers cleaned and tops removed
- 4 oz. chive and onion cream cheese
- 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 c. grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
- 6-8 slices applewood smoked bacon cut in half
Instructions
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Place a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a wire rack. Set aside.
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Place cream cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella, garlic and Tabasco in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Mix. If the cheeses don't mix easily, microwave for another 15 seconds. Stir to combine.
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Transfer cheese mixture to a thick plastic baggie, such as a quart-sized freezer bag. Pipe cheese filling into each bell pepper. Use a knife to push filling to the bottom of each pepper, and top off with a little more filling if needed.
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Place on baking sheet, propped up as best as possible so that the cheese does not come out of the peppers - they can lean against each other or you can use the tooth pick to help keep them upright (as in the photo directly above the recipe card). Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until bacon is cooked and getting crispy. The pepper will be hot throughout.
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Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving dish and serving.
This recipe was heavily modified from Pampered Chef
Oh my. Those look awesome! I could devour the whole batch. Love me some stuffed peppers.
Tried this recipe and hands down, I’m smitten as a kitten with it!