Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers with Sausage is an easy, impressive appetizer! Perfect for game day noshing or entertaining at home.
I used to go all out when entertaining at home. But I’ve grown wiser over the years. A stress-free hostess is a happy hostess! This stuffed pepper recipe is both simple to make and delicious!
Why You Must Make
The focus on entertaining should be on getting dear friends and family together, not setting the perfect table and serving a 12-course meal. Though I still aim to serve excellent food, I’d rather be a relaxed hostess than a crazy woman trapped in the kitchen!
- These super easy, cream cheese stuffed mini peppers with sausage are a cinch to prepare and will be the hit of any gathering!
- These are perfect for game day! Men (and women) love these!!
- You can prep ahead of time by cutting the peppers, making the filling, and stuffing. Keep them covered and chilled in the refrigerator. Extend the baking time to compensate for the cold filling.
- You might also enjoy this tasty Jalapeño Popper Dip!
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Fresh Tribelli Peppers – Sweet Mini Peppers that are found in bags in the produce department. Slice lengthwise and remove ribs and seeds.
- Mild Italian Sausage – Cook, crumble, and drain to remove excess fat.
- Cream Cheese – Have it at room temperature so it’s soft and easy to mix with the other ingredients.
- Cheddar Cheese – Shredded
- Parmesan Cheese – Grated. Look for real Parmesano Reggiano, not the green can on the grocer’s shelves.
Tips for Easy Entertaining
Every year, I host my book club, dinner club and have a 4th of July neighborhood party. Plus there are those family holiday gatherings as well as having friends over for coffee, food demos, and of course, dinner. I’ve learned a few tricks for easy entertaining.
- Be interactive in the kitchen. That’s where everyone gathers, so why not have your guests lend a hand.
- Set your table the day before. No need for fine china and crystal. My everyday white plates show off colorful foods like these gorgeous stuffed peppers beautifully!
- Supplement your menu with dinner rolls from the bakery, chunks of cheese and crackers from the grocery store, and never refuse when one of your guests asks to bring a dish!
- If you have some homemade refrigerator pickles in the fridge, they’re nice for a briny contrast to richer appetizers.
How to Make
- Slice the peppers and remove the seeds
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up.
- Cook and drain the sausage. Mix with the other filling ingredients
- Stuff the peppers.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes and serve hot!
Frequently Asked Questions
Slice them in quarters lengthwise and add to a crudite platter with a tasty dip, like Classic Guacamole. Make healthy nachos by using them instead of tortilla chips. Stuff with taco meat for mini taco bites. Make mini poppers by stuffing them with cheese and wrapping them with bacon.
They are also delicious roasted; remove the stem and seeds, season, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast at 400-425 until soft. Or add them to a tray of other vegetables of similar sizes and roasting time for a delicious medley of roasted vegetables.
When you stuff them, it takes about 12-14 minutes to heat up the filling and soften the peppers at 350 degrees. If you’re baking one of the many meatless mini pepper recipes, the baking time may be less.
Yes, they are crisp and delicious when eaten raw. Mini peppers are even sweeter than bell peppers.
Yes! Besides fiber, these peppers are a delicious source of Vitamin C, A, E, B6, and Folate. Plus they’re low in saturated fat.
You May Also Like
- Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Tomato Boursin Tartlets
- Smoked Salmon Platter
- Candied Bacon
- Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
- Cranberry Baked Meatballs
- More of my Best Appetizer Recipes
Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers with Sausage Recipe
Mini peppers stuffed with spicy Italian sausage, cheddar and cream cheese makes for a delicious starter for any meal!
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh Tribelli peppers (sweet mini peppers)
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage, cooked, crumbled, drained well of fat
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove ribs and seeds. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.½
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the filling by mixing the sausage, cream cheese, cheddar, and Parmesan together until well combined. Taste filling and add salt and/or pepper if needed.
- Fill the peppers with the sausage mixture. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
If any of the pepper halves won't sit upright on the baking sheet, remove thin slices of pepper from their bottoms to make them stable.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
2 stuffed peppersAmount Per Serving: Calories: 195Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 377mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 9g
63 Comments on “Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers”
Can I stuff and freeze the mini peppers and oven heat later to serve hot?
Hi, Wende, I haven’t tested freezing, then baking the peppers. It should work, if you prep and stuff the peppers, wrap airtight and freeze. You’ll need to extend the baking time, plus the peppers may not look quite as nice if not frozen, but they’ll still taste great. Hope you enjoy these!
These are really wonderful! And everybody loves those peppers. It’s nice to see a savory recipe amongst all of your sweet ones!
Liz, I agree 100% about entertaining. I’ve grown wiser over the years too.
These mini peppers are the rage. They are so versatile, and the colors really pop. Your cream cheese stuffing is delicious.
Velva
Can these be made on a grill or camp fire.
Hi, Tammy, Yes, it can be done if you have your sausage cooked and can use indirect instead of direct heat so they don’t burn. I think they’d need to be covered with foil for a good part of the cooking time so the peppers get tender. Good luck and have fun!!
I have made this several times and have varied the meat and used different types of cheese.. love it.. when it comes to stabilizing the peppers.. I take one pepper and slice it thin. Put one slice on each side of the pepper.. after baking you can take the little helpers and put them right on top for a little extra flavor. How fun is that!
Love that tip, Ali!!! Thanks for sharing.
Can you make the stuffing ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to use?
Yes, that should work fine. Hope you enjoy, Tina!
These look so creamy and delicious! Perfect for the big game this weekend!
These look absolutely delicious and perfect for this weekend. Definitely going to have to make these.
These easy and cheesy poppers make the best little snacks! So creamy and delicious!
So glad I had everything to make these! They were a delicious appetizer for us!
These are hubby’s favorite snack! He’ll be so excited to have these again! Can’t wait to make them!
Can these be made ahead and frozen? If so, do you freeze before or after you cook them?
Hi, Heather! Great question. I did not know the answer so I did a little research. Yes, you can freeze stuffed peppers, both uncooked and cooked, but cooked works better. Just make sure to cool them to room temperature before putting them in an airtight container to freeze. They should be good for at least 3 months in the freezer. To cook, you can place them in a 350 oven right from the freezer and cook until they’re heated through. Or defrost overnight in the freezer for a shorter cooking time before serving. Enjoy!
These are the very best. Thank you for such a tasty appetizer that all of my family and friends love. Another good one is large colored peppers stuffed with cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and cheese. Baked for about 20 minutes. Nice low calorie dinner.
I’m so glad, Jodee! And your stuffed pepper recipe sounds yummy, too! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
I made these for me and my hubby and they were delicious. I am making them again tonight for a party. I am sure everyone will love them.
I am SO glad you enjoyed them, Elizabeth! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
These were a hit and my best friend’s party last weekend! This is such an easy and delicious recipe!
I make these as my party appetizers all the time!
My kids really enjoyed them! So delish!
These were a total hit! So creamy and satisfying.
These little peppers filled with cheese are just simply ADDICTIVE. Made them for a gathering over the weekend and they were the first to disappear. YUM!
I’m all about being a stress free hostess! These are so yummy!
How is this “make ahead” when you still have to bake them before serving.
Maybe I missed words about doing this ahead??? Thanks for any help.
Or, maybe you mean do this a day ahead and then refrigerate and pull out to serve the next day????? Yes, I am confused, sorry about that. Please advise. Thank you.
LOL, I’m confused, too! I don’t see where I wrote that these could be made ahead (please let me know and I’ll add this information :)). But they certainly can be prepped the day before, placed on a baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to make them. I’d add a couple minutes to the baking time to make sure the peppers get a chance to cook and soften and the filling is warmed. Hope this helps.
These make the perfect, low carb snack or meal! I love it, thank you!
Sorry I didn’t know if I could edit so I’m double posting haha. Anyway my fiance said to let you know that this meal was hubby approved and he definitely wants it added to the list of meals I make regularly! Delicious!
Oh, I’m delighted to hear that, Sharon! Always fun to have a new meal to add to the rotation. Thanks so much for reporting back!
It’s in the oven right now. We can hardly wait! We went with brown rice with salsa mixed in it for our side. I may have added a tiny bit more cheddar than the half cup lol. Thanks again for the recipe, Liz. Will let you know how we like it. I can’t imagine us not liking it though.
These look great. I actually bought a pack of the big sweet peppers – one of each red, yellow and orange. We’re both going to have one whole pepper each so two halves stuffed with this delicious looking mixture with a side of salsa rice on the side. That’ll make a yummy dinner. Thanks for sharing.
What a great idea to turn this into an entree! Hope you enjoy, Sharon!
Well we were headed down the same path recently. I stuffed mini sweet peppers with chorizo and sour cream a few weeks ago. Love you combination of Italian sausage with cream cheese. Will make these next.
These little peppers are good on their own but you took them to another delicious level. Great appetizer for the big game!
I could keep popping those in my mouth over and over and over!
These peppers look yummy. They would be perfect for serving at a party.
I always have those peppers on hand – what a fun way to serve them up!
These are the perfect bites!
Thumbs-up for these stuffed peppers, dear! Posted something similar before but mine are wrapped with bacons. Love the yummy treats!
Liz, I’m with you – the hostess deserves to be happy too! And I know the guests would be happy with these gorgeous little bites! Wish I had a couple right this minute.
I have stuffed mini peppers before, but never with sausage!! YUM! What a fantastic idea. Perfect for football party season!!
This looks amazing!! I rarely buy peppers because I always forget about them at the back of my fridge. I need to start it up again!
I love stuffed sweet peppers. Such a great app!
My family eats peppers like they are going out of style! I cannot wait to try this recipe!
This is a perfect appetizer recipe, Liz! Excellent combination of palatable ingredient which make this dish a must try! 😉
Put a plate of these in front of me and they would disappear in about 10 minutes. And they are so pretty!
Yum what a great appetizer and so colorful too! Actually anything with cream cheese I’m a sucker for.
Those little peppers are so awesome to have on hand – we go through 1 to 2 bags every single week!
These colorful peppers are so festive! I bet they didn’t last long once guests arrived.
These peppers look wonderful, Liz. I love it that they are not breaded, why add the extra calories? I know exactly what you mean about going overboard hosting, I planned and prepared a sit-down dinner for about 10 (JT’s birthday) and I was literally in the kitchen for 14 hours. I was so exhausted at night that I hardly enjoyed the gathering. Now, I do things in stages, preparing days before so I’m not too tired to enjoy the festivities. We also have hired a lovely woman to help with receiving, making sure the plates are full and cleanup, I feel like a guest at my own party! I’ll have to keep my eyes open for these gorgeous peppers in April when we return to Arizona! 🙂
My dad would love these! He’s all about stuffed peppers!
I always eye those little peppers in the store with the intention of creating a perfectly compact bite of deliciousness – just like this! Gorgeous. GREG
Hi Liz, these mini peppers are perfect for entertaining, love the color and the fact that these can be made ahead of time. Pinned!
My husband would go nuts for these Liz! So pretty and colorful and I bet they are tasty too.
What a neat idea, love the idea of sausage, and particularly Italian sausage. Different flavor profile than you usually find with cheese-stuffed peppers! A nice change — thanks.
Very attractive peepers . Feeling everything beautiful & neat.
An appy that’s right up my alley! Love me some stuffed ‘penos and I still haven’t played with the mini colored peppers… Gotta get on that soon:@)
I bet these are very addictive!
These stuffed peppers look so inviting!
These little peppers are stuffed with cheese heaven! I love them!