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.
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
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
60 Comments on “Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers”
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!