Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers With Bacon – Perfect GameDay Appetizer

If you’ve been on the hunt for an appetizer that is certain to be a crowd-pleaser, these Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers with Bacon won’t let you down. From the first bite to the last, you’ll hear nothing but silence from your guests as they happily gobble up each and everyone on their plate.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers With Bacon Recipe

With the summer months winding down, and fall and football right around the corner, these Cream Cheese Bacon Peppers are the perfect treat to get ready for cooler weather. Nothing fills up the bellies faster than the combination and flavors of bacon, cream cheese, and peppers, and don’t forget to add just a bit more cheese as well to really sweeten the deal.

Perfect Game Day Finger Food

Perfect to serve as an appetizer or cook up and enjoy while watching the big game, these peppers will be a crowd pleaser no matter where they are served. The use of the mini peppers makes them bite size perfection that are truly fun and addictive.

How Long Does it Take to Cook Stuffed Peppers?

The great thing about this stuffed peppers recipe is that it only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cook. The preparation time shouldn’t take you longer than about ten minutes, so it’s a very easy recipe for a busy day when you are entertaining a crowd of people. Once the peppers are in the oven, you can focus on catering for your guests or working on the next dish on your menu for the night. If you choose to use larger bell peppers, these will take at least 20 minutes to cook but may need a little longer depending on their size and filling.

Ingredients for cream cheese stuffed peppers:

• 1 lb of mini sweet peppers
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 8 slices of bacon, cooked and diced
• 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

How Do You Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers – Step by Step:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

2. Slice the mini sweet peppers long ways and remove the seeds

3. In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese, garlic powder, green onions, and cooked bacon which will be the filling for your easy stuffed peppers. Make sure they are mixed together thoroughly, so you enjoy an even distribution of flavors.

4. Generously fill each halved mini pepper. Make sure each pepper is full to the brim and then you can smooth it over to create a nice look for the dish.

5. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top of each pepper. Add as much or as little cheese as you like to fit your tastes.

6. Bake 15-20 minutes and enjoy!

How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers

For anyone that likes the idea of this recipe but is looking for something a little more substantial, we recommend upgrading to using bell peppers. Stuffed peppers with rice are a popular option and create a filling main course that can be adapted to suit vegetarians and vegans. Follow these simple instructions below to adapt this recipe to create stuffed bell peppers:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice your bell peppers in half and remove any seeds and the stalk.
3. You’ll then need to decide what fillings you are going to add to your stuffed peppers. We enjoy using pre-cooked rice, ground beef or turkey, mushrooms, and tomato sauce, but you can remove the meat for a vegetarian stuffed peppers or vegan-friendly dish. Mix your fillings together in a bowl to combine the flavors evenly.
4. Spoon your filling into the bell pepper, making sure every corner of the pepper is filled.
5. Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on the top of your peppers, or use vegan cheese to create a plant-based dish.
6. Bake in the oven for around twenty minutes or until the pepper is tender.
7. Remove from the oven and serve with the side dish of your choice.

The great thing about stuffed peppers is that you can add and remove ingredients as you like to create the perfect dish for you and your family’s dietary requirements.

What to Serve with Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

While you could certainly serve this dish alone for your next game day gathering or as an appetizer before your main course, you could also serve this with a spread of other popular finger food dishes. They would go great with chicken wings, fries, onion rings, and other traditional game day food options. We also think nachos or a Mexican-inspired spread would work alongside this dish, as the flavors match each other well.

If you are serving these healthy stuffed peppers as a main course, consider a side of freshly-cooked rice alongside it, with Mexican rice being our top recommendation. If you decide to create stuffed peppers with rice inside of them, then add a salad or vegetables on the side for a complete meal. Sweet potato fries would be a filling side to add alongside stuffed peppers, and they will create a meal your whole family will enjoy.

FAQs About Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Is this dish suitable for vegetarians?

While our recipe above isn’t suitable for vegetarians due to it containing bacon, we encourage you to experiment with various vegetarian or vegan-friendly ingredients to create vegetarian stuffed peppers that would be suitable for your requirements. As the base of the recipe uses sweet peppers, it’s a very simple dish that would be ideal for any vegetarian in your family.

Our favorite filling options for vegetarians include cream cheese, zucchini, herbs, onions, and spices. Of course, you could add various other vegetables to create a delicious and nutritious game day appetizer everyone can enjoy. With the wide availability of vegan cheese alternatives today, you could also make a vegan-friendly dish without much effort.

Can you make cream cheese stuffed peppers keto-friendly?

It’s easy to make keto stuffed peppers by following a very similar recipe. If you are looking for a vegetarian and keto-friendly dish, just combine cream cheese and oregano for the filling and then add parmesan on top. If you eat meat, stick with the bacon recipe listed above.

How do you make ground turkey stuffed peppers?

Ground turkey stuffed peppers are one of the most popular stuffing options for bell peppers but are often a little too chunky for smaller sweet peppers. You’ll need to cook your meat beforehand, and then you fill the peppers with the meat and other fillings of your choice. It’s a nutritious and protein-rich dish that your whole family will enjoy.

What are Italian stuffed peppers?

Italian stuffed peppers are very similar to any other type of stuffed peppers, but you’ll use Italian herbs and cheeses to mix things up a little. Our favorite recipe for Italian stuffed peppers is to use sweet bell peppers, which will then be stuffed with ground turkey or chicken, a whole grain of your choice, and Italian herbs and topped with Italian cheeses. Each pepper will make a complete meal in itself and is a healthy dish you can enjoy all year round.

What garnishes can you add to this dish?

For a little bit of crunch, add crushed walnuts on top of the stuffed peppers. Alternatively, fresh basil or parsley makes a nice finishing touch for your peppers.

Can you prepare stuffed peppers in advance?

Unfortunately, this isn’t the best dish to prepare in advance. While you can prep the filling beforehand, make sure you cook the peppers just before serving.

Get ready to please the taste buds of your guests with this amazingly simple recipe. You’ll keep this gem in your back pocket for many meals to come!

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