Roasted Goat Cheese Peppers (Printable)
Creamy goat cheese stuffed into sweet mini peppers and roasted until golden—an effortless Mediterranean appetizer.
# What You Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 16 mini sweet peppers
→ Filling
02 - 7 oz fresh goat cheese, softened
03 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
04 - 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
05 - 1 garlic clove, minced
06 - 1 tbsp olive oil
07 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
08 - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
→ Garnish
09 - 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)
10 - 1 tsp lemon zest
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - Wash and dry the mini peppers thoroughly. Slice each pepper lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and membranes, keeping the stems intact for a polished presentation.
03 - In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened goat cheese, finely chopped parsley, chives, minced garlic, olive oil, black pepper, and sea salt. Stir until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
04 - Spoon the goat cheese mixture into each pepper half, filling generously. Smooth the top with a small spatula or the back of a spoon for an even finish.
05 - Place the stuffed peppers cut side up on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly to allow proper roasting.
06 - Roast in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the filling is lightly golden on top.
07 - Transfer the roasted peppers to a serving platter. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and lemon zest. Serve warm or at room temperature.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- They look effortlessly elegant but come together in under 35 minutes from start to finish.
- The creamy tang of goat cheese against the sweet roasted pepper is one of those flavor combinations that never gets old.
02 -
- If the goat cheese is cold it will tear the pepper walls when you try to stuff them so always soften it first.
- Watch the pine nuts like a hawk when toasting because they go from blonde to burnt in seconds flat.
03 -
- Dry the peppers thoroughly after washing because any trapped moisture makes the filling watery and the bottoms soggy.
- A small piping bag or zip top bag with the corner snipped off fills the peppers faster and neater than a spoon ever will.