Southwestern Stuffed Mini Peppers

I can’t even tell you how many times I have made these tasty little Mexican morsels. They’re sooo good. And they make for an easy lunch, which is pretty much how I gauge the value of all recipes 🙂

They’re super easy to make and if you’re feeling extra lazy, you can even skip half the steps and ingredients and they’re STILL delicious! Whaaat?

Yes, it’s true. These are really good topped with breadcrumbs, cooked, and served warm. They’re also just as good if you skip the breadcrumbs, skip the oven, and just fill the peppers with the cheese mixture. Or hey, if you’re feeling extraordinarily lazy, you can just whip up the cheese mixture and dip the peppers into it rather than stuffing them. The world is your oyster! Or maybe in this case it’s more like your really lazy sloth.

Whenever I make this recipe I always end up with extra cheese mixture. Yet I never adjust the amounts because of one reason: I always end up with extra cheese mixture. Duh. I love to eat it with crackers or mix in a little salsa to make it dippable with tortilla chips. I’m a dip fanatic so there’s no chance that I would miss out on the opportunity to make a dip out of extra ingredients!

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SOUTHWESTERN STUFFED MINI PEPPERS 

98 calories for 2 pepper halves

4 SP for 2 pepper halves

Aren’t these cute?? They taste even better than they look, so you won’t be disappointed by these little sweeties!

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Set out 8 oz of cream cheese to soften (I used Kraft Philadelphia 1/3 less fat). Cut off tops of mini peppers then slice in half lengthwise and remove seeds and ribs.

In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 C of grated, sharp cheddar cheese, and 2 Tbsp of taco seasoning (I used 40% less sodium by Ortega). Stuff each pepper half with a small amount of cheese mixture, until level with the tops of each pepper.

In a separate bowl, melt 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter and mix in 1/2 C of panko breadcrumbs. Dip each pepper half into the breadcrumb mixture and press down to adhere. (You may not use all of the breadcrumbs.) Place the pepper halves onto a foil lined baking sheet. In case you haven’t noticed, I always line baking sheets with foil. I do enough dishes, why bother with having to clean a baking sheet too?!

(Let’s all just pretend we don’t notice the missing pepper in the bottom picture. I couldn’t wait, okay?!)

Bake for 15 minutes then switch oven over to broil. Broil for 2-3 minutes, until browned. Watch closely to prevent burning! Allow to cool slightly then enjoy! These made for a great little appetizer for while I waited for my vegetarian 7-layer tostada to cook! 🙂 So yummy!

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**Recipe adapted from Rachel Cooks

What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? I look forward to reading your opinions! 

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