Roasted Cheese Stuffed Chili Peppers

We recently had the cheese stuffed banana peppers appetizer at Frederick’s new Roast House Pub restaurant in Frederick.  Two of our favorite things – soft roasted hot peppers and cheese.  The hubster and I looked at each other and said “we can make these”.  And wouldn’t you know?  Our banana peppers and chilies just happen to be ripening in the garden.  Perfect timing for our own roasted cheese stuffed chili fest.

Here’s what we came up with…

Roasted Cheese Stuffed Chilies

Preheat oven at 375 degrees.

Prepare 12 fresh banana peppers or long chilies, or 24 jalapenos by slicing the tops off to fill from the top, or slice them down the side to fill from the sides.

Saute the following in a skillet until caramelized:

• ½ medium onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. olive oil

Add the caramelized onion mixture to the following ingredients in a food processor and blend smooth.

• 4 oz cream cheese
• ½ cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tsp. chipotle

Stir in the following ingredients with a spatula or spoon:

• 3 oz. crumbled bacon (we used the ready to eat crumbled bacon in a bag)
• ½ cup canned corn, sautéed in the skillet
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Stuffing the Chilies

– Add the filling to a Ziploc bag.  Press air out the top and zip closed.

– Cut one of the bottom corners of the bag to create a ½ inch hole.

– Twist the top of the bag and press out the filling into the peppers, either from the top (add enough filling so the top will stick when placed back on the pepper) or along the sides and insert a toothpick to keep them closed.

– Set the stuffed chilies upright in a chili roaster rack or lay them on their sides on parchment.

– Roast chilies for 40 minutes or until they’re soft and cheese is melted and crusty.

Variations

Can I just say “holy bajeebers” these things are GOOD! I personally would not change a single thing on this recipe; however, that would defeat the purpose of this blog, so here are a few ideas for variations.

Smoked vs. Baked.  They’re fantastic roasted in the oven, but just imagine them infused with smoked flavor on the smoker.  Everything is better when it’s cooked outside, right?

Bacon or No Bacon?  It’s hard to say “no” to bacon, but you can always swap it out for crab or shrimp, sausage, chorizo, chicken, ham or pork.  Or don’t add any meat at all.

Dip it.   Seriously, the filling alone would make a fantastic baked queso dip.  A guaranteed hit at any party.

Stuff More Than Peppers.  The filling could also be used to stuff just about anything that’s stuffable – peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, zucchini flowers, enchiladas, chili rellenos.

Mac and Cheese.  Stir it into some pasta and make a special baked mac and cheese.  Yum!

Double the recipe and it’s a party.  These Roasted Cheese Stuffed Chili Peppers are easy to make in volume, plus the stuffed peppers and the leftover filling will freeze well for later.   So start picking those garden fresh peppers and whip up a batch for your next social gathering, or in our case, a casual weekend meal for two.  Enjoy!

The best surprises come from happy accidents.