Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese
Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese come together in just 3 steps! These little peppers are grilled until softened and charred, then filled with tangy goat cheese and herbs. A quick and easy summer appetizer or side dish for any meal!
An Addictive Grilled Summer Appetizer
These Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese are so addictive that I’m positive my family helps to sustain the mini sweet pepper market every summer! We make these at least once a week during grilling season. Everyone loves these, including our kids – this is one of our family’s favorite grilling recipes.
To be fair, my husband deserves all credit for this recipe. A number of years ago, he found a jar of goat cheese cubes marinating in olive oil, rosemary, and smoked salt at the store’s cheese counter. He grabbed some mini sweet peppers and treated me to some amazing cheese-stuffed mini sweet peppers for Mother’s Day.
The whole family fell in love, and I knew I needed to figure out a way to make them regularly – without splurging on a tiny jar of marinated goat cheese each week. You’re gonna LOVE this easy, delicious recipe!
A bit of experimenting later, I have now perfected the recipe for the BEST Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese! No specialty cheese needed, just some basic goat cheese, fresh herbs, flaky smoked salt, and mini sweet peppers!
This recipe has become a summertime staple at our house. It’s a hit not only for my family, but also for any BBQ or get-together with friends too. It’s impossible for anyone to eat just one!
What You’ll Need
There are just 6 ingredients in these stuffed mini peppers – including salt and pepper!
- Mini Sweet Peppers – If you can, get these fresh from the farmer’s market for an extra special summer treat. Otherwise I can always find these peppers at any grocery store.
- Olive oil – For coating the peppers before grilling.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – Just a pinch of each to bring out the other flavors.
- Goat cheese – Since we’re adding fresh herbs, basic unflavored goat cheese is perfect.
- Fresh rosemary & thyme – This is my personal favorite flavor combination. Fresh basil is another tasty option.
- Maldon® Smoked Sea Salt Flakes – This is the key to creating the smoky flavor.
How To Make Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese
There’s just 3 steps to making these easy summer appetizers. You can have these ready to serve in very little time!
- Preheat grill & oil the grates. Heat grill to medium to medium-high heat. Make sure grates are scrubbed clean and then oiled.
- Grill mini peppers. Place peppers cut-side down on hot grill grates. Once the peppers are charred to your liking, flip to grill the other side of the peppers. Remove to a baking dish, open side up.
- Stuff peppers. Add a small amount of goat cheese to the center of each pepper. Sprinkle with rosemary, thyme, and smoked sea salt – We LOVE the large flakes of this salt!
Tips for Success
Making these grilled sweet peppers is beyond easy! Here are a few tips to make them even better.
- Prep ahead of time. If you want to have these ready before guests arrive, you can prep the peppers and filling ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to grill.
- Do not grill them stuffed. As tempting as it might be to stuff the peppers before grilling…don’t do it! The cheese will melt too much and you’ll end up with a very messy appetizer.
- Grill over direct heat. For blistered peppers that still have their shape, make sure to grill quickly over direct heat vs for a longer time over indirect heat.
Serving Suggestions
I serve these mini grilled sweet peppers as both an appetizer and side dish. They pair well with almost any meat on the grill – I love them with these Easy Grilled Pork Chops. I’ve also served them with grilled chicken and burgers. This beer can chicken recipe is phenomenal with grilled peppers!
These grilled peppers filled with creamy, tangy goat cheese have been a HUGE crowd pleaser every summer, always the first dish to disappear at gatherings. Be prepared for everyone to eat several!
We most often serve these grilled peppers straight from the rimmed baking sheet, super casual, but when we want to have a bit more civilized presentation we arrange them on a nice platter.
How to Store Leftovers
Mini sweet peppers with goat cheese can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to enjoy leftovers cold or remove them from the fridge for 30 minutes to remove the chill. I don’t really recommend reheating, as the cheese will melt too much.
Can I Freeze Mini Sweet Peppers?
While I don’t recommend freezing leftovers, you can make it easier for your future self to make these cheese stuffed sweet peppers by freezing the cut peppers themselves.
Just remove the stem and cut in half. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet then transfer to an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese
These Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese come together in just 3 steps! These little peppers are grilled until softened and charred, then filled with tangy goat cheese and herbs. A quick and easy summer appetizer or side dish for any meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pound mini sweet peppers
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces (plain) goat cheese log
- minced fresh rosemary
- minced fresh thyme
- Maldon® smoked sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Heat grill to medium to medium-high heat. Make sure grates are scrubbed clean and then oiled.
- Cut stems off peppers, then slice peppers in half length-wise and remove inner ribs and seeds. Place halved peppers on large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, folding to coat evenly. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold and repeat.
- Place peppers cut-side down on hot grill grates. Once the peppers are charred to your liking, flip to grill the other side of the peppers. Each side should only take a couple minutes. When peppers are done, remove them to the rimmed baking pan, cut-side up, or to a platter for a nicer serving presentation.
- Using a small knife or spoon, add a bit of goat cheese to the center of each grilled pepper half. Sprinkle peppers with fresh rosemary and thyme, plus a nice amount of smoked sea salt flakes. Some of the salt flakes can be rather large, so lightly crunch them between your finger tips as you sprinkle, if desired. I've found that our family likes to get plenty of pops of smoked salt in their bites, so I tend to sprinkle fairly generously. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
To oil the grill grates, add some canola oil to a small bowl. Then fold a heavy paper towel a few times to make a smaller square. With tongs, grasp the folded paper towel and dip it into the oil until the paper towel is drenched. Then run the paper towel over the grates, repeating until all grill grates are thoroughly oiled.
recipe from Blake at a farmgirl's dabbles
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 274mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
More Easy Dishes on the Grill:
- Teriyaki Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple
- Margarita Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Grilled Romaine Lettuce
- Farmers Market Grilled Flatbread Pizza
- Grilled Chipotle-Orange Salmon
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This post was originally published in 2017, and then updated in 2021. This is one of our most-made recipes!!
can you prepare this the day ahead of entertaining?
I love smaller peppers like these and I love goat cheese. This is a perfect recipe for snack, appetizer, or addition to maybe grilled steaks! I love this recipe and can’t wait to make it.
I’m obsessed with those mini peppers. We grill them all the time and then drizzle with olive oil, balsamic and herbs. They’re perfect. This dish looks fantastic… always down with more goat cheese in my life.
I’ll have to try your balsamic method – I know that’ll be a hit with my family as well!
You didn’t “create this recipe” from a Pioneer Woman recipe, you copy and pasted it. You took her photos and her exact words. Super tacky and illegal.
Ok. My mistake. I see you wrote it for her site. Guess I’ve seen so many pins that are wholesale copied from others, but this isn’t. Sorry!
No worries, Al. I am a contributor to The Pioneer Woman’s “Food & Friends” section, so you’ll see a number of my recipes over there, with an introduction to them here on my own site.
I made these and they were soooo delicious! Genius & so simple. Thanks!
Wonderful! I’m so happy to know this, thank you!
These look so amazing!! Love ti for a party!
DEFINITELY a party pleasing recipe – I always make more than I think we’ll need, and they always disappear!
Anything with goat cheese has my vote!!
I hear you!!
How have I NEVER grilled mini peppers? And with creamy goat cheese? These are KILLIN’ IT!
They practically melt in your mouth – you will LOVE!!!
These peppers would make the perfect addition to any Labor Day menu!