Stuffed & Wrapped Peppers

Although these stuffed banana peppers are more typically served as appetizers, they are so filling they the made a main course at my house. They can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge, then popped in the broiler for 10 minutes before serving. Just be sure to serve them hot— but not too hot!

Stuffed and Wrapped Banana Peppers

6-8 Banana peppers
6-8 slices of bacon
1 cup whipped cream cheese (or regular cream cheese spread)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small onion, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 small jalapeño pepper (or other spicy pepper), diced
Salt and pepper to taste
toothpicks

Remove the stems, seeds and membranes from the peppers (use caution when handling the jalapeño!). Then slice each banana pepper open to create a little pocket for the stuffing.

To make the cheese stuffing, sauté the diced onion and jalapeño in a little olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the diced tomato and cook for 1 minute more. Combine the sautéed vegetables  in a bowl with the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, salt and pepper, and mix with a fork until well-blended.

Stuff spoonfuls of the cheese stuffing inside each banana pepper, then wrap each pepper with a slice of bacon, securing with a couple of toothpicks. Arrange the stuffed peppers evenly on a cookie sheet lined with tinfoil.

Set the oven to broil, and cook the peppers for 5 minutes on each side, until the bacon is browned and obviously cooked. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Thanks, Will Reed, for the suggestion!