These Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke and Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers make a simple Italian-inspired vegetarian appetizer. They're delicious raw, and equally good when served slightly warmed. Keto-friendly!
For my next gathering, I'm planning to serve up these fresh and tasty Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke and Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers to whet their appetite and keep everyone happy until dinner is ready. Sometimes I worry that I'm going to leave my guests hungry while I'm in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on my main course!
These cheese stuffed mini peppers can be made well ahead of serving time and whipped out as soon as your guests arrive. My kind of appetizer!
Creamy cheese, spiked with tangy sun-dried tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts, all stuffed in a cute little crisp pepper cup make a super tasty (and super easy) Italian-inspired appetizer. 
I get pretty excited when these mini peppers arrive in local stores. To me it means that Spring must be here, despite the weather! While I love just snacking on them whole, they're also fun to experiment with and stuff with different fillings.
Can I make these Italian stuffed mini peppers ahead of time?
Yes! When I'm preparing dinner for a group, I like to have appetizers and desserts that can be made in advance. This one is ideal! You can prepare the cheese mixture a few days before. You can also cut and remove the seeds from the mini peppers well in advance.
As long as they are stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator they'll be fine. The mini pepper cups can be stuffed several hours before serving time. Just sprinkle some fresh chives on top before offering them to your guests. How easy is that?
Instructions
Use a mini food processor (if you have one, and if not, just some good arm power) to combine equal parts of creamy goat cheese and cream cheese. I had originally planned to use goat cheese only, but the brand I bought was so strongly flavoured that I decided to tone it down with cream cheese.
Add the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and quartered marinated artichoke hearts and pulse until the filling is smooth and creamy. Set the filling aside while you prepare the peppers, or refrigerate if you're making it in advance.
Next, lay the mini peppers down and find where they balance naturally. If not, they tend to wobble uncontrollably on the serving dish. Cut a triangle from the side facing up. Often these cut-out pieces will be large enough to fill as well.
Remove the seeds and the white pith.
At this point, you can either store them in an airtight container in the fridge or go ahead and fill them with the cheese mixture if you are serving them that day.
Serve raw or warmed
These vegetarian keto-friendly stuffed peppers are fabulous served raw. I like the contrast of the soft, creamy cheese in the crisp pepper. However, they're also really good when heated under the broiler for a few minutes. Just watch carefully and leave them just long enough for the cheese to be warmed through and slightly melted. Delish!
And if you're looking for more appetizer ideas for your friends and family to snack on before dinner, check out these appetizer recipes.
📖 Recipe
Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke and Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 mini bell peppers
- ¼ cup creamy goat cheese
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- 2 oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
- 2 marinated artichoke heart quarters
Instructions
- Slice bell peppers in half, remove seeds.
- Combine both types of cheese, sun dried tomatoes and marinated artichokes in a food processor, pulsing until well combined.
- Spoon into mini pepper halves. Garnish with fresh chives or fresh oregano and serve OR place on a baking tray and broil in the oven for a few minutes, just until cheese is slightly warm.
Nutrition
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