By Made with just a handful of ingredients, these cottage cheese stuffed mini peppers are an easy and delicious appetizer. They pack in a protein punch thanks to goat cheese and cottage cheese. Add a bit of spice from jalapenos, and you have the perfect party-ready recipe!
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My good friend came up with this stuffed pepper recipe based on one she loves with cream cheese. It's a super easy app that pairs sweet peppers (made even sweeter from baking) with a little heat from jalapenos, all wrapped up in a creamy mixture of cottage cheese, goat cheese, and parmesan. What's not to love?!
Jump to:
- let's get the party started!
- ingredient notes & substitutions
- high protein ingredient spotlight: goat cheese
- here's how to make cottage cheese stuffed peppers (with photos & video)
- expert tips
- can you eat these cold?
- variations
- make these ahead of time!
- how to store them
- more ways to use cottage cheese
- Recipe
let's get the party started!
- Make-ahead friendly: You can easily make this recipe 3 days in advance and just store it in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
- Customize them: If you don't like jalapenos, swap them with fresh herbs or onions.
- Classic flavors: Who doesn't like sweet peppers and a creamy filling?! It's like our high-protein spinach artichoke dip in handheld form.
ingredient notes & substitutions
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Mini pepper: These are sweeter and already app-sized!
- Goat cheese: This is higher in protein than cream cheese and just plain delicious!
- Parmesan: It's super important to use fresh grated parmesan here. Otherwise, when it melts, it becomes rubbery due to the anti-caking agent that's put on shredded cheese.
- Garlic: Lots and lots of fresh garlic!
- Jalapenos: Be sure to deseed this. I also like to taste each one to see just how spicy it is. Jalapenos vary widely in their spice level and this recipe was designed using a pretty spicy jalapeno.
- Salt and pepper
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
high protein ingredient spotlight: goat cheese
Whether you're just snacking on it or using it to make bacon-wrapped yogurt dates, goat cheese is a great choice! It's high in protein (3x higher) than cream cheese. It's also lower in carbs and just plain delicious!
here's how to make cottage cheese stuffed peppers (with photos & video)
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe!
- Mix together the three types of cheese, seasonings, garlic, and jalapeno using a hand mixer.
- Slice and deseed the peppers and stuff them with the cheese mixture.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melty. Then enjoy! You can also add a drizzle of balsamic drizzle for extra zing!
quick recipe video
expert tips
- Shred your own cheese! Seriously, if you use pre-shredded cheese these will become rubbery!
- Don't overbake: Cottage cheese has a lot of moisture, so if you bake it too long, this can run out of the pepper.
can you eat these cold?
Sure! And they are delicious cold! I like them baked because the peppers become even sweeter but you can totally eat them cold.
variations
- Lasagna peppers: Try this recipe but instead of goat cheese, add ground beef and marinara sauce.
- Pizza poppers: Swap the goat cheese with diced pepperoni.
- Use full-sized bell peppers: While not as sweet, you can use full-sized peppers and either of the combos above for a high-protein dinner.
- Boursin stuffed peppers: This herby cheese is delicious in place of goat cheese, too. Very similar to our stuffed boursin spaghetti squash.
make these ahead of time!
You can easily prep these stuffed peppers up to 3 days in advance. Just store them in an airtight container and pop them directly into the oven when ready.
how to store them
- Fridge: You can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Pop these in the oven or air fryer to reheat them.
more ways to use cottage cheese
If you have leftover cottage cheese, we've got plenty of recipes to use it up in! Try our cottage cheese meatballs for a hearty dinner or cottage cheese buffalo chicken dip for an app. For breakfast, you can make our reader's favorite bacon cottage cheese egg bake. And for dessert - high protein tiramisu!
Recipe
cottage cheese stuffed mini peppers
Ingredients
Before you start!
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Cut the 1 lb mini peppers in half length wise and remove the seeds.
- Add the 4 oz goat cheese, ¾ cup parmesan, ½ cup cottage cheese, and 2 cloves garlic to a blender and blend until mostly smooth. A food processor works well for this too.
- In a bowl, mix the cheese mixture with ¼ teaspoon salt, diced 1 jalapeno, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Stuff each pepper half with 2ish tablespoons of the cheese mixture.
- Spray with olive oil and then bake for 10 minutes or until golden and melty. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
You can easily prep these stuffed peppers up to 3 days in advance. Just store them in an airtight container and pop them directly into the oven when ready. storage
They will last in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer. you can eat these cold!
While I love them baked, you can just enjoy these as a cold app too.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
Simply delicious! Balance of texture, crunch, and savory. Addicting!