It’s really easy to make your own Stuffed Jalapenos with Cream Cheese appetizers. Just a few minutes to make them, pop them in the oven, and you have a delicious appetizer.
Stuffed Jalapenos with Cream Cheese – a mixture of cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and sweet onions, baked until gooey and bubbly. Creamy and spicy, a great addition to any party.
I decided to make my Stuffed Jalapenos with Cream Cheese with red jalapenos because they were so pretty at the market. You can make these stuffed peppers with either red or green jalapenos.
Seriously, why buy the fat laden deep-fried ones from the store when you can make your own fresh tasting delicious ones in no time flat.
Fresno Chiles
Now, if you are a pepper expert, you may look at these Stuffed Jalapenos with Cream Cheese and say that these peppers are actually fresno chiles rather than jalapenos.
Fresno chiles look a lot like red jalapenos. However, the biggest difference between the two peppers is that fresno chiles have thinner walls than jalapenos. Stores will often label frenso chiles as jalapenos, and in all actuality, there’s very little reason to be concerned. Both are delicious and both will work great in this appetizer.
Like I said, you can make these stuffed peppers with either red or green jalapenos or fresnos. In fact, those cute little mini sweet bell peppers that I see at the store would be great for people who don’t want any heat!
What’s the difference between red and green jalapenos?
Red and green jalapenos are actually the same pepper, just that a green jalapeño is picked early in the ripening process, while a red jalapeño is left on the vine to fully mature.
A red jalapeño is hotter than a green jalapeño. The additional ripening on the vine means more capsaicin in the pepper itself. Capsaicin is what gives hot peppers their spiciness. I also find the flavor of the red ones to be sweeter and fruitier and less metallic-y than green jalapenos. So I often prefer to buy red ones rather than green ones because I like the flavor better.
Want to see red fresno chiles in action, hop over and take a look at my homemade sriracha recipe.
Want to see the scoville ratings chart with lots of peppers listed? Click over here.
Why are some of the same types of peppers hotter than others?
As peppers age, they can develop white stretch mark lines and flecks that run the length of the pepper. The stretch marks indicate the amount of stress the pepper has endured. That stress may be that the soil was allowed to get dry between infrequent waterings, or simply age on the vine. Those are indicators that the pepper will be hotter than a smoother younger pepper.
Where did the Jalapeno popper originate?
I did some reading, and it’s pretty unclear as to where they came from originally.
Are they a version of the Mexican dish, chile rellenos? Are they a version of the Texas Armadillo Egg? Maybe they’re a version of the Scotch egg? Stuffed peppers have been a main dish recipe for a long time.
According to Wikipedia, in 1992 Anchor Food Products applied for and later received a trademark for the term “Jalapeño Poppers”. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. All I know for sure is that they are delicious!
Stuffed Jalapenos with Cream Cheese Recipe
Stuffed Jalapenos with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- Red Jalapeños
- Cream cheese
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
- finely chopped yellow onion
- fresh oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ° F.
- Split the jalapenos in half length-wise, and remove the seeds and membranes.
- Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Place the cut jalapenos on the baking sheet, cut sides up.
- Cut pieces of the cream cheese block off in roughly the size of the cavity of the jalapeno, and place the chuck of cream cheese into each of the hollowed pepper halves.
- Top the stuffed peppers with a big pinch of shredded cheddar cheese, and sprinkle with chopped yellow onions.
- Bake in 350 ° F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and edges of peppers are browned.
- Carefully remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh oregano, and additional chopped onion and chopped red jalapenos as desired. Serve hot and melty.
Recipe Notes
I made this recipe so that it would be easy to customize. Having a big party, make lots of peppers. Making these as a snack to eat while watching the game, make maybe 6 halves per person. Easy to make this way.
Jennifer Salter says
Now this is the sort of stuffed pepper type recipe that I could get my husband on board with! Looks so yummy!
Crystal Faulkner says
I absolutely adore stuffed peppers. Thank you so much for this!
Carolyn says
Ohhhh this looks amazing, I can’t wait to try these!