Easy Baked Stuffed Jalapeno Recipe

Last Updated on December 18, 2020 by Diane Hoffmaster

Having grown up in New England, I did not see my first jalapeno pepper until I graduated from college and moved to Texas.  Honestly, I am not sure I had ever eaten a single spicy food for the entire first 18 years of my life.  When I got to Texas I was exposed to all sorts of wonderful new foods…some I loved and some I would never eat again if you paid me.  My all time favorite new food, though, was the stuffed jalapeno pepper!  If you are thinking “oh, I don’t like spicy foods” well, these are not TOO spicy!  When you make a stuffed jalapeno you have to first take out all the seeds and membranes inside.  That is where all the ‘heat’ really comes from.  The jalapeno pepper itself isn’t too spicy.  Sure, it has a little bit of bite but not eye watering, tongue burning kind of heat.  And once you stuff the jalapeno with loads of cream cheese and other fat containing foods the heat gets even more mellow.  Dairy is a particularly good way of turning off the ‘heat’ from your stuffed jalapeno!

I was looking for a stuffed jalapeno recipe that I could bake instead of fry.  While I LOVE jalapeno poppers like you get at restaurants, I just wanted something a bit lighter.  I do not have a deep fryer and the gigantic mess involved in making stuffed jalapenos that are deep fried is just not something I want to tackle at home.  Instead, once I stuffed the jalapeno with filling I gently dipped the top in Panko breadcrumbs.  They came out delicious although were a bit too mild even for my liking.  If you really like some heat in your stuffed jalapeno and your peppers are not hot enough just add a bit of cayenne pepper to the filling before stuffing.  And if you LOVE jalapenos check out these other Jalapeno Pepper Recipes!

PLEASE NOTE: If you have not worked with jalapeno peppers before please be careful!  Deseeding them can lead to a bit of eye irritation, skin irritation and God awful pain if you stick your finger in your eye without washing the heck out of it!  Wear gloves if you are particularly sensitive to them!

Baked Stuffed Jalapeno Recipe

Yield: 6

Baked Stuffed Jalapeno Recipe

Print

Creamy filling tucked inside a spicy, slightly crunchy jalapeno pepper

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 large jalapenos, sliced lengthwise, deseeded, and veins/stems removed
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 large tomato, deseeded and chopped
• 1/8 cup onion, finely minced
• 1/8 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• cayenne pepper to taste if desired
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs for topping

Instructions

2. Mix cream cheese, Monterey Jack, tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic salt and cayenne pepper in a bowl until well combined
3. Into each half of a jalapeno, place a rounded spoonful of filling
4. Gently dip the tops of each one into the Panko breadcrumbs
5. Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil
6. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes
7. Broil 2 to 3 minutes or just enough to lightly brown the tops.
8. Let cool a few minutes and serve warm.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 997Total Fat: 73gSaturated Fat: 44gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 1341mgCarbohydrates: 46gSugar: 10gProtein: 40g