Jalapeño Poppers
The perfect easy appetizer for New Year's Eve, tailgating parties, or the big game, this Jalapeño Popper recipe is a spicy, cheesy home run!
Servings: 6 (2 poppers each)
Ingredients
- 2 oz. bacon (about 2 slices) $0.74
- 6 jalapeños* $1.44
- 4 oz. room-temperature cream cheese $1.04
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese** $1.10
- 1 green onion, sliced $0.10
- 1 tsp everything bagel seasoning*** $0.10
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder $0.02
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it is brown and crispy. Remove it from the pan and let it cool on a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise and then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and white ribs, being careful not to tear or puncture the peppers.
- Once the bacon is cool, crumble it into tiny pieces and reserve about 1 tablespoon to use as a topping. Add the bacon to a bowl with the cream cheese, shredded cheddar (reserve a small amount for topping as well), sliced green onion, Everything bagel seasoning, and garlic powder. Mix the ingredients together until they're evenly combined.
- Divide the cheese filling between the 12 pepper halves and then spread it out to fill and smooth out the top.
- Place the filled peppers on a large parchment-lined baking sheet then sprinkle the reserved crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese over the top.
- Bake the peppers for 15 minutes or just until the cheese is melted and slightly bubbly. Avoid over-baking the peppers or else they'll become too soft to pick up and enjoy. Allow the poppers to cool just enough to handle, then serve and enjoy!
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Notes
*Look for jalapeños that are about 3 inches long.
**I used a mix of cream cheese and cheddar cheese for this recipe so I could get an ultra-creamy finish with a nice cheddar bite. You can also try using Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack (if you like it EXTRA spicy!).
***For seasoning, I use garlic powder, Everything Bagel Seasoning, and green onions. They're flavorful but not so complicated that you lose the flavor of the jalapeños and bacon. If you don't have Everything Bagel Seasoning you can increase the garlic powder in the recipe to ½ tsp, and add ⅛ tsp of both salt and pepper.
- These jalapeño poppers are pretty spicy! Despite removing the seeds and ribs (the spiciest part of the jalapeño), some of the spicy oils remain in the jalapeño, giving these poppers just the right amount of spicy heat to balance the creamy cheeses. If you're not a spicy foods fan you'll probably want to skip this one!
Nutrition
Serving: 2poppers | Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 228mg | Fiber: 0.5g