Have you ever wondered what to do with those sweet mini peppers that come in assorted colors of red, yellow and orange. They may be small but they pack a lot of flavor, especially when roasted and stuffed full of Monterey Jack and cream cheese. Wrap a thin strip of steak around the stuffed pepper and grill it until the cheeses melt and ooze out like a molten cheese lava. Oh, they are so good!! Some might think they should be served as an appetizer but Joe and I decided they were the main event with a leafy green salad on the side.
Of all the colors of mini peppers I like red the best. I plan to roast 7 tonight but the recipe will be for 18. There are many ways to roast peppers, they can be roasted in the oven under the high broiler setting, grilled over an open flame of a gas stove, or set them on a hot comal like this.
I am roasting the peppers ahead of time because they will not cook properly in the amount of time they will be on the grill. Also, I like the taste and texture of roasted peppers.
As they begin to pop and sizzle turn them frequently to roast on all sides.
No need to steam them because they won’t be peeled. Just set them aside for now, it’s time to make the cheese.
Add 4 ounces of cream cheese, one cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 teaspoon of green chile salt together in a small food processor.
Process until it’s all mixed together and somewhat smooth. It will still have some lumps of cheese but that’s okay.
These have very little seeds so just snip the tops off and spoon in the cheese mixture to the top of the peppers.
There are a couple of grocery stores in my neighborhood that offer thin sliced steak which makes this easy. Just cut the steak to size and wrap around the peppers. Secure with a toothpick.
Season with green chile salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Set them on a hot grill and let cook for about 2 – 3 minutes. Turn over and cook an additional 2 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt and ooze out of the pepper.
The steak is charred and the cheese has melted so now it’s time to taste. Each layer of steak, with the roasted pepper flavors and molten creamy cheese will make your taste buds smile.
Steak Wrapped Sweet Peppers with a Cream Cheese Filling
1 1/4 pounds Steak, sliced thin
18 Sweet Mini Peppers
4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon Green Chile Salt, plus more to season steak
Olive Oil
Roast peppers on a comal turning every few minutes until slightly charred on each side. Set Aside.
Combine cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and green chile salt in a food processor. Process until it’s all mixed together and somewhat smooth.
Slice the top off of the mini peppers and stuff with cheese. Cut the steak to the size of each pepper. Wrap around the pepper and secure with a toothpick. Season the steak with green chile salt and drizzle with olive oil.
Heat a grill to high heat. Set steak wrapped peppers on the hot grill and let cook approximately 2 – 3 minutes on each side or until the steak is slightly charred and cheese is melting.
Remove toothpicks before serving.
Serves 3 – 4
An Inspired Cook 