These Stuffed Piquillo Peppers with Goat Cheese are transformed into beautiful bruschetta perfect for parties. With Spanish influences and vibrant colors, these festive bites will impress guests at your next gathering. Winning the appetizer game is easy with this simple recipe.
A while back I visited Barcelona, where I had the pleasure of eating countless meals bursting with extraordinary flavors. The Spaniards definitely have the culinary know-how to keep all who visit their beautiful country happily sated.
I particularly fell in love with the baked stuffed piquillo peppers with goat cheese and rose jam at La Alcoba Azul. Holy hot goat cheese, Batman. Without a doubt, these peppers were sublime.
Between the perfectly roasted exterior, the warm goat cheese filling, and the sweet rose jam to offset the savory and tang. I was in heaven! I immediately wanted to recreate the amazing flavors of these stuffed piquillo peppers when I returned home.
How to make stuffed piquillo peppers with goat cheese
Finding canned or jarred piquillo peppers was a potential challenge. I actually found them at my local Shaw's, which had them stocked in an aisle featuring an abundance of Pastene jarred goods. The jar I purchased contained 14 piquillo peppers.
I made this recipe for a game night, following the proportions below. Then a couple days later I prepared the remaining 6 peppers with a slightly scaled down version of the filling. You could easily double the filling for a while jar, and maybe have a little bit of leftover herbed goat cheese which you can simply pipe into your mouth. That's totally what I would do, haha!
To make the filling simply combine softened goat cheese with roasted garlic, basil, thyme and seasonings. After drying the jarred piquillo peppers, pipe the goat cheese filling into the cavities of each pepper.
You'll want to eat this goat cheese straight out of the bowl. Try and restrain yourself. If you have extra leftover, you can pipe it into your mouth like I suggested earlier 😀
Slice a baguette on the bias into ½-inch thick slices and toast them in the oven. Then warm up the stuffed piquillo peppers in the oven until the goat cheese warms up, then place the stuffed piquillo peppers on toasted crispy/chewy baguette slices, drizzle with sweet balsamic reduction, and finish with basil chiffonade. Serve immediately to your hungry guests!
Instead of making your own balsamic glaze, you can also use store-bought balsamic glaze or balsamic reduction if you prefer. I've done it both ways, making my own glaze the first time (these photos showcase the homemade glaze), and trying a store-bought fig and balsamic glaze the second time. Both were excellent. The store-bought glaze seemed to cling to the peppers a bit better than the homemade version. The flavor was great regardless.
Other recipes you may like
- Tuna-Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
- Escalivada (Catalan Roasted Vegetables)
- Barceloneta Potato Bombas
- Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)
- Patatas Bravas (Fierce Potatoes)
- Devils on Horseback (Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese)
These goat cheese-stuffed piquillo peppers are glorious, epic, outstanding. The colors themselves lend this dish perfectly to your next Christmas gathering. It's never too early to start bookmarking and pinning recipes! This recipe is not time-consuming or overly fussy.
It's beautiful, delicious, decadent, and definitely worth making over and over again. Whether you feature this stuffed piquillo pepper bruschetta for your New Year's Eve party or on your next tapas night menu, it's a sure fire winner. Leave me a comment if you try this recipe! I can't wait to hear what you think.
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Warm Stuffed Piquillo Pepper Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon packed light brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic unpeeled
- Olive oil
- 6 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 small canned or jarred piquillo peppers drained and patted dry with paper towels
- 8 (½-inch thick) slices baguette bread slice on the bias to yield greater surface area
Instructions
- To make the balsamic glaze, in a very small saucepan heat the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar over medium heat until it reduces by about one-third (this can happen quickly for such a small amount of vinegar–keep an eye on it). Let cool. It should be syrupy. If it’s too thick, dilute with a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar. If it’s too thin, boil it down a bit more. Set aside. Alternatively, you can use store-bought balsamic glaze.
- Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Place the garlic cloves on a small piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil. Wrap the garlic cloves with the foil and roast for 30 to 40 minutes until tender (open the foil and poke with a fork–it should be completely fork-tender). Remove from the oven and remove the skins from the garlic cloves–they should slip right off.
- Add the roasted garlic cloves to a medium mixing bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Add the goat cheese, 1 tablespoon of the basil, and the thyme, and mix with a rubber spatula until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Snip the corner from a 1-quart plastic bag (or snip the tip of a small pastry bag) to make a ½-inch wide opening. Transfer the goat cheese mixture to the bag. Pipe equal amounts of the cheese mixture into the peppers. The peppers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before heating.
- Position the broiler rack about 8 inches from the source of heat and preheat the broiler on high.
- Put the bread slices on a broiler pan and toast them in the broiler, turning occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Arrange the toast on a serving platter. Turn off the broiler.
- Put the stuffed peppers in a flameproof baking pan and transfer to the turned-off broiler. Heat the peppers just until they are warm and plump, about 3 minutes (you can also heat them very quickly in a 350 degree F oven if the leftover heat from the broiler isn’t warming them through, just be careful not to overheat them or the cheese will melt).
- Using kitchen tongs (let’s be real, I used clean fingers), carefully top each toast with a pepper, taking care not to squeeze the filling out of the pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil and finish with a drizzle of the balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Stella says
Omg…just got home from Spain 2 days ago and we fell in love with this tapas restaurant. The red peppers were most definitely our favorite thing and we want to recreate them too! Noticed the chef put the balsamic in the pepper prior to stuffing. Had a view of the little kitchen window from our table inside.
Camille says
OMG SO GOOD!! Easiest thing to make, and so delicious!