Oven Baked Jalapeño Pepper Poppers with make ahead & freezing instructions

Garden grown spicy jalapeno peppers are stuffed with a rich cheese and bacon-studded filling, and then finished with crispy seasoned panko. Included are make ahead instructions + also explanations on freezing pepper poppers so they can be enjoyed later.  

Oven Baked Jalapeño Pepper Poppers   Yield: 12 peppers

12 medium (1 lb.) jalapeno peppers, halved

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (4 oz.) shredded Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

4 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped + a extra slice or two for garnishing

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions + an extra tablespoon for garnishing

1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 clove)

Salt and black pepper

3/4 cup+ panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon+ olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. in peppers are to be baked after assembly
2. Wearing food grade gloves, remove seeds and ribs from jalapeños. To remove additional heat, soak the pepper in ice cold water for 15 minutes. Dry and proceed . . .
3. Transfer peppers cut side up to a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. In a medium mixing bowl add cream cheese, 2 cheeses, bacon, green onions, and garlic; season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a spoon until well combined.
   
   
   
5. Spoon and spread mixture into each jalapeno halve, it should be just slightly heaping. TO MAKE A DAY AHEAD: Store stuffed peppers in fridge. When ready to bake, proceed with recipe. Increase baking time by about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. In a low, flat mixing bowl using a fork stir together panko, salt to taste and olive oil until mixture is evenly coated.

   

   Adding olive oil panko allows the breadcrumbs to brown as the poppers bake.

   
   
7. Dip cheese side of each stuffed pepper into panko – cheese should be evenly covered with panko. Return to baking tray. TO FREEZE & BAKE LATER: Bake unthawed peppers as instructed below but increase time to 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Bake in preheated oven until peppers are tender and cheese is melted, about 14 to 18 minutes.
9. If desired, garnish baked peppers with extra finely chopped bacon and green onions. 
   

Recipe without photos . . . Oven Baked Jalapeño Pepper Poppers   Yield: 12 peppers

12 medium (1 lb.) jalapeno peppers, halved

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (4 oz.) shredded Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

4 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped + a extra slice or two for garnishing

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions + an extra tablespoon for garnishing

1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 clove)

Salt and  black pepper

3/4 cup+ panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon+ olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. in peppers are to be baked after assembly
2. Wearing food grade gloves, remove seeds and ribs from jalapeños. To remove additional heat, soak the pepper in ice cold water for 15 minutes. Dry and proceed . . .
3. Transfer peppers cut side up to a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. In a medium mixing bowl add cream cheese, 2 cheeses, bacon, green onions, and garlic; season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a spoon until well combined.
5. Spoon and spread mixture into each jalapeno halve, it should be just slightly heaping. TO MAKE A DAY AHEAD: Store stuffed peppers in fridge. When ready to bake, proceed with recipe. Increase baking time by about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. In a low, flat mixing bowl using a fork stir together panko, salt to taste and olive oil until mixture is evenly coated.
7. Dip cheese side of each stuffed pepper into panko – cheese should be evenly covered with panko. Return to baking tray. TO FREEZE & BAKE LATER: Bake unthawed peppers as instructed below but increase time to 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Bake in preheated oven until peppers are tender and cheese is melted, about 14 to 18 minutes.
9. If desired, garnish baked peppers with extra finely chopped bacon and green onions. 

 

Eggplant Pizzas

Two eggplant pizzas with extra sauce and
sausage on the side.

A shiny, dark purple eggplant from Barry’s garden became eggplant pizzas. Essentially it’s Eggplant Parmesan with just less sauce; consequently it rather crisp and pizza-like. Barry says it’s his favorite way to eat eggplant to date! 

Depending on the size of your eggplant, you may need to use more or less egg and/or breadcrumb mixture and the amount of sauce, sausage and mozzarella is up to your preference. Omit the sausage for a vegetarian dish. 

Eggplant Pizzas 

1 medium eggplant, cut thin - about 1/4” of less

1 egg + a little water

About 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons olive oil – divided use

Chunky marinara sauce

Bulk sausage that has been cooked and crumbled

Fresh mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil, optional

1. Spread the eggplant in a single layer on paper towels. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. This draws out excess moisture. Pat dry with a paper towel making sure that excess salt is also removed. (This process will draw out the excess moisture and bitterness from the eggplant.) 
   
2. Prepare dredging stations: Combine the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning garlic powder and a teaspoon of olive oil in a shallow dish. In a separate dish, lightly beat the eggs with the water.
3. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg and then the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the breadcrumbs onto the eggplant to evenly coat both sides.
   
4. Drizzle a sheet pan (with sides) with remaining olive oil and use a brush to spread it over the whole pan.  
5. Place the breaded eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheet. 
   
6. Bake in the preheated 375° oven for about about 20 minutes or until eggplant is almost tender and breadcrumbs are crisp. 
7. Spread a spoonful of chunky marinara over each eggplant, add a spoonful of cooked sausage and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. 
8. Return to oven for about 10 minutes until topping are hot and cheese is nicely browned.
   
9. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.
   

Recipe without photos . . .
Eggplant Pizzas 

1 medium eggplant, cut thin - about 1/4” of less

1 egg + a little water

About 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons olive oil – divided use

Chunky marinara sauce

Bulk sausage that has been cooked and crumbled

Fresh mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil, optional

1. Spread the eggplant in a single layer on paper towels. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. This draws out excess moisture. Pat dry with a paper towel making sure that excess salt is also removed. (This process will draw out the excess moisture and bitterness from the eggplant.) 
2. Prepare dredging stations: Combine the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning garlic powder and a teaspoon of olive oil in a shallow dish. In a separate dish, lightly beat the eggs with the water.
3. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg and then the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the breadcrumbs onto the eggplant to evenly coat both sides.
4. Drizzle a sheet pan (with sides) with remaining olive oil and use a brush to spread it over the whole pan.  
5. Place the breaded eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheet. 
6. Bake in the preheated 375° oven for about about 20 minutes or until eggplant is tender. 
7. Spread a spoonful of chunky marinara over each eggplant, add a spoonful of cooked sausage and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. 
8. Return to oven for about 10 minutes until topping are hot and cheese is nicely browned.
9. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

Italian-style Stuffed Zucchini + use the extra sauce over pasta

Italian-style Stuffed Zucchini
over brown rice

Still more zucchini . . . this time I tried an Italian inspired recipe. I adapted a recipe that I found online and increased the amount of meat-veggie sauce and used the extra over cooked spaghetti linguine for another meal.

Italian-style Stuffed Zucchini

24 to 26 ounces marinara or spaghetti sauce, divided (purchased or homemade)

3 medium zucchini (ideal if they are uniformly sized)

Sauce:

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (I used a variety of colored peppers)

1 cup chopped button mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian herbs such as parsley, oregano, basil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Dried Italian seasoning to taste if needed

Zucchini Boat Topping:

About 1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese (or could use shredded)

1/4 cup  panko bread crumbs drizzled with olive oil (olive oil insures they will brown)

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Measure out 1 cup of the marinara sauce and set aside.
2. Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the seeds; they scrape out the  zucchini flesh, chop it and set it aside (if there is not enough flesh, chop up another zucchini – that’s what I did to equal about 1 cup chopped zucchini).
3. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into a 13" x 9" baking dish and add about 1" of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just slightly fork-tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool slightly.
   
4. Sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring to break up the ground meat as it cooks. Continue to cook and stir until meat is thoroughly cooked and veggies have softened. Drain off grease if needed, or if meat is really lean, a tablespoon of so of olive oil could be added.
   
5. Add the chopped zucchini flesh, mushrooms, remaining marinara (reserve 1 cup for later), parsley, fresh Italian herbs, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper and dried Italian herbs.. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
   
   
   
   
6. Remove partially cooked zucchini from baking dish and pour off water. Pour the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce into the empty baking dish and place zucchini boats on top of the sauce. (At this point, I divided the zucchini and marinara between 2 smaller dishes for one meal now and another later.)
7. Divide the filling between the zucchini boats. If you have extra filling, spoon it into the dish around the zucchini boats.
   
8. Topping: Top zucchini with cheese and bread crumbs that have been stirred to distribute added oil.
   
9. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 30+ minutes or until zucchini is fork tender; remove foil last 10 minutes so cheese and bread crumbs can brown or turn to broil last few minutes if preferred.
   
10. Serve with rice.
    

As I mentioned, I adjusted the recipe to make extra meat sauce that I used over  cooked pasta for another meal . . .

Also, you might like to  try our recipe for Garden-style Stuffed Zucchini Boats . . .

Recipe without photos . . .

Italian-style Stuffed Zucchini 

24 to 26 ounces marinara or spaghetti sauce, divided (purchased or homemade)

3 medium zucchini (ideal if they are uniformly sized)

Sauce:

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (I used a variety of colored peppers)

1 cup chopped button mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian herbs such as parsley, oregano, basil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Dried Italian seasoning to taste if needed

Zucchini Boat Topping:

About 1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese (or could use shredded)

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs drizzled with olive oil (olive oil insures they will brown)

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Measure out 1 cup of the marinara sauce and set aside.
2. Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the seeds; they scrape out the  zucchini flesh, chop it and set it aside (if there is not enough flesh, chop up another zucchini – that’s what I did to equal about 1 cup chopped zucchini).
3. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into a 13" x 9" baking dish and add about 1" of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just slightly fork-tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring to break up the ground meat as it cooks. Continue to cook and stir until meat is thoroughly cooked and veggies have softened. Drain off grease if needed, or if meat is really lean, a tablespoon of so of olive oil could be added.
5. Add the chopped zucchini flesh, mushrooms, remaining marinara (reserve 1 cup for later), parsley, fresh Italian herbs, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper and dried Italian herbs.. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
6. Remove partially cooked zucchini from baking dish and pour off water. Pour the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce into the empty baking dish and place zucchini boats on top of the sauce. (At this point, I divided the zucchini and marinara between 2 smaller dishes for one meal now and another later.)
7. Divide the filling between the zucchini boats. If you have extra filling, spoon it into the dish around the zucchini boats.
8. Topping: Top zucchini with cheese and bread crumbs that have been stirred to distribute added oil.
9. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 30+ minutes or until zucchini is fork tender; remove foil last 10 minutes so cheese and bread crumbs can brown or turn to broil last few minutes if preferred.
10. Serve with rice.

Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips

The zucchini keeps producing and I keep looking for new recipes. This one is definitely a keeper. We served the chips with Comeback Sauce for dipping.

Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips   2 or 3 servings

1 medium zucchini 

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons+ olive oil

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a sheet pan with oil or line with parchment paper.
2. Cut zucccut into thin (about ¼”) slices; 1 medium zucchini should yield about 30 to 50 slices depending on size.
   
3. In a shallow pan, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan; add enough oil to lightly coat mixture (the oil is needed so the panko will brown).
   
4. In a 2nd shallow pan, whisk the egg and water.
   
5. In a 3^rd shallow pan, combine the flour paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
6. Set up the 3-dip station in the following order: flour, egg, panko.
   
7. Dip each zucchini slice in the flour mixture, then egg mixture, then panko mixture.
8. Place in a single layer on baking sheet. Repeat until all zucchini slices are coated.
   
9. Bake for 20 minutes. Note - check underside about halfway way through and flip if not browning; ours browned just fine without the flipping.
   
10. Serve with Comeback Sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Recipe without photos . . .

Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips   2 or 3 servings

1 medium zucchini cut into thin (about ¼”) slices (about 30 to 50 depending on the size)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup Parmesan cheese 

2 tablespoons+ olive oil

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a sheet pan with oil or line with parchment paper.
2. Cut zucccut into thin (about ¼”) slices; 1 medium zucchini should yield about 30 to 50 slices depending on size.
3. In a shallow pan, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan; add enough oil to lightly coat mixture (the oil is needed so the panko will brown).
4. In a 2nd shallow pan, whisk the egg and water.
5. In a 3^rd shallow pan, combine the flour paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
6. Set up the 3-dip station in the following order: flour, egg, panko.
7. Dip each zucchini slice in the flour mixture, then egg mixture, then panko mixture.
8. Place in a single layer on baking sheet. Repeat until all zucchini slices are coated.
9. Bake for 20 minutes. Note - check underside about halfway way through and flip if not browning; ours browned just fine without the flipping.
10. Serve with Comeback Sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Hopin’ John Cakes with Tomato Gravy

A recipe in the December issue of Southern Living caught my eye; this is my version of that dish . . .

Hopin’ John Cakes with Tomato Gravy     Makes 6 cakes

1 (15-oz.) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 cup cooked brown rice + extra for serving

¼ cup celery, chopped

¼ cup onions or leeks, chopped

1 cup diced red, yellow or orange bell pepper

½ cup kale, finely chopped  

2 tablespoons olive oil  

½ teaspoon Kosher salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper

1  large egg

⅓ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup dry white wine

1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

1/4 cup broth or stock (vegetable or chicken) + 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed together to form a slurry)

About ¼ cup+ olive or canola oil for frying

About ¼ cup+ panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

½ teaspoon Kosher salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper

1. To Prepare Cakes: Reserve ¼ can of black-eyed peas. Pulse 1 cup of cooked rice and remaining peas in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl; add reserved peas.
   
2. Stir together celery, bell pepper, leeks/onion and kale.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add celery mixture to skillet. Stir in ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes; reserve about ¼ of the mixture and stir the rest into pea mixture.
   
5. Stir egg, ⅓ cup panko, and ½ tsp. seasoned salt into pea mixture. 
   
6. Using a ½ cup-capacity scoop to make 6 balls. 
7. Place balls on a baking sheet, about 1” apart. Flatten each ball to form a ¾” thick patty, and place in freezer.
   
8. For the Tomato Gravy: Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add reserved vegetable back to skillet; add garlic cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.
9. Stir in wine; cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until slightly.
10. Stir in tomatoes, Creole seasoning and slurry (water-cornstarch mixture.)  Reduce heat to low; simmer about 5 minutes. 
    
11. To Fry Cakes: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
12. Stir together remaining ¼ cup+ panko and ½ teaspoon Kosher salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
13. Dredge cakes in panko mixture. 
    
    
    
    
14. Fry cakes in hot oil 4 minutes per side or until golden. 
    
    
    
    
15. Keep warm in a 200° oven if needed. Serve with Tomato Gravy and extra prepared rice.
    
    
    
    Or, try Black-eyed Pea Stew with Polenta.

Recipe without photos . . .

Hopin’ John Cakes with Tomato Gravy     Makes 6 cakes

1 (15-oz.) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed 

1 cup cooked brown rice + extra for serving

¼ cup celery, chopped

¼ cup onions or leeks, chopped 

1 cup diced red, yellow or orange bell pepper

½ cup kale, finely chopped   

2 tablespoons olive oil  

½ teaspoon Kosher salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper 

1  large egg 

⅓ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

1 garlic clove, minced 

¼ cup dry white wine 

1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes 

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning 

1/4 cup broth or stock (vegetable or chicken) + 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed together to form a slurry) 

About ¼ cup+ olive or canola oil for frying

About ¼ cup+ panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

½ teaspoon Kosher salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper

1. To Prepare Cakes: Reserve ¼ can of black-eyed peas. Pulse 1 cup of cooked rice and remaining peas in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl; add reserved peas.
2. Stir together celery, bell pepper, leeks/onion and kale.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add celery mixture to skillet. Stir in ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes; reserve about ¼ of the mixture and stir the rest into pea mixture.
5. Stir egg, ⅓ cup panko, and ½ tsp. seasoned salt into pea mixture. 
6. Using a ½ cup-capacity scoop to make 6 balls. 
7. Place balls on a baking sheet, about 1” apart. Flatten each ball to form a ¾” thick patty, and place in freezer.
8. For the Tomato Gravy: Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add reserved vegetable back to skillet; add garlic cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.
9. Stir in wine; cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until slightly.
10. Stir in tomatoes, Creole seasoning and slurry (water-cornstarch mixture.)  Reduce heat to low; simmer about 5 minutes. 
11. To Fry Cakes: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
12. Stir together remaining ¼ cup+ panko and ½ teaspoon Kosher salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
13. Dredge cakes in panko mixture. 
14. Fry cakes in hot oil 4 minutes per side or until golden. 
15. Keep warm in a 200° oven if needed. Serve with Tomato Gravy and extra prepared rice.