Goats Cheese and Pancetta Stuffed Piquante Peppers

About

This Keto recipe is rich in flavors, fats and texture. Our low carb snack is prepared with spicy jarred piquante peppers, salty diced pancetta, tangy goats cheese, a hint of garlic powder and lemon zest. The peppers are simply stuffed with a mixture of cheese and pancetta; then oven baked until soft and lightly charred. These make a great snack, party appetizer, or starter.

What Peppers Should I Use?

We have used jarred pickled piquante peppers in brine for this Keto snack recipe. Piquante peppers are also known as cherry peppers and are mildly spicy, tangy from pickling, and also slightly sweet. You can buy the peppers ready pickled or even make your own. The peppers are perfect for stuffing with low carb fillings or for chopping and adding to stuffings for meats.

Can I Use a Different Cheese?

We have used a tangy spreadable goats cheese to stuff our pickled low carb peppers. If you would like to use an alternative cheese, crumbled feta or cream cheese would make a great alternative. Please be sure to adjust your macros to account for any changes made to the original recipe.

Ingredients

25 peppers mild whole peppadew peppers
2 ½ oz goat cheese
2 oz diced pancetta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon peel or zest raw
½ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Heat half a tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over a medium heat. Add the diced pancetta. Pan-fry the pancetta until cooked through and golden. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
Add the spreadable goat cheese to a mixing bowl along with the lemon zest, garlic powder and black pepper. Add the cooled, cooked pancetta to the bowl with the goats cheese. Mix well to combine. You may add salt if desired, but the pancetta and cheese will already be salty.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a shallow oven tray with baking paper. Dividing the goats cheese and pancetta mixture evenly, fill the center of each of the peppers, so they are packed with the mixture. You can either use a teaspoon to do this or simply push the mixture into the peppers with your fingers.
Arrange the peppers across the lined oven tray. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Transfer the peppers to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. The peppers should be hot through, soft and lightly charred, and the cheese golden on top. Allow to cool a little before serving.