cheddar ranch jalapeno poppers
Jalapenos be poppin’.
All I need right now, as I type this on a Tuesday afternoon, is an espresso martini, a slice of chocolate cake, and my brain to just go blank. We’re only on day 2 (well, now day 3 since you’ll be reading this on Wednesday) of the week and I’m already fucken done done done.
It’s fine. Just stress. Stress isn’t perpetual and things should even out as the days move along. All I’m trying to do is hold it together for other people because, if nothing else, folks around me don’t need my stress compounding on the stress I know they’re already feeling.
But don’t get me wrong. When I’m alone, I’ll start screeching. Already have.
Let’s look forward to weekend gamedays, shall we? Relax on the couch, sip a drink, and nibble some Cheddar Ranch Jalapeno Poppers. Ah, sounds heavenly. The perfect meditation after wanting to do anxious cartwheels on a roof for far too long.
Minimal ingredients, easy enough to just chuck in the oven and enjoy immediately after. They’re gooey, a lil sassy, and the recipe makes a bunch so you can share them around your whole crowd. Or eat them yourself. That’s chill too.
Pop Goes The Pepper
First off: you’ll need lots of jalapenos. Around a dozen, to be exact. So pick the prettiest you can find (ideally, fatter ones).
Next, mix up the filling. Cream cheese, mayonnaise, and cheddar cheese. Flavor that ish up with my favorite ranch seasoning blend: parsley, dill, and garlic, as well as some chopped green onions. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Try not to eat all the filling before you make the poppers. Tempted, I know.
Halve your jalapenos – you’ll have 24 nifty little dudes, then – and scrape out the seeds. Stuff each with a big spoonful of filling and lay onto a baking sheet.
Bake these dudes until the peppers soften and the filling is melted and gooey and ooof. 20-25 minutes should do the trick.
I like to serve these up with some sour cream, but if I have ranch dressing around or am not too lazy to whip some up, that’s a great option too. Double the ranch, woo! I’d imagine some buffalo sauce wouldn’t be a terrible idea, either.
Honestly, I don’t think anything is a terrible idea as long as poppers are involved. Go crazy, folks!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
FOOTBALL. GET SOME (snacks):
Chipotle BBQ Sweet Potato Nachos
Hot Baked Cheddar Bay Shrimp Dip
Herby Mushroom Swiss French Bread Pizza
Garlic Herb Baked Feta and Olives
cheddar ranch jalapeno poppers
Ingredients
- 12 jalapenos, halved with seeds removed
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp vegan or regular mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- sour cream or ranch dressing, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green onions, parsley, dill, garlic powder, the cheddar cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stuff each jalapeno with a heaping tablespoon of the filling. Line the jalapenos, stuffed side up, onto the baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the filling is melty and gooey and the peppers are soft. Serve warm with ranch or sour cream, as desired.
