Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Peppers

Without a doubt, Wednesday night is my favorite night of the week. That's grilling night at our house, and there is nothing I like to eat more in the summer than food fresh from the grill. Last night, we had chicken breasts marinated in Italian dressing and seasoned simply with salt and pepper, and to go with them, these delicious, cheesy, grilled stuffed peppers.

I saw these peppers in Food & Wine magazine quite a while ago, and ever since then I've been dying to try them. They were so good! The Cubanelle peppers provided just the right amount of heat, which balanced nicely with the sweet, creamy, gooey filling. They held up nicely on the grill; they maintained their crunch, and the filling stayed right where it was supposed to. I adapted the recipe to serve just Joe and me, but if you want the original recipe just click the link below. What a perfect, easy side dish these were. Joe told me, "This is definitely something we should make again," and I completely agree!

Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Peppers
Source: adapted from Food & Wine, April 2009

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Cubanelle peppers
Olive oil for rubbing

1. In a medium bowl, blend the ricotta with the cream cheese and Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

2. Light a grill or heat a grill pan. Using a small, sharp knife, remove the stems from the peppers and reserve. Cut around inside the peppers to detach the membranes and remove the seeds. Using a butter knife, fill the peppers with the cheese mixture and reattach the tops. Rub the peppers with olive oil.

3. Grill the peppers over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until blistered all over and the cheese filling is piping hot, about 7 minutes. Transfer the peppers to plates and serve.