Greek Feta Stuffed Roasted Peppers

Greek and Mediterranean cuisine is full of little appetizers, otherwise known as mezze dishes, that we serve when having these big family gatherings or simply just a couple of friends over for drinks.

These baked stuffed peppers with feta cheese are a traditional Greek appetizer. Typically they are prepared with red sweet long peppers, the same kind you often find jarred and roasted in stores. If fresh ones aren’t available at your local market, you can substitute any variety of long sweet peppers or even use bell peppers.

Why you should try my recipe

• An easy to prepare appetizer for gatherings.
• Ready in less than an hour.
• Perfect for a light lunch with some salad on the side.

Ingredients & How-to

To make the feta stuffed peppers, we are going to need long sweet peppers, feta cheese, Greek yogurt, tomatoes, hard cheese, olive oil, oregano, dry or fresh mint, ground pepper and optionally some crushed pepper flakes or chili flakes.

• I’m using Greek yogurt that is thicker than regular yogurt.
• For the hard cheese, you could use any combination you have at home like cheddar, mozzarela, graviera, manchego.
• I’m not adding any salt to the filling, as the cheese is already too salty.

For full quantities check the recipe card down below.

01. To start, I’m preparing the peppers by giving them a little wash. Then I take each one and cut them in a T shape to open them up. I make a cut horizontally around the cap but not all the way through it and then vertically all the way down stopping just before the pointy bit. I remove any seeds from the inside and continue with the rest of the peppers.

02. Now it’s time to start making the filling. I like to add a couple of small tomatoes diced along with the cheese. You could use a couple of whole tomatoes or 12-15 cherry tomatoes that you cut into quarters.

03. In a big bowl, I add the crumbled feta cheese, grated cheddar and Greek yogurt. You could use any hard cheese that you like. The yogurt helps to hold the filling together and make it creamier. Instead of yogurt, you could also use a type of creamy cheese, like ricotta or cottage cheese.

04. To enhance the flavor, I like to add a bit of dried oregano and mint. These herbs pair beautifully with the feta cheese and complement the flavors. Then, some ground pepper and chili flakes for some extra spiciness. I add the chopped tomatoes and then mix everything well with a spoon. Now the filling for the stuffed peppers is ready.

05. I take each pepper and hold it with one hand. With a spoon, I take some of the filling and start spreading it inside the pepper. It doesn’t have to be overly stuffed, just make sure you distribute the filling. I wipe any excess filling with my finger around the opening and continue with the rest of the peppers.

06. I add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a tray and then place the stuffed peppers in it. Then I drizzle some more olive oil on top and they are ready to go in the oven.

Tips

• Do not add any salt to the filling as the cheeses are already too salty.
• Clean the outside of the pepper if there is any filling as it might get burnt when baking.

Substitutions

• Instead of yogurt you could use ricotta or cottage cheese.
• Instead of dried mint, you could use mixed dried herbs or Italian seasoning.
• You could use 12-15 cherry tomatoes instead of two small whole tomatoes.

Serving suggestions

These feta stuffed peppers are usually served as an appetizer along with other mezze dishes like dakos or keftedakia. They are great for little gatherings with friends and family and are the perfect beer or wine side dish.

Storage

If you have any leftovers of the Greek feta stuffed peppers, you could store them in the fridge and have them within the next couple of days. You could warm them up in the microwave or the oven for a few minutes to get all the cheese warm and soft again.

FAQ

• What peppers can I use for Greek feta stuffed peppers? Traditionally, we use long red sweet peppers, but if you can’t find any of those, you could use any sweet long peppers or even bell peppers.

• What spices can I use in Greek feta stuffed peppers? You could add different dried herbs to Greek feta stuffed peppers for some extra aroma like oregano, mint or dried mixed herbs, or Italian seasoning. For an extra kick, you could add some chili flakes or crushed pepper flakes.