Name: Stuffed Banana Peppers Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 10 banana peppers (or more as needed, depending on the size); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 8 ounces beef or steak (finely chopped (*)); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; Salt and pepper to taste; 4 ounces shredded gouda cheese (or use your favorite melty cheese)

A delicious stuffed banana peppers recipe filled with chopped beef, melty cheese and lots of seasonings. Great for an easy dinner, side dish, or party platter.

Stuffed Banana Peppers Recipe

I get questions like this very often - "Hey, Mike! What can I make with banana peppers? My garden is exploding with them right now."

Banana peppers are hugely popular peppers. They're easy to grow and the plants are usually quite productive, producing a lot of peppers.

You can use them in all sorts of ways, from chopping and sautéing them as part of your mirepoix, to making salsas, tossing them into salads, or pickling them.

Or, you can use them up in one of my favorite ways - Stuffed Banana Peppers.

Banana peppers are excellent stuffing peppers. They're just big enough to hold whatever stuffing you're in the mood for.

The pepper walls aren't very thick, yet they offer a bit of sweet crunch when eaten raw, and soften up nicely during the cooking process.

Stuffed Banana Peppers laid out on a serving board

A Bit About Banana Peppers

The sweet banana pepper is a mild, medium-sized pepper with a tangy, slightly sweet taste. They offer very little heat, if any at all, and are considered more of a sweet pepper, not hot peppers, though you can occasionally find hot banana peppers.

Compared to the mildest jalapeno pepper, it is 5 times milder. They're also known as the yellow wax pepper or banana chili.

You'll find them commonly eaten on pizza, in Greek salads, on sandwiches, or stuffed with meat and/or cheese, which is one of my favorite ways to use them.

Learn more about banana peppers here.

Let's talk about how we make stuffed banana peppers, shall we?

Stuffed Banana Peppers Recipe

First, heat an oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice your banana peppers in half lengthwise and core out the seeds and innards to make room for stuffing. Set them onto a large baking sheet or baking dish.

Parchment paper can make cleanup a bit easier, if you'd like.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the chopped steak. Season with garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.

Cook about 5 minutes, or until the beef/steak is cooked to your liking.

Next, spoon the seasoned beef mixture into the peppers, then top each with shredded cheese.

Topping the stuffed banana peppers with cheese

Bake for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can grill the stuffed banana peppers for 15 minutes, or broil them for 6-7 minutes, until the cheeses are nice and melty.

Remove from heat and set onto serving plates.

Top with chopped green onion, spicy chili flakes and hot sauce, if desired.

Stuffed Banana Peppers sprinkled with spicy chili flakes

BOOM! Easy recipe, right? And quite satisfying. I love a simple stuffed pepper recipe.

Recipe Tips

The Stuffing. I used chopped flank steak for these stuffed banana peppers, though you are free to use any cut of steak that you'd like. It also works for any ground meat, like sausage, beef, pork, turkey or chicken. I've made this recipe with leftover carne asada before, and it was extremely delicious.
The Cheese. You can also use any type of cheese that you'd like, but it is best to use a cheese that is more melty, like cheddar or pepperjack. Harder cheeses won't melt and you may not enjoy the consistency, though parmesan cheese is a nice addition. You can also swap out the meat and go with a very soft cheese, like goat cheese or cream cheese.
The Peppers. Your banana peppers are not very thick walled and should soften up nicely during cooking. However, if you'd prefer very soft stuffed peppers, blanch the cored out peppers in hot water for a couple minutes before stuffing them. This will soften them up even more.
Add a Sauce. Spoon on some of your favorite hot sauce or chili sauce for a nice flavor addition, or consider a spicy marinara sauce. Yum.

Storage & Leftovers

Stuffed banana peppers will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can easily warm them in the oven to enjoy again.

Or, you can freeze them for 2-3 months in freezer containers.

Cookbook Recommendation

If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 75 easy recipes with big, bold flavor.

The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)

The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook - Fiery, No-Fuss Meals, by Michael Hultquist

That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy the stuffed banana peppers. They're great for a simple weeknight meal, but they are also popular to serve as an appetizer. Time to get stuffing! Enjoy.

Try Some of My Other Popular Stuffed Pepper Recipes

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Stuffed Banana Peppers Recipe

A delicious stuffed banana peppers recipe filled with chopped beef, melty cheese and lots of seasonings. Great for an easy dinner, side dish, or party platter.

Save Recipe

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana pepper, stuffed peppers

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Calories: 104kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings: half stuffed peppers

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4.84 from 6 votes

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Ingredients

10 banana peppers or more as needed, depending on the size
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces beef or steak finely chopped (*)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces shredded gouda cheese or use your favorite melty cheese

Instructions

Heat an oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the banana peppers in half lengthwise and core them out. Set them onto a large baking sheet.
Heat the oil in a medium pan and add the chopped steak. Season with garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes, or until the beef/steak is cooked to your liking.
Spoon the seasoned beef mixture into the peppers, then top each with shredded cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can grill the stuffed banana peppers for 15 minutes, or broil them for 6-7 minutes, until the cheeses are nice and melty.
Remove from heat and set onto serving plates.
Top with chopped green onion, spicy chili flakes and hot sauce, if desired.

Notes

Makes 10 half stuffed banana peppers.

** About the Beef/Steak. Use any cut of choice, as long as it is chopped finely so that it will easily stuff into each banana pepper. Leftovers are good here, too. I used a bit of flank steak I had leftover, just seasoned it up in the pan. Try it with ground beef or ground turkey, pork or chicken.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 104kcal Carbohydrates: 1g Protein: 8g Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 27mg Sodium: 106mg Potassium: 108mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Vitamin A: 196IU Vitamin C: 8mg Calcium: 82mg Iron: 1mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Stuffed Banana Peppers

Stuffed Banana Peppers Recipe

A Bit About Banana Peppers

Stuffed Banana Peppers Recipe

Recipe Tips

Storage & Leftovers

Cookbook Recommendation

Try Some of My Other Popular Stuffed Pepper Recipes