Pizza Jalapeno Poppers

There’s no need to decide between two game day favorites with these Pizza Jalapeno Poppers filled with four types of molten, creamy cheeses. Savory, spicy, and completely crave worthy, these grilled jalapeno poppers will score you a total touch down.

Whether you look forward to football Sunday to cheer on your favorite team, go Jags, or just the next Taylor Swift sighting, nothing brings people together quite like game day eats. From classic favorites like teriyaki buffalo wings, to this mash up of two football favorites, game day is as much about the food as it is the sport itself. So pop open a cold cerveza, fire up the grill, and let’s get a little spicy!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple Ingredients – These white pizza jalapeno poppers are all about the creamy and cheesy filling. No fancy cheese here with a combination of cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. You can easily find all of the ingredients at your grocery store.
• Customizable – Have fun with your toppings! You can keep it simple and just make these super cheesy or top them off with pizza toppings like mini pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, or sausage. Make them your own!
• Make Ahead – Not only can you assemble these jalapeno poppers a couple of days in advance, but they’re actually better if they have a chance to refrigerate.
• Easy Process – The most complicated part of making these pizza jalapeno poppers is simply cutting the jalapenos in half and removing the seeds. These are easy enough for anyone to make and grill or even bake in the oven too.

Ingredients

• Cream Cheese
• Ricotta
• Parmesan Cheese
• Low Moisture Mozzarella
• Italian Seasoning
• Garlic Powder
• Jalapenos
• Kosher Salt
• Pizza Sauce
• Toppings

How to Make Pizza Jalapeno Poppers

• Prepare your jalapenos. Cut the jalapenos in half. Use a small melon baller, spoon, or even 1/2 teaspoon to carefully remove the seeds from the inside of the pepper halves.
• Mix together the filling. Add room temperature cream cheese, ricotta, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder to a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Add the grated mozzarella and parmesan and stir to combine.
• Fill the jalapenos. Using a spoon or piping bag fill each jalapeno half with the cheese mixture. Level it off with a knife making sure the pepper halves aren’t over filled.
• Top off the poppers. Sprinkle additional grated parmesan over the top of each pepper. Add your pizza toppings.
• Refrigerate the pizza jalapeno poppers. Place the pepperoni pizza jalapeno poppers on a baking sheet and allow them to refrigerate for an hour if possible.

• Fire up the grill. If using a charcoal grill, bank your charcoal to one side leaving a cool zone and hot zone. For gas grills preheat your grill to around 375-400 degrees, not lighting all of your burners. Make sure that your grates are clean.
• Let the jalapeno poppers grill. Carefully place the jalapenos on the cooler portion of the grill. Use your grates to help position them cheese side up. You can also use the more stable peppers to prop up any that might want to wobble. Close the lid and allow them to grill for 18-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the jalapenos are cooked to your desired doneness.
• Let rest. Carefully remove the jalapeno poppers from the grill. Garnish with additional grated parm and fresh basil if desired. They will be molted hot so give them a couple of minutes to rest before diving into your awaiting pizza sauce.

How to Bake Pizza Jalapeno Poppers

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Place a baking rack into a baking sheet, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Carefully position your jalapeno poppers on the baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack of the oven. Allow them to bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops are golden and your jalapenos have softened.

Variations and Toppings

• Swap out the mozzarella in this recipe for provolone, smoked mozzarella, cheddar, or your favorite cheese.
• If you are not a fan of spice instead of filling jalapeno halves you can use the same filling for mini sweet peppers. The method will be the same. They tend to cook slightly faster so check on them after 12-15 minutes.
• Top off with cooked crumbled sausage, minced cooked mushrooms, diced onions or bell peppers, or even chopped cooked meatballs. Have fun customizing these!
• If you want these jalapeno poppers to be spicier add crushed red pepper flakes to your filling.
• Take these pepperoni pizza jalapeno poppers over the top and drizzle them with hot honey! Oh so good!

Tips From the Beach

• Don’t skip the step of making sure your cream cheese is fully at room temperature. This will give you a smooth, creamy filling that is easy to mix together.
• For the best results pick jalapenos that are medium to large in size, straight, and fairly even in shape and size.
• Don’t over fill the jalapenos. Yes, we all want all the cheese possible, but this will help prevent the filling from spilling over onto your grill.
• If you plan on topping off your pizza jalapeno poppers with any ingredients that release water when cooking, like onions or mushrooms, sauté them ahead of time. This will prevent the filling from becoming too wet.
• If you are worried about your jalapenos tipping over on your grill simply place them on a small baking sheet and allow them to grill indirect on the baking sheet. You may need to rotate them for more even cooking.
• Grate your own cheese, including the parmesan. In addition to giving you better flavor it will also give a better texture.
• Make sure you are using a low moisture, block style mozzarella and not a fresh mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella is too wet for this type of recipe.

For more jalapeno popper inspiration make sure to check out crab cake jalapeno poppers.

Pizza Jalapeno Poppers

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There’s no need to decide between two game day favorites with these Pizza Jalapeno Poppers filled with four types of molten, creamy cheeses.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 15
• Refrigeration: 60
• Cook Time: 18
• Total Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Grilling

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 jalapenos, medium to large in size
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup ricotta, whole milk preferred
• 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, plus extra for topping
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• Pizza toppings such as mini pepperoni or sliced olives
• Pizza sauce for serving
• Fresh basil for serving

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Instructions

1. Cut the jalapenos in half. Use a small spoon or melon baller to carefully remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapenos. Place them on a baking sheet.
2. Add the softened cream cheese, ricotta, and seasonings to a bowl and mix to combine.
3. Add the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of parmesan to the bowl and stir to mix.
4. Use a small spoon to fil a jalapeno half. Level it off with a knife, being careful not to over fill. Repeating with the remaining jalapeno halves.
5. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of parmesan over the top. Add your pizza toppings. Sprinkle a little additional Italian seasoning over the top.
6. Let refrigerate for an hour if possible.
7. Prepare your grill for 2 zone grilling. If using a gas grill preheat it to between 375-400 degrees, not lighting all of your burners. If using a charcoal grill bank your charcoal to one side. Add wood chips for additional flavor if desired.
8. Carefully position the jalapeno poppers on the cooler side. You can use the grates to help prop them up and keep them stable.
9. Close the lid and allow them to grill for 18-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden and the jalapenos are cooked to your level of doneness. 
10. Carefully remove them from the grill. Garnish with additional grated parmesan and fresh basil. Serve with pizza sauce or marinara. 

Notes

1. This same recipe can be baked in the oven. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the pizza jalapeno poppers on either a baking rack fit into a baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow them to bake for 18-20 minutes until golden on top and the jalapenos are softened.
2. Not a fan of heat? Replace the jalapenos with mini sweet peppers. They tend to cook slightly faster so check on them after 12-15 minutes.
3. Make sure to use low moisture mozzarella and not fresh mozzarella.
4. If you are worried about your jalapeno poppers topping over on the grill you can cook them on a baking sheet. They made need to be rotated a couple of times for even cooking. 

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