Lighter Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños

Lighter Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños 🌶️

All the creamy, smoky goodness—just lightened up a bit.

Oven: 400°F

Makes: 12 jalapeño halves

Ingredients

• 6 fresh jalapeño peppers
• 4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 slices center-cut bacon
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Black pepper, to taste
• Cooking spray
• Disposable food-safe gloves

First: Put On Gloves! 🧤

Wear disposable gloves while cutting and cleaning the jalapeños.

Jalapeños contain capsaicin, which can remain on your skin and cause significant burning if you later touch your eyes, nose, or other sensitive skin.

While working with them:

• Wear gloves from the time you begin cutting until you’re completely finished handling the peppers.
• Don’t touch your face or eyes.
• Remove the seeds and white membranes with a small spoon.
• Removing more of the white membrane will generally make the peppers milder.
• Throw the gloves away when you’re finished.
• Wash your hands well with soap and water afterward anyway.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and lightly coat it with cooking spray.
3. Put on your gloves.
4. Slice each jalapeño lengthwise to make 12 halves.
5. Using a small spoon, carefully scrape out the seeds and white membranes.
6. In a small bowl, combine:
• 4 oz softened reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sharp cheddar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Black pepper to taste
7. Divide the cheese mixture among the 12 jalapeño halves. You want them nicely filled but don’t mound huge amounts of cheese on top.
8. Cut each slice of bacon in half. Wrap ½ slice of bacon around each stuffed jalapeño half.
9. Arrange the peppers on the prepared baking sheet with a little space between them.
10. Bake for approximately 20–25 minutes, or until the jalapeños have softened and the bacon is fully cooked.
11. If you’d like the bacon a little crispier, broil them briefly at the end. Watch them constantly under the broiler—they can go from beautifully browned to Operation Remove the Evidence remarkably quickly. 😂
12. Let them cool for about 5 minutes before eating. The cheese inside will be extremely hot.

Why This Version Is Lighter

You still get the things that make stuffed jalapeños delicious—jalapeño, cream cheese, cheddar and bacon—but we’re making a few changes:

• Reduced-fat cream cheese instead of regular
• Sharp cheddar so a smaller amount still gives plenty of flavor
• Center-cut bacon, which generally has less fat than traditional bacon
• Only ½ slice of bacon per jalapeño half
• A reasonable amount of filling rather than packing each pepper with cream cheese

They’re also naturally quite low in carbohydrate.