Enjoy stuffed mini bell peppers on Game Day. (Tulalip Resort Casino)

Enjoy stuffed mini bell peppers on Game Day. (Tulalip Resort Casino)

Make Tulalip chef’s stuffed mini bell peppers for game day

These one-bite treats can be prepped the night before, then popped into the oven for 10 minutes on Super Sunday.

  • By Perry Mascitti Special to The Herald
  • Tuesday, January 19, 2021 1:30am
  • Life

The Daily Herald is introducing a new monthly column — Taste of Tulalip — featuring recipes and cooking tips from executive chef Perry Mascitti and the culinary team at Tulalip Resort Casino, the new Quil Ceda Creek Casino opening in February and Tulalip Bingo & Slots.

Are you ready to score some points with your family watching the Super Bowl on Feb. 7? These Game Day stuffed mini bell peppers may become a tasty tradition in your home, like they are in mine.

The crumbly Cotija cheese and the spicy Mexican chorizo make this one of my favorites.

Everything can be prepared the day before the football game. Mix all of the filling ingredients in one bowl and spoon into each bell pepper half. When you can take a break in between plays, put them in the oven for 10 minutes. That’s it!

I put one jalapeno in the filling, but you can always add more to up the spice level. Whatever heats you up for the game.

I like to serve the stuffed peppers with lime wedges for the couch quarterbacks to squeeze on top of each bite. As another option, you may want to serve each pepper on a tortilla chip for a nice crisp texture.

Game Day stuffed mini bell peppers

8 ounces pork or beef Mexican chorizo

8 slices bacon

20 mini bell peppers, multi-colored

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup Cacique Cotija Mexican cheese, plus ½ cup for topping (see note)

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

½ cup finely chopped green onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 fresh jalapeno, deseeded, finely chopped

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)

4 limes cut into ⅛ wedges, for serving

40 tortilla chips, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Fry the Mexican chorizo in a pan for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Fry the bacon over medium heat. Turn the strips as needed until they reach the desired crispness, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain well on a paper-towel-lined platter. Finely chop. You should have ½ cup. Set aside.

Cut each mini bell pepper in half, lengthwise, and deseed them. Toss the sliced and deseeded peppers in olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Place all pepper halves on a foil-lined cookie sheet with the open side up.

Crumble the Cotija cheese with your fingers. Note: As a substitute, you can use grated or shredded Parmesan.

Mix the following ingredients in a medium-sized bowl: cream cheese, Mexican chorizo, 1 cup Cotija cheese, cilantro, green onion, garlic, jalapeno, bacon and black pepper.

Fill each pepper half with the cream cheese mixture with a slight mound. Sprinkle each with (optional) panko breadcrumbs. Bake until the cheese is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of Cotija cheese. Serve stuffed peppers with tortilla chips and lime wedges.

Makes 40 stuffed mini bell peppers.

Perry Mascitti is the executive chef at Tulalip Resort Casino. Mascitti manages nearly 260 kitchen staff, including chefs, sous chefs and cooks. He’s been at Tulalip since 2007 and has more than 30 years of culinary experience.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.