What To Make With Garden Salsa Peppers

Every year I have an abundance of jalapenos, bell peppers, banana peppers, garden salsa peppers, and red bell peppers, even if I only plant 1 plant of each! I have given some away, feed some to our chickens and pigs, and I've researched any and all recipes calling for peppers. Here are some fun yummy recipes I have found that will help you use up all those extra peppers.

Cowboy Candy

One of my most favorite things to do with jalapeños is to make cowboy candy. It's a delicious appetizer poured over cream cheese and served with crackers. SO good.

peppers cowboy candy recipe

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Cowboy Candy

Instructions

Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem. Discard the stems. Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. Set aside. In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes. Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness. Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label. Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating. Or don't! If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It's wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad or, in short, don't toss it out!

Tappel's Spicy Pickled Eggs

Courtesy of Jeremy Tappel

Another favorite in our house is Tappel's Spicy Pickled Eggs. These are great for an after school snack or to set out at a party.

peppers pickled eggs recipe

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Tappel's Spicy Pickled Eggs

Instructions

Bring all ingredients (except eggs) to a boil. Boil for 5 mins. Pour over eggs in a glass jar. Seal and store in fridge for 7 days before trying. Yum!

Cheesy Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole

We are not big fans of stuffed peppers here but have found a stuffed pepper casserole my kids absolutely love! Even after we all eat a good portion of this, there are always leftovers, and it reheats well for lunch the next day.

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Cheesy Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole

Instructions

Brown ground beef in a large sauce pan. (I like to use my cast iron pans. Easy clean up!) Drain, remove from pan and set aside. Heat oil in stock pot on medium high heat and add green peppers and onion. Saute 5-10 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. To stock pot, add tomatoes, sauce, corn, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in rice and ground beef. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pickled Banana Peppers

Pickled banana peppers are a favorite on our subway sandwiches, so I decided to find the perfect pickled banana pepper recipes. We love them on salads as well as sandwiches.

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Pickled Banana Peppers

Instructions

Put sliced banana peppers into hot pint jars. Bring all other ingredients, except granulates to a boil in a sauce pot. After 2 minutes, remove garlic cloves and discard. Pour brine over rings and add 1/2 tsp of crisper granulates to the top. Secure with lid and rings for canning purposes. Boil in a hot water bath for 10 mins to seal.

Recipe Notes

These can also just be put in the fridge. They don't necessarily need to be canned. Eat after 7 days.

Jalapeno Poppers

Another favorite in our house is jalapeno poppers! I love to make these for an appetizer at birthday parties.

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Jalapeno Poppers

Instructions

Wearing gloves, I cut jalapeños in half and remove seeds. In a mixer, beat cream cheese and shredded cheese together. I then stuff each jalapeño half with cream cheese mix. To freeze: Put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze. Once frozen, bag for later use. Bacon wrapped: Wrap them in bacon and bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 mins. Fried: Bread with bisquick and milk mix, and fry them in a deep fat fryer for 5 mins or until crispy brown. YUM!

Fresh Salsa Recipe

Last but not least, SALSA! We love salsa at our house. Whether its fresh or canned, we eat it all up. Here are our favorite salsa recipes.

salsa peppers recipe

Instructions

Keep the seeds if you want the salsa hotter or for a milder salsa discard seeds. WEAR GLOVES!). Just chop everything up and mix in a big bowl. Salt, pepper, and cilantro to taste!

Salsa

Courtesy of Nancy Monat

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Salsa Recipe

Instructions

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Simmer 30 mins. Process 15 mins in a water bath canner. Can be put in pints or quarts. You can also put it in the fridge for later snacking!

All peppers can be chopped, frozen, and eaten at a later date. We like to pull chopped green peppers out of the freezer and put them in our eggs in the winter. So good! We also have had them smoked, dehydrated, and then food processed them into a fine powder to be added to chili or other dishes. This is so good and packs a lot of flavor.

So this year, if you have a lot of peppers in your garden, try one of these recipes out, or try the chop and freeze method.