Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

We’re getting a little spicy in the MRC kitchen today with our Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers! You might be thinking (or screaming), “What?! This is an MRC-friendly recipe that I can eat on my program?!” YES! All of that cheesy bacon-y goodness is A-OK. And you’re going to love what we’ve done with this appetizer and snack favorite that is perfect for your upcoming party, cookout, or just an afternoon out in the backyard on a nice day.

This recipe has just the right amount of kick that almost anyone can enjoy. You’ll see that we recommend one additional step of broiling the poppers a few minutes at the end of cooking. This gives the jalapenos a nice roasted flavor, and it ensures that your bacon will have just the right amount of crisp! For an extra kick of heat, top with your favorite hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes. 

Our instructions below are for cooking inside an oven. You can just as easily throw these on the grill if you've already got a grill going outside! If you're grilling outside, you'll want to be sure that your bacon is wrapped pretty tightly around the filling side to ensure little to no filling leaks out while grilling. To grill, place jalapeno popper halves on a hot grill (filling side down) for about 5 minutes. Flip to the other side (filling side up) and cook for another 10 minutes until the bacon has cooked through and become crispy. Put onto a platter to cool for 5-10 minutes before consuming.

Ingredients:

• 8 large jalapenos, seeded and halved lengthwise
• 6-9 oz. lowfat cottage cheese*
• 6-9 oz. lean ground beef, buffalo, or turkey breast, cooked*
• 4-6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded*
• 15 slices of uncured bacon
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• Optional: 4 green onions, diced

*MRC Clients: refer to your menu for exact protein portion sizes. This recipe uses 1.5 servings of cottage cheese, 1.5 servings of lean ground meat, and 2 servings of hard cheese.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the jalapenos in half length-wise, removing seeds and ribs, and set aside. Set one of the jalapeno halves to the side to be used with another meal or diced up as an extra spicy garnish.
2. Optional step: to remove some of the moisture from the cottage cheese, you can wrap in cheesecloth and place in a collander over the sink to allow it to drain for 10-20 minutes. If you don't have cheesecloth or time for this step, then just skip it! In a small bowl, combine: cottage cheese, green onion, cooked ground meat, garlic powder and shredded cheddar cheese until thoroughly combined. Spoon the filling into your jalapeno halves. Wrap a piece of bacaon around each filled jalapeno half and secure the bacon with a toothpick on the underside (non-filling side) of the pepper half. Arrange the jalapeno halves on the baking sheet (filling side facing up), and bake for 15 minutes until bacon is cooked through and filling is hot.
3. Set the oven to broil, and broil the jalapeno poppers for 2-3 minutes, watching the oven carefully to make sure your jalapeno poppers don't burn. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. 

Makes 5 Servings | Serving Size: 3 jalapeno poppers | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 healthy fat