Jalapeño Poppers have always been one of my TOP favorite appetizers! Whenever I am in a restaurant and I see that there are Poppers on the menu, I place an order. About 8 years ago, I was in the middle of a low-carb diet and I had a MAD craving for some poppers. Now, in the past, I have only had Poppers deep-fried which… YUM but, as I am sure you know, being on a low-carb diet, ANYTHING deep-fried is really not allowed. Since I am someone who does not give up easy, that sent me on the quest to figure out how I could satisfy my popper craving, while still abiding by my diet. I can now happily say 8 years later, I mastered this recipe and have many different ways of making it your own. So, without further ado, please allow me to introduce you to Ashland Low-Carb Jalapeño Poppers!
Low-Carb Jalapeño Poppers
Servings: 20 Poppers
Ingredients:
- 10 Fresh Jalapeños (The larger and rounder the better)
- 12 oz of Cream Cheese
- Spicy Sausage (My go to is the Johnsonville Italian Hot Sausage, if you can buy it ground, that works and if you do not want it THAT spicy, buy regular)
- Fresh Cilantro
Directions:
- Preheat over to 350° F
- Cut in half and clean out all the Jalapeños. I highly recommend wearing gloves during this step, as the pepper oil can seep into your skin and burn for a couple days.
- Place all the peppers on a baking sheet. Set aside.
- Cook spicy sausage in skillet until brown. Drain grease and place in mixing bowl. You can also place the sausage in a food processer to cut it up in smaller portions if you want. I personally like the sausage thicker, so most of the time I leave it in small portions.
- Add cream cheese to sausage and mix. This is now your popper filling.
- Spread popper filling on each Jalapeño until all the filling is gone.
- Place poppers in oven for 20-25 minutes (depending on oven and desired crunchiness. My Mom likes them really soft, so I cook it 30-35 minutes for her.)
- Let poppers cool and place on serving tray.
- Cut Cilantro and sprinkle on top of poppers.
- Serve and Enjoy!
OPTION: If you want to make these vegetarian, simply leave out the sausage and just have it be Jalapeño, cheese and cilantro. Still VERY delicious!
Spice Up Your Life!
