This vegetarian pepper recipe makes a hearty meal that is heathy yet filling. For more vegetarian recipe ideas check out this flavorful Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan or Easy Cheesy Red Enchiladas. For dessert serve this Triple Berry Crisp or my family’s absolute number one pick for best cookie Fluffernutter Cookies.
Easy Stuffed Poblano Peppers
The filling in this stuffed poblano pepper recipe is scrumptious! The sweet corn mixed with the fresh garlic, onions, and lime with melty cheese, YUM!! All the flavors meld together quite nicely. So much in fact, I want to find other ways to use it in other recipes.
My husband and I really enjoyed these baked peppers and their filling. My kids enjoyed the inside, but didn’t care so much for the outer pepper part, however they did try it at least. Just something to keep in mind if you are making these for kiddos.
Here is another stuffed pepper recipe made with ground turkey and a rice stuffed peppers for you to try if you love peppers.
Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Poblano peppers actually originated in Puebla, Mexico. These peppers are gorgeous. They are this deep, emerald green and have this cool curvy shape. This cool shape kind of makes some of them hard to fill. Just pile the filling on there, they will still be delicious but a little messy.
I love that this recipe is vegetarian! Make it vegan by excluding the cheeses.
This vegetarian poblano pepper recipe is easy to prepare! Just cut the raw poblano peppers in half, de-seed them and fill with the tasty stuffing, just like in these weight watchers stuffed peppers. If you like you can also cut off the stem. Then just pop them into the oven and they are done in about 35 minutes.
Are Poblano Peppers Good for You?
On top of being beautiful, these peppers are super healthy and low in calories! They are rich in antioxidants and could have some cancer fighting effects. Eat these if you are wanting a boost in vitamin C and vitamin A. Vitamin C intake is vital for the immune system, so eating these peppers can help boost your immunity! For a boost of protein, grab the recipe for chicken stuffed bell peppers.
Are Poblano Peppers Hot?
Poblano peppers usually aren’t spicy on the Scoville scale, they are one of the more mild peppers, but occasionally you can get a spicy one based on the plant. An interesting fact about poblanos is that as they ripen into a beautiful red, they get hotter.
Also, did you know that ancho chiles are actually poblano peppers? Once a poblano is super ripe, it is such a dark red that it is almost black. These peppers are then dried and are called ancho chiles. Ancho chile powder is very popular to use when making mole, a yummy Mexican sauce.
Stuffed Poblano Pepper Recipe Ingredients
- Pinto Beans: Use two cans of pinto beans or use 3 3/4 cups of home made pinto beans.
- Water: Filtered water.
- Oil: I used Olive Oil, but you could use vegetable oil.
- Onion: Yellow or white onion.
- Garlic: Minced, fresh garlic is best.
- Cumin: Ground cumin.
- Oregano: Use 1 tablespoon of fresh or 1 teaspoon dried.
- Chili Powder
- Lime: You will need lime juice and the zest.
- Salt: Kosher or sea salt.
- Pepper: Freshly ground is the most flavorful.
- Corn: I used frozen corn in this recipe, but fresh or canned is great too.
- Cheese: Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro.
- Poblano Chiles: Fresh whole poblano chiles.
How to Make Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Preheat oven. Set the oven to 425 degrees.
- Set up baking sheets. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Start oil. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Smash the beans. While oil is heating, in a bowl smash 1 can of beans with the water with the back of a spoon or potato masher.
- Add onions. Once oil is shimmering, add in onions and cook until soft.
- Add spices. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, lime zest, and salt. Add in the smashed beans and cook until thickened, for around 5 minutes.
- Add additional ingredients. Next add in corn and beans, then take off the heat. Add in cheese, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fill peppers. Fill each half of a pepper with the filling and place on baking sheets.
- Cook the peppers. Put both baking sheets in the oven, switch and rotate baking sheets halfway through baking time. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Finishing touches. Serve with a squeeze of lime and some freshly chopped cilantro.
Stuffed Poblano Pepper Recipe Tips
- Peel the peppers. After baking these peppers, you can let them cool completely and try to carefully peel the thin layer of skin off of the outside of them. The skin is edible if you want to skip this step, some people just do not like the texture.
- Shred the cheese. For the best flavor and melt factor, I recommend shredding your own cheese from a block.
- Fresh herbs. Use fresh minced oregano instead of dried, you will need 1 tablespoon.
- Use homemade beans. Make your own beans from dried pintos, you will need almost 4 cups of cooked beans.
- A good weekend meal. I recommend making these when you have a bit more time since they take a little longer to prepare and bake.
- Make a smaller amount. This makes a lot of peppers so cut the recipe in half if you need to.
- Delicious toppings. Some topping ideas for baked peppers are fresh, minced cilantro, a sprinkling of shredded cheese, sour cream, queso fresco, or Crema Mexicana.
- Leftover stuffing? If you have leftover stuffing, I like to just eat it on its own or put it into a tortilla to make a burrito.
Storage Instructions for Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- How to Refrigerate Stuffed Poblanos: Let the stuffed poblano peppers cool and put in a glass container or BPA-free airtight plastic container or zipper bag. The peppers should last about 3 days in the fridge.
- How to Freeze Stuffed Poblanos: Let the stuffed peppers cool off completely before putting into an airtight glass, BPA-free freezer-safe bag or freezer-safe plastic container. Make sure to label the recipe with the name and date. The peppers should last about 3 months in the freezer.
- How to Thaw Frozen Stuffed Poblanos: If you want to shorten the cooking time, you can defrost the peppers in the fridge over night but they do not have to be thawed out to re-heat.
- How to Re-Heat Stuffed Poblanos: You can bake the stuffed poblanos from frozen. Just cover with foil and cook at 350 degrees for around 20-30 minutes, larger peppers could take up to an hour or so to cook so keep this in mind. Thawed peppers should cook quicker.
Try these other vegetarian recipe ideas!
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Stuffed Poblano Pepper Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 15 oz cans pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 cup water
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 4 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 6 poblano chiles
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
-
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
-
While oil is heating, in a bowl smash 1 can of beans with the water with the back of a spoon or potato masher.
-
Once oil is shimmering, add in onions and cook until soft.
-
Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, lime zest, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add in the smashed beans and cook until thickened, for around 5 minutes.
-
Next add in corn and beans, then take off the heat. Add in cheese, lime juice, and cilantro.
-
Fill each half of a pepper with the filling and place on baking sheets.
-
Put both baking sheets in the oven, switch and rotate baking sheets halfway through baking time. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes
- After baking these peppers, you can let them cool completely and try to carefully peel the thin layer of skin off of the outside of them. The skin is edible if you want to skip this step, some people just do not like the texture.
- Some topping ideas for baked peppers are fresh, minced cilantro, a sprinkling of shredded cheese, sour cream, queso fresco, or Crema Mexicana.
- Any left over peppers should last about 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Nutrition Information
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