Whew, what a week… after having out of town visitors for the past four days, I am finally getting back into my routine (school, blog, sleep… school, blog, sleep… school, blog… well, you get the idea). Anyway, I needed something quick an easy to make today that would feed me for the rest of the week. Stuffed poblano peppers fit the bill. Well, they weren’t exactly quick (thanks to the rice and pepper roasting process) but a lot of that time was “passive cooking” so I was able to take care of other business at the same time.
I decided to do a vegetarian stuffed poblano but if you have extra chorizo, other sausage or chicken waiting in your freezer, by all means cook it, chop it and add it into the mix! My peppers contained seasoned rice, black beans, salsa and cheese. It is a classic combo that I can’t ever seem to get enough of. Stuffing it into smokey and slightly spicy poblano peppers just made it extra special. I love these stuffed peppers because they are a cute little self contained meal that is easy to reheat and devour whenever I’m hungry. Normally I would put a dollop of sour cream right on top too but I gotta watch the saturated fat to keep my cholesterol in check so… you know.
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice ($0.30)
- 2 cubes bullion, vegetable, or chicken ($0.24)
- 1/4 tsp chili powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.17)
- 6 poblano peppers ($2.98)
- 4 oz. cheese ($0.99)
- 3/4 cup divided salsa ($0.52)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.87)
- non-stick spray (if needed) ($0.10)
Instructions
- Cook the rice in a medium pot with 1.75 cups of water and two buillion cubes. (instructions for cooking rice here) While the rice is cooking, finely chop the cilantro. Mix the cilantro and chili powder into the rice after it has finished cooking. Set the rice aside until you are ready to use it.
- While the rice is cooking, roast the poblanos. Preheat the broiler to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet and coat all sides of the poblano peppers with non-stick spray (you can rub olive oil all over them but I find spraying is much easier). Place the baking sheet a few inches under the broiler (I use the second rack level) and broil on each side for 5 minutes.
- After broiling the poblanos, the skin should be blistered and bubbly. Immediately place the peppers into a ziplock bag for about 15 minutes to allow the steam to loosen the skin. Remove them from the bag and peel away as much of the skin as possible (be gentle and it is okay if you can’t get ALL of the skin).
- Cut a boat shaped piece out of each pepper and then carefully remove the seeds and seed pod. Save the pieces of pepper that are removed to make the openings because it makes a great ingredient for salads, burrito bowls or quesadillas (breakfast quesadilla anyone?).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (bake, not broil this time). Gently fill the peppers with layers of seasoned rice, salsa, cheese and beans. I began with rice (1/3 to 1/2 cup), then 1 Tbsp of salsa, 1/3 oz. of cheese, beans (as much as I could stuff in), then more salsa and cheese (same amounts as before).
- Place the peppers back in the oven and bake until they are heated through and the cheese is melted (about 20 minutes). Enjoy!
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Cook the rice using 2 bullion cubes then mix in minced cilantro and chili powder after cooking.
Prepare the poblanos for roasting by coating them in oil and placing them on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes on each side.
After roasting the skin will be blistered. Place in a ziplock bag for 15 minutes to allow steam to loosen the skin.
Peel off the skin, cut an opening in each and remove the seeds and seed pod.
Layer in the rice, salsa, cheese and beans… I added more salsa and cheese after this picture. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until they are heated through and the cheese is melted. Dig in!
NOTE: I had a little left over rice and beans so I piled that into a container with salsa and the chopped up bits of poblano that were cut away to make the openings. I sealed up the container and put it in the freezer. Later I can just pull it out, defrost in the microwave, add some sour cream or cheese and have a nice little burrito bowl! YUM!
What could I serve along side of these please?
Typically they’re served alone, but if you’d like a protein alongside I’d do a simple roasted or grilled chicken since these are so flavorful.
This took a lot of time to prep but was really good. My peppers were kind of falling apart when I was skinning/de-seeding them and seemed really flat and wet, but it came together. I didn’t cut a chunk out, just a slit in the center was fine to stuff them. I used queso quesadilla which was super melty and awesome.
This is an old thread so probably won’t be answered but will try anyway. Hubby came home today with a 17 oz can of !Yaesta! brand roasted poblano peppers, (also says Chiles Poblanos on the label) so am wondering if these canned ones can be used in your recipe and be successful.
Thank you
Stay well
Hi Joycelyn! Unfortunately, I’ve never seen or used those peppers, so I’m not sure how they’d hold up. If they’re canned I’m going to guess that they’re very soft and might rip or tear easily, which might make this difficult.
Thank you Beth. I’ve never seen nor heard of them either and like you, also suspect since they’re in a can, they have to be very soft and mushy. But… dear hubby is eager to try them just like he’s constantly eager to try every other obscure food product he brings home!
All the best
Happy American Thanksgiving from Canada!
Stay well
Joy
I do them with onion an charizo..black beans an rice on the side..yum
Hi Beth! I made another easy stuffed poblanos recipe to night – came up with this one on my own, using what I had on hand……and I was too lazy to cook rice. :o(
Easy Stuffed Poblano Peppers for dinner tonight: broil peppers, then remove skin and innards; brown some ground beef with onions and bell peppers, add in a can of Bush’s seasoned black beans, some taco seasoning and let simmer; split open the poblanos and stuff with the beef/bean mixture, top with cheese, bake until bubbly; serve with salsa and hot sauce.
Sounds amazing! :D
Planning on making these tomorrow for lunches on Thursday and Friday. Will they be okay in the fridge for a few days, or should o freeze them? Thanks!
They should be fine in the fridge for a few days. Any longer than 4-5 days and I’d freeze them. :)
I’m so making this tomorrow. My husband brought me a bag of poblano peppers and I have been looking for a recipe like this one. I’m sure it will come out great.
I just can’t wait. I will let you know how it turns out.
Thank you again.
This recipe looks delicious . I will be making it tomorrow. I will let you know how it turns out.
Can’t wait .
I made these with smoked gouda. They were amazing!
Hi Beth, I discovered your website a couple of weeks ago and I find your recipes amazing! Just one quick question: can I freeze stuffed peppers?
Thank you for your help!
Cheres!
Yes, I think they will freeze well. They are already soft after baking, so the softness that occurs with freezing/thawing shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
What kind of cheese do you recommend?
I like monterrey jack cheese with southwest flavors. :)
I made these tonight, and they’re in the oven right now. My broiler setting on my oven is past 500 degrees and I don’t have an actual temp to set for it, so I roasted at 450 for about 15 min, turning in between. I also used added in ground sirloin and made a bechamel cheese sauce to go on top. Everything looks great and I can’t wait to try them. Thanks, Beth!
I also made it with bell peppers, because the 4 poblano peppers they had at my store looked pretty old and wilted. It turned out okay-although I had a hard time layering. I think next time I’ll add a little shredded chicken
With a couple of changes, I made this tonight for my husband whose a low fat vegan. Topped it off with avocado. He really enjoyed it and so did I. Will be making this again.
This recipe is fabulous!I made it for my sister, who is a vegetarian and VERY picky, she loved it! Thanks so much!