Southwestern Stuffed Poblano Peppers

These stuffed poblano peppers are a party in a pepper! Stuffed with ground beef, black beans, corn, in a chipotle pepper sauce.

Poblano Peppers

Poblano peppers are a mild chili pepper from Mexico. The dried version is familiarly known as ancho or chile ancho. The heat of these peppers are in between a bell pepper and a jalapeño. Due to their large size, they are perfect for stuffing!

The first thing we have to do is wash them, then we need to cut them. Like bell peppers, they have a large cluster of seeds inside. I use a pairing knife because it is easier and more precise in handling. We want to cut 1/3 off horizontally, then I carefully cut around the stem to release it. Remove any seeds and shave any of the white bitter parts from the inside.

When you are cutting the peppers, think of a boat shape. We want to be able to stuff these to the max! You can discard the seeds/white membrane you cut out, and stem, but keep the 1/3 of pepper you cut off for later use.

Repeat and cut the rest of the poblano peppers and set them aside. They are all sizes and shapes, so each one will be a bit different when cutting.

Stuffing

Using the tops to the poblano peppers you just cut, we are going to dice it. Using a chef knife, I first cut vertically, then I proceed to cut horizontally into a dice.

For the rest of our stuffing I diced up half a yellow onion, used a can of black beans, corn, and chipotles in adobo sauce. For the chipotles in adobo, this is going to be our sauce to bring all the stuffing together. You can either dump the can in a blender and blend up all the peppers, or you can also quickly chop them on a cutting board with your knife.

Cooking the stuffing

For the ground beef, I used ground sirloin which is a more lean beef. You can also use ground chuck, or even ground turkey in the recipe. For spices I used: ground cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. I browned the beef in my dutch oven, then using a slotted spoon I set the beef aside.

Don’t worry about little bits left over, it will only help the flavor! I added in 2 tbsp of olive oil, diced yellow onion, and the diced poblanos we cut. Sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.

You are going to add back in the browned ground beef, the drained can of corn, and drained black beans. I sautéd this for a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Then pour in the chipotles in adobo sauce and stir until all the ingredients are coated. Since all the ingredients are fully cooked, take the time to taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Stuffing the peppers

When I first had this recipe, the peppers weren’t as tender as I wanted them to be. So roast the peppers in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes prior to stuffing them. I sprayed olive oil on them before putting them in the oven. Remove them from the oven and using a spoon, carefully spoon the stuffing into each pepper.

Prior to putting them in the oven, I sprinkled some shredded Mexican cheese on top, then topped with foil. I baked them at 375 in the oven for 25 minutes.

Finished dish

I topped the finish product with cotija cheese, which is like a Mexican parmesan… aka put it on everything! I also added some freshly chopped cilantro over the top as a garnish.

These stuffed poblano peppers are also great for meal prepping, that is if you don’t eat them all at once!

Things You’ll Need:

• Pairing knife & chef knife
• Cutting board
• Large rectangular baking dish
• Dutch oven or high wall skillet
• Small bowls for ingredients
• Strainer to drain beans & corn

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