I've been on a tear of healthy Mexican inspired food since my return from Asheville (I promise there is a full post coming - birthday week and a 2 week long shoot has made it impossible to do that trip justice so far!). Spicy Chicken soup. Incredible smoked chicken quesadillas we worked up on the grill. In a blast of brilliance - and an effort to make something that would fall into the category of "make-ahead", I came up with this stuffed poblano recipe. I love stuffed peppers but always find them too filling and the rice-ish that is usually included too much.
I have to say...I think these poblanos are one of the best things I've cooked up in a really long time. The poblanos had a bit of heat - as did the sauce - but nothing was overwhelming. You taste the freshness of the sauce and the filling, the crunch of the veggies and a slight building burn. You could add meat to these but I think the crispness of the veggie filling is a great contrast to the creamy, melted cheese and the tender pepper. This is great as a side dish or as a meal with something green on the side.
Stuffed Poblano Peppers - makes 8 halves
For the sauce:
- 1 28 ounce can of tomatoes in puree - you are going to blend these so use chopped/whole/diced as long as they are good quality
- 1 jalapeno - seeded and chopped
- 1 small yellow onion - diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 4 poblano peppers - de-seeded, ribs taken out, and cut in half lengthwise
- 1 15 oz. can black beans - drained and rinsed
- 2 ears of fresh white or yellow corn - kernels cut off the cob
- 1 small orange bell pepper - diced (red or yellow would work here, too)
- 2 green onions - chopped down to the root
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack or jalapeno jack (which i used) - divided into 1/2 cup portions
- salt and freshly ground pepper - to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a blender, combine canned tomatoes, jalapeno, onion and cilantro and puree into smooth. Spread into the bottom of a 9"x13" oven safe pan and set aside.
- Mix black beans, corn kernels, orange bell pepper, green onions, cilantro and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese in a bowl and combine thoroughly. Stuff each Poblano half with the mixture and rest into the tomato sauce in baking pan. Repeat with all 8 halves. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top of the pepper and cover dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until peppers are tender and the cheese has melted. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes to finish off and brown cheese. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve immediately.
