I remade these Mexican Stuffed Peppers so that they're better than ever. Check out the new post, recipe, and photos HERE.
This past weekend, James and I went to an awesome little barbecue place in his town and pigged out (see what I did there?). It was fantastic, and I've definitely been inspired for some future BBQ recipes that I assume I'll be even more eager to make once I come back from North Carolina. However, I'm not writing to tell you about the juicy pulled pork or flavorful ribs right now. I actually want to talk about the tiny free salad bar. Kind of.
The salad was fine, but at the very end of the salad bar was the real gold-- little hot cherry peppers that I loaded into my bowl as though they were the reason we came in the first place. James took one and, because he's also a hot and spicy fanatic of sorts, bit in as soon as we sat down at the table. Ten seconds later, he was spitting into a napkin, gasping, red-faced, and fanning his mouth. I proceeded to eat my first pepper, and my second, and my third. "How are you eating that?" he asked, sincerely. "I just love peppers," I reminded him.
And it's true, whether it's a jalapeno, habanero, bell pepper, chile, or pepperoncini, raw or roasted, pickled or not, I'm all about it. Lately, I've really been experimenting with pepper heat and flavor to see what kind of combinations I can come up with. My favorite so far has been a twist on the typical Stuffed Pepper that our moms used to make. Instead of using sweet bell peppers, I decided to try out a smokier-tasting cousin-- poblanos.
If you're not a ghost-pepper-eating, fire-breathing heat-lover, don't worry. These peppers aren't typically scorch-your-mouth-hot, although you may wind up getting the unpredictably spicy ones from time to time. Luckily, even if that's the case, roasting should take care of most of the tear-inducing heat, but expect a bit of tongue-tingling action. Either way, this pepper is more about the flavor, which is wonderfully complimented in these stuffed peppers with other ingredients you'd typically find in Mexican dishes such as chorizo, rice, tomato, onion, and sour cream, all topped and overflowing with delicious melted cheese.
Welp, I just got hungry again.
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Mexican Stuffed Peppers (Chorizo-Stuffed Poblanos)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
These Mexican Stuffed Peppers are tasty deviations from typical stuffed bell peppers. Prepare for these smoky, creamy, tangy, meaty, sometimes spicy, cheesy, and all-around satisfying peppers to get you a lot of recipe requests.
Ingredients
- 4 large poblano peppers, split and seeded (you can cut them in half or split them like Chiles Rellenos, like I do.)
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound raw Mexican-style chorizo, removed from casings
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 medium roma tomato, diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp of cumin
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ cup Jack cheese, shredded
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup cotija cheese, grated
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Spray a rimmed baking sheet lightly with nonstick spray and place the poblanos on. Roast them in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the skin of the pepper becomes bubbly.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo for about 5 minutes, gently breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Stir in the onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 more minutes. Then add the tomato paste, oregano, and cumin. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add rice, tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro, and cotija cheese to the bowl with the meat mixture and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- You may or may not want to remove the loose skin from the peppers. It's a matter of preference. Gently spoon the mixture into the cavities of the split poblanos and top with the remaining cheese.
- Finish the peppers off on the grill by lighting the opposite side of the grill and covering until the cheese has melted, or in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Cuisine: Mexican
Robin says
A cinco de mayo sensation! I can only imagine what it would be like to give this a char-grilled finish! The poblano peppers are the perfect complement to the zesty chorizo. The two of us refrained from eating them all. Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Morgan says
Glad the recipe was a success for you, Robin! =)
Jason says
Made these and they were delicious. Very filling too. Key is getting a quality chorizo. Don't try to save a buck when selecting this ingredient. You get what you pay for. Also, as a chile head, I can tell you that roasting ANY pepper makes them hotter. This is because the heat causes the oil and capsasin in the seeds and membrane to come out. So if your sensitive to heat, always remove the seeds and membrane. If you like heat, leave them.
Morgan says
Thanks for the tips, Jason! I always thought roasting them mellowed them out-- don't know where I got that info from!
pepperbelly says
roasting peppers do make them mellow
John Carmo says
I'm going to make this! It sounds utterly delicious! But the Jack cheese and cheddar cheese that are listed in the ingredients are not mentioned in the instructions. Do they go in the bowl and mixed with the chorizo mix (Step 4) or spread on top as "the remaining cheese" in step 5?
Julie L says
Amazing recipe! My in laws have a garden and make so many peppers--we are always looking for different kinds of stuffed peppers. So yummy!!!
Moira says
Can these be made then frozen?
Tracy says
I want to make these but would like to have something as a side...any suggestions?
Theresa says
Black beans would be good. I make them with garlic, onion, and Sazón.