This recipe for stuffed poblano peppers is tender pasilla chiles filled with a mixture of ground beef, rice, black beans and vegetables, then topped with cheese and baked. A hearty Mexican style meal that’s sure to get rave reviews!
We love Mexican food, some of my family’s favorites include tacos al pastor and chicken enchilada casserole. When I’m looking to mix things up a bit, I serve these stuffed poblano peppers for a unique and unexpected dinner.
Stuffed peppers are a classic dish that never goes out of style, but this zesty Mexican version kicks things up a notch. Stuffed poblano peppers are filled with a savory blend of meat, rice, beans and cheese for an easy yet satisfying meal.
How do you make stuffed poblano peppers?
This recipe starts with prepping your peppers. The peppers need to have the tops sliced off and all the seeds and ribs removed. I find it easiest to remove the seeds and ribs with a serrated grapefruit spoon or a small paring knife. The poblano peppers are baked in the oven to soften while the filling is made. The filling is a blend of ground beef, rice, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cheese. The filling is spooned into the peppers, and then the peppers are topped with more cheese. Bake the peppers until the cheese is melted, then add a sprinkling of cilantro and enjoy.
Tips for stuffed poblano peppers
- Look for large, firm peppers without any wrinkled spots that have fresh looking stems.
- You just want to slice the very top off the pepper right where the base of the stem begins, do not cut the peppers in half.
- These stuffed peppers can be assembled up to 8 hours before you plan to bake them. You may need to add another 5-10 minutes in the oven to compensate for starting with cold peppers.
- I recommend using freshly grated cheese rather than the pre-shredded kind that comes in a bag. The pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as nicely because it contains anti caking additives.
How hot is a poblano pepper?
Poblano peppers are quite mild. The heat of peppers is measured in terms of Scoville units. A jalapeno has a Scoville measurement that’s anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000 units. A poblano pepper measures from 1,000 – 1,500 on the Scoville scale.
Can you eat poblano pepper skin?
You can absolutely eat the skin of a poblano pepper. In situations where a poblano has been roasted, you may want to consider removing the skin if it’s been blackened by the heat source. In this particular case, the peppers are baked to soften them, but are not blackened, so it’s perfectly fine to enjoy the skin. I also find that if you remove the skin of a pepper that you’re planning to stuff, the pepper is more likely to fall apart when you add the fillings because the skin helps it to hold its shape.
Stuffed poblano pepper variations
There are so many different ways to customize this recipe to your personal tastes.
- Protein: Try diced chicken, ground turkey or chorizo instead of the ground beef.
- Beans: Pinto beans are a great substitute for black beans.
- Vegetables: You can add other veggies to the mix such as onion, red bell pepper or zucchini.
- Cheese: I typically use Monterey Jack cheese for this recipe, but cheddar is also a great choice.
- Grains: Instead of white rice you can use quinoa or brown rice.
These peppers have it all, they’re the perfect blend of meat, cheese, beans and rice. It’s almost like a burrito without the tortilla! Stuffed poblano peppers are sure to become a family favorite.
MORE GREAT MEXICAN RECIPES
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 large poblano peppers cut a slice off lengthwise, then remove seeds and ribs
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 1 cup black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup corn kernels thawed from frozen
- 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided use
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay the poblano peppers on the pan in a single layer.
- Bake the peppers for 10-15 minutes or until softened.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until the meat is cooked through.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the packet of taco seasoning along with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir to coat the meat in seasoning.
- Add the rice, beans, corn, tomatoes and 3/4 cheese to the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir to combine.
- Divide the meat mixture evenly between the peppers. Top with remaining cheese.
- Return the peppers to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro, then serve.
I usually don’t give 5 stars if I don’t follow the recipe exactly – but you said “customizable” – so I used leftover Greek meat mixture & added the black beans & corn. I left out the rice & added chopped fresh spinach (I love that nobody noticed since the peppers are so green). I also threw in some nutritional yeast. So yummy – hubby couldn’t stop eating them!!
This was delicious. I’m not good at measuring so I had enough of the stuffing to put in the bottom of my casserole dish. It was amazing. I used fresh corn as it was in season and charged it over the flame on my stove. Yum yum!
Loved this!!! I made a few changes and I’ll definitely be making this again!
I used a combo of ground beef and ground pork, left out the beans and rice as we eat lower carb. I added diced onion when cooking the meat, used diced chipotle tomatoes…so good!
Delicious & easy. I accidentally forgot the diced tomatoes but now like it better without. Will be making it again.
Excellent recipe! Yes, I made minor changes : added diced onion, omitted the corn because we were having corn as a side, and used cheddar since I didn’t have Monterey Jack. Also, I forgot to add cilantro. But my husband and I both really liked it, and I will definitely make it again. Thanks, Sara – I’ve never made a recipe of yours that we didn’t enjoy.
I made this for dinner tonight and YUM! It is a pretty easy recipe to throw together and it turned out really tasty. My picky four-year-old gobbled up a bowl full of the filling – I’ve never seen her eat so fast. We’ll be adding this to the dinner rotation!
Do the peppers need to be peeled after baking and prior to filling?
Also, can the filled peppers be frozen prior to returning to oven for final bake?
Thank you.
I do not peel the peppers. Yes you can freeze them!
Love this recipe! I had everything except the beef. It was delicious!
I have cut this recipe in half since there are just the two of us. It’s wonderful! I have made the whole recipe and stuffed two peppers and used the remaining stuffing a few days later to make burritos. Yep, really yummy! Just make it. It will be in your rotation for sure!
What a fabulous, addictive recipe; delicious and adaptable too! Sometime I use ground turkey instead of beef, pinto instead of black beans, varied cheeses, etc. And in place of the corn, I add more beans. Left overs are tasty as hell, so next time I think I will double the batch. The recipes from this site are uniformly great. You rock, Sara!
I had about 8 small poblanos I brought in just before a freeze. This was perfect despite the smaller vessel. And I loved the link to the taco seasoning recipe. Saving that for future recipes. I also imagine this will be amazing with bell peppers. I also used ground turkey. These also were amazing as leftovers