A few years ago, while I was conducting the arduous task of roasting and peeling poblano peppers to stuff and bake, I had an epiphany! Despite placing the roasted peppers in a paper bag to loosen the skins, it is always so difficult to remove all of the skin without making big holes in the peppers. And, holes render the peppers rather useless vessels for cheese filling! My new vision had me stuffing them raw and then baking the entire thing just like you would do with stuffed bell peppers. The very next time, I tried my new method and never turned back. It is so much easier and the peppers can be baked al dente or well done, and they have no holes!
This recipe calls for stuffing the peppers with a fabulous mixture of corn, shallots, cilantro, goat cheese, grated cheddar, and jack cheese. We love to use fresh grilled corn right off the cob for this dish, but you could certainly use frozen corn and Trader Joe’s carries a great frozen roasted corn.
Also, keep in mind that poblano peppers can vary a lot in terms of heat levels, even peppers from the same plant can be different. We’ve used both red and green poblano peppers and the red ones seemed to pack the most heat. However, you can often find poblanos that have very little heat. The problem is that you don’t really know until you bite into them! If that intimidates you, just replace the poblano peppers with Anaheim peppers, which are very mild.
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 whole poblano peppers can use Anaheim peppers for less heat
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 large large shallots finely chopped (or 1 yellow onion)
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (or mixed Mexican) reserve 1/4 cup for tops of peppers
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (or mixed Mexican) reserve 1/4 cup for tops of peppers
- 4 large ears of corn can use 2 cups frozen corn
- ½ cup minced cilantro
- S&P to taste
Instructions
- *Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (You can prepare peppers several hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake.)
- Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Prepare peppers, by cutting a long narrow triangle with the wide part of the triangle just below the stem and the narrow part at the bottom tip of the pepper, leaving stem in tact if possible. Cut out this section, chop and set aside. Then clean out the seeds and membranes from within the pepper. Set peppers open side up, on the baking sheet.
- In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and cook shallots (or onions) until translucent. Add chopped poblano pieces and red peppers. Sauté a few minutes longer. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, crumble the goat cheese and add cilantro and mix well. Add sautéed peppers and shallots, corn and grated cheese. Mix well with a fork or wooden spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stuff cavities of cleaned peppers with filling. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top of each pepper.
- Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserts easily into pepper and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and serve hot! Or, grill indirectly for 20-25 minutes, golden-brown and bubbly.