A twist on chile rellenos (without frying), this easy Cheese Stuffed Poblano Peppers recipe is great to enjoy as a side or main dish!
Poblano peppers’ unique taste is (probably) most famously displayed in chile rellenos, which is of Mexican origin and involves stuffing the pepper, coating it with a light batter, and frying. Although we love chile rellenos and their many variations, this dish highlights the pepper more and is much lighter. The flavors are simple, yet extremely satisfying.
Are Poblano Peppers Spicy?
Poblano peppers are very very mild in terms of heat and spiciness. For comparison, they score around 1000-2000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) on the Scoville scale (the scale used to rate the heat level of peppers). A jalapeño can range from around 2500 SHU on the mild side to 8000 SHU, and habanero peppers score 150,000 SHU.
When dried, poblano peppers are referred to as ancho chiles.
What cheese is the best for these stuffed peppers?
Although any good melting cheese works well, we particularly enjoy muenster for both the texture and the flavor. Muenster is not prone to shedding fat and becoming a greasy mess, such as cheddar, and is mild enough in flavor to let the pepper be the star.
Tips to Enhance Flavor
The pine nuts are for texture and taste since muenster is not an overly assertive cheese. We have used a variety of nuts and they all work well, so this is a perfect place to experiment. Toast the nuts first for a more pronounced and, frankly, better flavor.
The smoked paprika is the perfect addition if done in an oven as it gives a little “outdoor grill” flavor to the peppers without overwhelming them with smokiness.
The last tip is the par-baking of the pepper “shell.” This softens the pepper to a perfect consistency for us. It’s not mushy, not crunchy, but somewhere in between – think al dente! We have also done this with jalapeño peppers as well with spicy and flavorful results. But the poblano is still our number one choice.
Enjoy!
We hope that you enjoy this recipe for Cheese Stuffed Poblano Peppers. If you give it a try, leave us a comment below, or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
Looking for more recipes like this? Check these out:
- Southern Style Biscuits and Roasted Poblano Sausage Gravy
- Roasted Poblano and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
- Citrus Achiote Chicken Skewers with Pepper Rice
- Marinated Skirt Steak Street Tacos
Cheese Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Course: Side DishesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes25
minutes35
minutesA twist on chile rellenos (without frying), this easy Cheese Stuffed Poblano Peppers recipe is great to enjoy as a side or main dish!
Ingredients
4 green Poblano peppers
⅓ cup pine nuts
12 oz muenster cheese cut in small dice
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp thyme leaves
Directions
- PREPARE THE PEPPERS
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Slice the very top of the pepper off lengthwise, exposing the seed pod but keeping the stem intact. Reserve the sliced-off part of the pepper and dice them into small pieces. For the pepper itself, gently remove the seeds and excess white pith where the stem attaches and to create almost a boat-like vessel for the stuffing. Once the peppers are cleaned, put them on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool before stuffing.
- STUFF AND COOK THE PEPPERS
- While the empty peppers are baking, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Combine the pine nuts with the muenster cheese and small-diced, raw excess pepper that you removed and stuff the par-baked peppers with the mixture.
- Put your now-stuffed peppers on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 5 minutes, then remove. Turn your oven to broil and wait a few minutes for it to heat up. Place stuffed peppers in the oven on the center rack for about 2-3 more minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Once the peppers are done, you can sprinkle the smoked paprika and thyme leaves on the peppers and serve!
Love these poblanos! Make them regularly. I grow poblanos in my backyard (I’m a Texas girl), so it’s a great way to enjoy their whole selves. Thanks for this idea. I actually add a little salsa picante on top to add a little more heat. Thank you Angela and Mark for all the great recipes.
That’s so wonderful to hear! This is one of our favorites!