
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!

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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!