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Stuffed Poblano Peppers
To be honest I was scared to death of trying Stuffed Poblano Peppers. Those dark green gnarly peppers looked scary and spicy.
I had my very first poblano pepper at 49yrs old.
But…I like slightly spicy stuff.
I’m also all about trying new things that I can add to my low carb life style. After getting really acquainted with jalapeño peppers in The Kellie Kitchen I wanted to know how spicy these stuffed poblano peppers really were.
Turns out they are LESS spicy than jalapeños! According to PepperScale.com I had nothing to worry about. The heat is really in the seeds. On my first go around I was sure to remove ALL the seeds.
Picking your Poblano Peppers
These giant peppers are actually considered MILD. Who knew?
Poblano peppers are dark green and slightly curly. I try to find the longest and least curly peppers. The plan is to have peppers that lay flat when sliced open.
I line the peppers up in a casserole dish side by side. My goal with pepper choice is to have then lie as flat as possible so the filling will have a place to go.
Slicing for Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Before slicing the peppers for my Stuffed Poblano Peppers I kind of assess the flat and curly sides. One trick is to lie the pepper on the counter and turn is a few times to see which is going to be stable.
I also assess which cut is going to leave me with a space to stuff the peppers.
Another trick with slicing the peppers is to keep the stem ON. Just slice right through the top and keep the top stem intact.
When you keep the stem on it helps keep the shape of Stuffed Poblano Pepper. You don’t actually eat the stem, but your pepper boats will hold your stuffing.
Scraping the Seeds
Again, Poblano Peppers are considered mild on the Pepper Scale, but the heat resides in the seeds. If you’re nervous about spicy stuff be sure to scrape ALL the seeds from the pepper before you proceed with the next steps.
I keep a few seeds intact because I like to live on the edge. A little kick in each bite of my Stuffed Poblano Peppers adds a little excitement to my life. (insert nerd emoji)
Pre-Baking to Soften the Peppers
Once I’ve sliced and scraped my poblano peppers I line them up in a casserole dish. I like to use foil or parchment paper to line the casserole dish just for easy clean up.
I pre-bake these peppers for about 15 minutes to soften them up BEFORE I stuff the peppers with my ground beef filling. This step softens up the pepper to make them more pliable for stuffing.
The Filling
Stuffed Poblano Peppers can be filled with what ever you like at this point. My stuffing is a mix of browned ground beef, onions, taco seasoning and a little cream cheese.
The cream cheese in the stuffing also helps mellow the heat a bit. The creaminess of the beef filling also gives a nice velvety feel in your mouth.
You can substitute ground turkey, chicken or chopped vegetables for the beef. The key is the cream cheese to bind the filling for stuffing.
Stuffing the Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Once you have pre-baked your Stuffed Poblano Peppers they will be slightly soft. Simply spoon equal amounts of your ground beef mixture into the peppers.
Using your spoon you may need to spread the peppers to push them open a bit. The peppers will be propped up against each other as you press open the peppers with the filling.
Topping
I like to top my Stuffed Poblano Peppers with a mix of shredded cheddar and jack cheese. Feta or Cotija cheese will also work with this recipe. The key is to top the peppers so when the cheese melts on top the pepper will hold together even better.
Quick Bake of Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Last up on the list of things to do is pop your Stuffed Poblano Peppers bak into the oven for 15 minutes at 350*. Remember that everything is already cooked in this dish.
You are simply melting and heating all the ingredients all together.
After 15 minutes of bake time I then turn the oven to broil for 1-3 minutes. This last 1-3 minutes on my Stuffed Poblano Peppers get the cheese nice and bubbly.
Storage and Leftovers
Well…there won’t be any.
Truth.
Just in case there are leftovers store them in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can reheat in the microwave to your desired warmth.
For scaredy cats…
If you just absolutely can NOT do spice, then try my Turkey Stuffed Sweet Peppers. They’re amazing and ZERO spice. No judging 🙌
Ingredients
- 3 poblano peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup yellow onion small dice
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning or 1 packet
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Slice open the poblano peppers keeping the stem and top intact. Scrape all seeds out of the peppers and discard seeds. Place peppers in a casserole dish side by side and open side up. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water. Trust me!
- In a large skillet over medium heat add the olive oil. Add diced onion and saute to soften for 3-5 minutes. Add ground beef and break into small pieces with a heavy wooden spoon. Brown ground beef for 5-7 minutes.
- Once the ground beef is fully cooked and broken into small bits add in the taco seasoning and softened cream cheese to the skillet mixture. Mash the cream cheese into the beef, onion and taco seasoning. Mix all ingredients together until fully combined and creamy.
- Turn heat off the stove top. Spoon the creamy ground beef mixture equally into the roasted and slightly soft poblano peppers. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese equally over the stuffed peppers.
- Bake the stuffed peppers in a 350* for 15 minutes. Once your peppers are fully cooked through, turn the oven to broil and watch the peppers for 1-2 minutes under the broiler.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
MEDICAL AND NUTRITION DISCLAIMER…Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nutritional break downs are done using a commercial nutrition calculator. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctorbefore starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers, this should never be construed as medical advice.
My secret to lasting weight loss
Maintaining my weight loss, and quite frankly staying healthy, has always been the main driver for this website. Making meals like these Low Carb Stuffed Poblano Peppers is really my trick.
Sorry, it’s that simple for me…I meal prep and almost always cook at home.
I wrote a few articles about this and will write more. Everyone needs to know that cooking at home is one of my major keys to success.
Every meal does not have to be epic.
When I am prepared I have a much better chance at success and maintaining my best health.
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