Description
Delicious and colorful stuffed poblano peppers filled with a flavorful mixture of ground turkey, corn, black beans, rice, and cheese, baked to a perfect tender crisp and topped with melted Mexican cheese blend and fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
Scale
Peppers
- 6 large (about 1 3/4 lbs) poblano peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed
Filling
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
- 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, well drained
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup (slightly packed) cooked white rice
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange the poblano pepper halves on a 13 by 9-inch baking sheet in a single layer for even cooking.
- Bake Peppers: Bake the peppers until they are tender crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove and set aside while preparing the filling.
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 3 minutes until soft. Add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Cook Turkey: Push the onion and garlic mixture to one side of the skillet. Add the ground turkey, season with salt and black pepper, and cook while tossing and crumbling until nearly cooked through.
- Add Corn and Finish Cooking: Add the corn to the skillet and continue cooking until the turkey is fully cooked through.
- Combine Filling Ingredients: Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the drained diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, tomato sauce, cooked white rice, rinsed and drained black beans, chili powder, cumin, and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Add Cheese and Cilantro: Stir in half a cup of the shredded Mexican cheese blend along with the chopped cilantro to the filling mixture.
- Stuff Peppers: Spoon the filling into the baked pepper halves, filling them heaping full. Press down slightly to fit more filling if needed. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of Mexican cheese blend over the tops of the stuffed peppers.
- Bake Stuffed Peppers: Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the cheese is nicely melted and the peppers are softened to your liking, about 10 minutes.
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, substitute ground turkey with extra black beans or cooked lentils.
- You can prepare the filling a day ahead and refrigerate to save time on cooking day.
- If fresh poblano peppers are not available, you can substitute with large green bell peppers.
- Use mild or hot diced tomatoes with green chilies based on your spice preference.
- To make the dish gluten-free, ensure that the chili powder and tomato sauce used are certified gluten-free.
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days and can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper half (about 1/6 of recipe)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 430 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
