Name: Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 cups cooked brown rice (or 4 cups of any cooked grain); 4 poblano peppers; 1 1/2 cups salsa; 1 15 ounce can black beans; 1 1/2 cups frozen corn; 3 green onions; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon chili powder; Cayenne, to taste; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; Shredded cheese (we used a Mexican blend); Chopped cilantro for serving (optional)

These stuffed poblano peppers are so easy to make! The zesty filling features rice, corn, black beans, and of course: gooey cheese.

Stuffed vegetables are a wonderful meatless main dish, and these peppers were no disappointment! Alex and I have been on a bit of a Mexican-inspired kick lately, so this vegetarian stuffed poblano peppers idea fit the bill for a meal with friends. Since it’s pretty simple to make, it’s perfect for weeknight meals as well. Keep reading for the recipe.

How to roast poblano peppers in the broiler

There are many methods for roasting poblano peppers: on a gas flame, on a grill, in the oven, or using your broiler. In this recipe, we’ve chosen to use your broiler because it’s extremely quick and simple! Here are the general steps for how to roast poblano peppers in the broiler:

Slice the poblano peppers in half and remove the seeds.
Place the peppers in a baking dish with the skin side up. Broil on high for about 7 minutes.
Flip the peppers and broil 7 more minutes until tender.

Can you eat the skin of poblano peppers? Yes, it is flavorless! Some people find that it has an unappealing texture, but with the broiling method we found you don’t really notice the skin. Many methods of poblano peppers call for removing the skin after roasting, usually by placing the peppers in a plastic bag and waiting about 10 minutes for the skin to loosen. We’ve chosen to keep the skins on here for ease of preparation. If you prefer, you can definitely remove the skin using the plastic bag trick.

Making these stuffed poblano peppers

This vegetarian stuffed poblano peppers recipe is a result of a fair amount of research. The main idea is simple, and offers a lot of flexibility. While you cook up some rice, you’ll broil the poblano peppers to get them slightly blackened and tender (per the method above). Then mix the rice with some black beans, corn, green onions, and salsa for the filling. Top with cheese and broil again for just 2 minutes!

Instead of rice, you can choose any grain, veggies, and spices for these stuffed poblano peppers. Any whole grain will work here, be it quinoa, farro, millet, freekah or bulgur. You also can boil the grain ahead of time to speed things up. You could also mix it up on the cheese: try goat cheese or gouda.

The result tasted incredible and was fun to serve for guests. We especially liked the earthy taste of the poblano peppers as an alternative a bell pepper, which we often use in our stuffed pepper recipes. We hope you enjoy it: let us know in the comments below!

Stuffed bell peppers — These quinoa stuffed peppers are a Mediterranean-style option using bell peppers

Are poblano peppers hot?

Before you make this Mexican pepper dish, you might be wondering: are poblano peppers spicy? While they do have a subtle heat, overall poblano peppers are mild. Keep in mind that heat is a continuum. You can have a range of spice within a pepper variety itself.

If you look at various peppers on a spice-level continuum, here’s a snapshot at a glance! (Note how far towards the mild end that you see Anaheim peppers.)

Green pepper: No spice
Anaheim pepper: Very mild
Poblano peppers: Mild
Jalapeno peppers: Medium hot
Serrano peppers: Hot
Cayenne: Very hot
Habanero: Extremely hot
Ghost pepper: Outrageously hot

More stuffed peppers recipes

If you like these stuffed poblano peppers, here are a few stuffed peppers recipes you might enjoy:

Looking for easy dinner ideas?

Here are a few more easy dinner ideas for your weeknights:

This stuffed poblano peppers recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

Last updated: September 11, 2019