These stuffed poblano peppers are the ultimate healthy dinner! They're fresh and light, easy to make, and filled with bold, zesty flavor.
This stuffed poblano peppers recipe might be my new favorite summertime dinner. It has all the best parts of stuffed bell peppers – a fresh, flavorful filling, fun garnishes, and juicy roasted peppers – but the poblanos add an extra layer of heat. The whole thing is super fresh, super flavorful, and really darn fun to eat.
If you’ve never cooked with poblano peppers before, they’re a chili pepper with a mild to medium heat level. On the Scoville scale, which measures how spicy peppers are, they range from 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville heat units. For context, bell peppers score 0, while jalapeños can range anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000. In my experience, poblano peppers are typically mild, but if you’re sensitive to spice, choose them with caution. Look for larger poblano peppers (they’re typically less spicy) or use regular bell peppers in this recipe.
Stuffed Poblano Peppers Recipe Ingredients
I make my stuffed poblano peppers filling with a mix of fresh veggies and heartier plant-based ingredients. It’s packed with bold, zesty flavor, but it feels really light and fresh at the same time. Here’s what’s in it:
- Rice and black beans – They make this recipe hearty and satisfying! White and brown rice both work great here, so use what you have on hand.
- Cauliflower – The secret ingredient that makes this filling so light! Broken into tiny pieces or pulsed into cauliflower rice, it makes you feel like you’re eating more rice than you really are.
- Spices – Cumin, coriander, and oregano add delicious aromatic flavor.
- Diced red onion, red bell pepper, and fresh spinach – They punch up the flavor and make these peppers feel super fresh.
- And lime juice and tomatillo salsa add tangy, zesty flavor!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Stuffed Poblano Peppers Variations
Once you prep the filling, you can finish these peppers three ways:
- Totally plant-based. My favorite variation! Top the peppers with avocado slices or guacamole, extra tomatillo salsa, and chile lime cashew cream. The cashew cream is a bit of an extra step, but it’s SO GOOD on these peppers and on this veggie burrito bowl. (Blend once, eat twice!) My regular cashew sour cream, cilantro lime dressing, or chipotle sauce would also be great here.
- With cheese in the filling. Mix crumbled feta or Cotija cheese into the filling before you stuff the peppers. Then, bake them and top them with the fixings suggested above!
- With melty cheese on top. This one is Jack’s favorite. If you’re someone who needs melty cheese on your stuffed peppers, top them with a layer of your favorite shredded cheese before they bake. I recommend Monterey Jack or sharp cheddar. Then, bake until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Yum!
What’s your favorite variation? Let me know in the comments!
Serving Suggestions
This recipe yields 1 poblano pepper (2 stuffed halves) per person, which is enough for a light dinner. Enjoy them on their own, pair them with a simple green salad, or serve them with any of these fresh side dishes:
- Corn on the Cob
- Grilled Vegetables
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Grilled Fajita Veggies
And don’t forget the margaritas to drink! Enjoy!
More Favorite Tex Mex Recipes
If you love these stuffed poblano peppers, try one of these tasty Tex Mex recipes next:
- Sheet Pan Nachos
- Homemade Taquitos
- Vegetarian Tacos
- Jerk-Spiced Jackfruit Tacos
- Best Breakfast Burrito
- Healthy Taco Salad
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 medium poblano peppers
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1/3 cup diced red onion or chopped scallions
- 1 heaping cup cauliflower florets, broken into small pieces
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cooked white or brown rice
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus wedges for serving
- ¼ cup tomatillo salsa, store bought or this recipe
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- optional: Monterey Jack cheese, for topping (see note)
Serve with:
- avocado slices
- tomatillo salsa
- green chile cashew cream, or cotija or feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment pepper.
- Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds and ribbing. Place on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper, and roast cut side up for 15 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cauliflower, red pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Cook until the onion is soft and the cauliflower is lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the black beans, rice, spinach, lime juice and tomatillo salsa. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Scoop the filling into the peppers and bake for 15 minutes.
- Serve with avocado slices, cilantro, tomatillo salsa, green chile cashew cream and lime slices on the side.
Notes
Have not tasted these yet, but made them more Italian style with shredded mozzarella and tomato sauce. I want to freeze them for another time. When ready to use them, what oven temp and how long should they be reheated?
Hi Sue, I’d let the peppers thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat them at 350°F until they’re warmed through. Maybe 20 minutes? The timing will depend on the size of the peppers.
We love these stuffed peppers. They are satisfying, light and fresh. This is my third time making them and they always get rave reviews. I have never had cauliflower when I have made them so I added a little extra black beans and rice to the mix. I have never had spinach and instead have used arugula and swiss chard. Instead of tomatillo salsa I use the tomato salsa that I have on hand. I add extra salt and seasonings to taste as I have found the recipe to be a little bland. I also use cayenne pepper in the filling. I top with Monterey Jack cheese the last five minutes of baking and they come out fine. Tonight we served with salsa, sour cream and guacamole but previous times we have served them with no toppings and they stand alone. Will be making this again before the season is over as the poblanos are in plenty now. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you’ve loved them so much!
This recipe is so easy and so delicious! I paired it with a Mexican inspired cornbread. I didn’t have the tomatillo salsa so I just used a red salsa from the fridge. So good! Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Hi, I’m so glad you loved it!
Nice recipe that you can add to with lots of variations (meats, veggies). I have never made poblano peppers without peeling them, but they were fine this way and held the stuffing in even better. I liked including the corn salsa from Trader Joe’s as well.
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
My husband and I loved these! Will make again!
I’m so happy to hear!
Amazing! Never had poblanos before and was worried about the spice level but these weren’t spicy at all. I added one ear of steamed corn to the filling and topped with cheddar. My husband was skeptical about these at first but is already asking to have them again! This is definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad you both loved them!
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make again. Did monteray jack cheese on top. Poblano peppers are a new fav for me. Amazing flavor!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Very good recipe! I love the flavors, and the kick from the poblano peppers! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Looks lovely – but, you don’t roast and peel the poblanos?
Hi Bee, I don’t here – you could if you wanted to.
I made these with the Mexican Street Corn Salad and it made a delicious meal. Honestly- I used these as a jumping off point and added Chorizo since we had some and topped with cheese. These are filling and delicious and I will certainly make again!
Hi Melissa, I’m so glad you loved them!