Roasted Poblanos Stuffed with Corn, Quinoa, and Monterey Jack
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This past Sunday morning I made a quick trip to the Schenectady Green Market in search of Tuscan kale and was relieved not only to find it — thank you Barber’s Farm! — but also to see so much late-summer produce still on the stands: bell peppers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes.
Friends, I am 100 percent ready for butternut squash lasagna and cabbage soup and balsamic-roasted Brussels sprouts, but I am not quite ready to say goodbye to so many of my seasonal favorites, namely corn and peppers.
I’ve had this recipe from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard bookmarked since the book came out this past spring, but I’ve only just gotten around to making it, which is a shame because it’s such a good one!
It’s simple and quick, too: char poblano peppers in a dry skillet; halve and seed them; fill with a mixture of sautéed onions, corn, quinoa, scallions, a minced hot chili, cubed cheese, and smoked paprika; transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and just beginning to brown.
Once you make this once, you can adapt the filling recipe as you wish. I’m envisioning keeping the base elements and flavors the same—quinoa, some sort of good melting cheese, a smoky seasoning—but as the year moves on, adding some seasonal touches: roasted butternut squash and onions? Finely sliced kale or cabbage? Shredded Brussels sprouts? The possibilities are endless.
But for now, while the local corn is still arriving at my little Co-op, this one’s getting made without change on repeat. Also: the stuffed peppers can be made ahead! Store them in the fridge in a covered vessel, then bake as needed—how nice, right?
PS: Another favorite, crowd-pleasing pepper recipe: Veggie-Loaded Stuffed Bell Peppers
Roasted Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Corn, Quinoa, and Monterey Jack
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
Description
Adapted from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 5 poblano peppers
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 ears corn, kernels stripped from cob
- 1 hot chili, seeded and finely diced
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (I use nearly all of the greens)
- 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese or Gruyère or whatever you like, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika—I like using smoked Paprika here
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving, optional
- lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400ºF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Boil quinoa for 9 to 12 minutes or until done. Drain through a fine-meshed sieve. Set aside.
- Place a large, dry skillet over high heat. Add the peppers and cook, turning every so often, until they’ve blackened in spots on each side. Set aside to cool. Halve the peppers: cut through the stem for a pretty presentation. Pull out the seeds and discard.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil (or just a big glug) to the skillet and keep at medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté for five minutes or until soft. Add the corn, hot chili, and scallions. Turn off heat. Stir to combine. Add the cooked quinoa, cheese, paprika, and salt. Stir to combine. Taste. Adjust seasoning with salt to taste. Set aside.
- Spoon the filling into the peppers. If you are serving these later in the week, store tightly covered until ready to bake.
- Bake until the cheese is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with cilantro and lime.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
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12 Comments on “Roasted Poblanos Stuffed with Corn, Quinoa, and Monterey Jack”
Re meal planning, one of my favorite times of the week is Saturday late morning. I get back from the farmers market and array my purchases on the counter. I make a list of all the things I’ve bought, and then scour the internet and my Yummy Soup recipe program to plan dinners for the week. I use the MyShopping app for my grocery lists.
Wow, I’m impressed!! I wish I could be so organized. That sounds like such a lovely ritual. I’m inspired.
These look delicious. Any suggestions for replacing the corn? I am allergic.
I think you could replace it with any vegetable, really: diced sautéed peppers or eggplant, mushrooms, kale, etc. What veg do you like?
These have been on my to make list, so glad I got them in with the last of the summer produce. So much flavor! My carnivore husband didn’t even miss the meat.
So nice to hear this, Carla! My husband loves these too 🙂
A happy accident, I halved this recipe as a side dish when our grocer sent poblanos and not green. Subbed in pepper jack for Monterey and the chili pepper. Based on the reaction of my eaters, it will definitely replace my usual stuffed green peppers! Thank you!
Oh yay! A happy accident indeed. So nice to hear this, Amy! Thanks so much for writing.
These were fabulous! I used farro instead of quinoa because I already had some cooked in the fridge—-a great use of the many poblanos from our CSA & an easy weeknight dinner!
So great to hear this, Maggie! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Had 3 poblanos and a jalapeño pepper on hand – was very happy to come across this recipe. Since it is still technically winter here, there is no decent fresh corn to be had. Luckily I remembered that Trader Joe’s sells a frozen roasted corn and used 2 cups of that. This was a very good dish for very little effort. I did add a can of black beans to up the protein a bit more. Thanks for the recipe!
I can see in the future dicing the poblano and adding it to the onions and either using it as a filling for tortillas or adding some black beans to turn into a burger of sorts.
Great to read all of this, Marisa! Thanks for writing and sharing these notes. If there’s any time of year to rely on the freezer, it’s now. Love the idea of adding black beans. Yum 🙂