Vegetarian stuffed poblano peppers are hearty and packed with warming spices. This recipe features seasoned cooked quinoa, sweet potatoes and black beans stuffed into lightly roasted poblano peppers. Stuffed poblanos pair deliciously with avocado cream for dippin’ or slatherin’. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free | Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
Mexican Style Stuffed Poblanos!
For the love of harvest season! The bounty of late summer veggies collide with early fall abundance. I love the colors of this season and the variety of vegetables.
Poblano pepper recipes are among my favorite for late summer and early fall. These peppers are mild, full of flavor and are a perfect vehicle for Mexican flavors. Just like my Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Rice this recipe relies on spices like cumin, smoky paprika and chili powder to bring the flavor.
A perfect partner for these vegetarian stuffed poblano peppers is a rich avocado cream. It makes these stuffed poblano peppers all the more crave-worthy!
If you enjoy homemade Mexican inspired recipes, you’ll enjoy this tasty and satisfying dish.
Ingredients for Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano Peppers
The key to bold flavors in this poblano pepper recipe are Mexican spices. Here’s what you’ll need (see recipe card for details):
- Sweet Potatoes – garnet or red yams for vibrant color.
- Smoky Chipotle Powder or Chili Powder – for a touch of smoke and heat.
- Onion – red or yellow will work here.
- Poblano Peppers – look for large, firm poblanos for stuffing.
- Cumin – a go-to for rich flavor in Mexican food recipes.
- Smoky Paprika – offer more smoky flavor without being overpowering.
- Garlic – use fresh or prepared minced.
- Quinoa – offers bulk and texture.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes – fire roasted offers a smoky flavor that’s irresistable.
- Cooked Black Beans – you can make homemade black beans from scratch or use canned.
RELATED: Cook black beans from scratch! See my easy how to, three ways on my How to Cook Black Beans From Scratch recipe.
Quick Guide: How to Make Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers
This recipe has several steps, but it flows easily. Here’s a summary of how to do it (see recipe card for details):
- First, blister the poblanos in the oven on high heat.
- Second, sweat the poblano peppers then peel and de-seed them. Meanwhile, roast the sweet potatoes.
- Third, cook the quinoa, tomatoes and spices. Stir in the black beans and sweet potatoes.
- Next, stuff the poblano peppers, then bake.
- Last, whip up the avocado cream while the peppers bake.
For meal prep, assemble, cover and refrigerate the stuffed poblano peppers for up to two days. Bake when ready to share.
Bob’s Red Mill Quinoa provides bulk and texture in this Mexican quinoa recipe. It has a mild flavor and easy texture that combines effortlessly with the smoky spices in this stuffed poblano recipe. Make the stuffing a few days ahead or freeze these vegetarian stuffed peppers for easy meal prep.
Be sure to check out Bob’s Red Mill on their web site for more deliciousness!
More Vegetarian Mexican Food Recipes to Love!
- Black Bean Tostadas with Fajita Veggies
- Mexican Inspired Tofu Tacos
- Homemade Sofritas Burrito Bowls
- Creamy Poblano Corn and Zucchini Tacos
- Quinoa Enchilada Bake with Black Beans
- Roasted Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Chili Lime Slaw
- Skillet Vegetarian Enchiladas Verde
Roasted Stuffed Poblanos with Smoky Quinoa, Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans
Ingredients
For the Peppers:
- 1 1/2 C Sweet Potato peeled and diced small, 220g
- 4 tsp Coconut Oil unrefined, melted, divided or Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Chipotle Chili Powder or Chili Powder
- 14 oz Poblanos 6 medium peppers, 410g
- 3/4 C Onion diced small, 100g
- 3/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Cumin ground
- 1/2 tsp Smoky Paprika
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1/2 C Quinoa rinsed (I use Bob's Red Mill any variety), 100g
- 1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes 411g
- 1/3 C Water 78g
- 2 C Cooked Black Beans rinsed and drained, about one can 349g
For the Avocado Cream (Optional):
- 1 Medium Avocado
- Fist Full of Cilantro
- 3-5 Pickled Jalapeño Rings take it up for the heat!
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 a Lemon Juiced
- 1/4 tsp Cumin ground
- Water for thinning
Serve With:
- Sliced Avocado, Cilantro, Salsa and Lime Wedges
Instructions
Roast the Potatoes and Peppers:
- Set one oven rack to the top of the oven and one on the middle rack. Preheat oven to broil. Line one sheet pan with parchment for the sweet potatoes and another optionally lined for the poblanos.
- Toss sweet potatoes with 2 tsp of coconut oil and chili powder. Spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Make one slit in each of the poblanos from the stem to tip (the seeds will be removed after roasting). Arrange evenly on the second parchment lined baking sheet. Place the poblanos on the top rack and potatoes on the middle rack.
- Using tongs, turn the poblanos about every two minutes for a total of about 8-9 minutes, to get them nice and charred on each side. Remove from oven and place in a covered container to steam for about 10 minutes (this makes them easier to peel). Lower the oven temperature to 450F (232C) and continue roasting the potatoes for and additional 12-14 minutes. They should be fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven temperature to 350F (180C).
- Once the peppers are steamed, carefully peel the skins off the peppers, working the seeds out with a little bit of running water and a gentle knife keeping the peppers in tact as best you can. Pat dry and set aside.
For the Stuffing:
- In a medium sauce pot, add the remaining 2 tsp of coconut oil and heat on medium until shimmering. Add the onion and saute' on medium low for about 5-6 minutes or until softened. Add the sea salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic salt and stir for about 1 minute or until spices are fragrant.
- Stir in the quinoa, tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer, place the lid on and cook for 15 minutes on low. Uncover, and stir in the black beans and sweet potatoes. Taste for seasoning adjustment and allow to set for about 10 minutes, without the lid on, before stuffing the peppers.
To Assemble:
- Spray a large casserole dish with pan spray. Carefully stuff each pepper with quinoa mixture. Bake, uncovered in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.
For the Avocado Cream:
- In a food processor add the avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, salt, lemon, and cumin. Whirl ingredients while drizzling about 1/3 C (78g) of water in. The cream should be thin enough to slather or dip. Thin to desired consistency.
To Serve:
- Serve family style right out of the casserole with sliced avocado, cilantro, salsa and lime wedges.
- Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for up to two weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, cover and rewarm in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes.
The combination of flavors was amazing and the meal was so satisfying. Will definitely make agian
SO happy to hear EJP! Thank you for your note :D
I am making this today for my bible study group. Because they are meat eaters I added tofu crumble and fresf sweet corn to make it seam like it contained meat. The corn just sounded good. The flavors are outststanding. I am making a pot of beans, Mexican style rice and home made tortillas. I think this is a keeper. Thank you
Hi Hi, Maria! Thank you for your note. This makes me so happy to read! The tofu crumble is a great idea as is corn addition.. hearty too. The beans and rice sound fabulous along side! I hope the meat eaters are agreeable! :D
I made this last week and it’s so good! Great combination of flavors. There are a lot of steps but they all flow together so well. I roasted extra sweet potatoes without the spice and now I wish I had added it to all of them!
Meant to give it 5 stars!
Hooray! I love the flavors too.. and I agree, those sweet potatoes would be delicious on their own! Thank you for sharing, Pamela!