Description
A healthy, lightened-up, baked version of Chile Relleno made by baking (instead of frying) the poblano peppers. Stuff with savory black beans and bake in the easy Rancheros Sauce. Vegan-adaptable.
Ingredients
- 4-6 extra-large poblano peppers, leave whole with stems on. (see notes)
- 6 ripe, medium tomatoes, (roma, or vine-ripened) halved
- 6 fat garlic cloves- whole
- 1 large onion, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges or slices
- 2 small jalapeños- halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Black Bean Filling
- 14-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed (Cuban Style is nice, or season them; see directions.)
- 6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar, or Mexican queso fresco (or 1 cup vegan Herbed Tofu Ricotta )
Rancheros Sauce Additions
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional, but good)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro plus more for garnish
- 1/4-1/2 cup water or broth ( to the desired consistency)
Serve with cilantro lime rice, sour cream, hot sauce, avocado, toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F Read the directions all the way through before starting. 🙂
- Roast Poblanos and Rancheros Sauce ingredients: Line two sheet pans with parchment. Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them on the sheet pan along with sliced onions and whole garlic cloves, halved jalapeños. On the second sheet pan add the whole poblano peppers. (Alternatively, you could char the peppers on a gas burner, see notes) Drizzle all with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and check after 10-15 minutes. Turn the poblanos. (If your oven runs hot, turn it down to 425 if needed.) When the garlic and poblano peppers are just tender, remove them (pasilla peppers will cook much faster than poblanos- please see notes). Otherwise, continue roasting with the tomatoes and onions for another 15-20 minutes until the peppers and onions are tender and the tomatoes are caramelized and juicy. Take them out of the oven (leave the oven on) and let them all cool.
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix the canned beans (drained, rinsed) with the cheese. OR if doing the vegan version, mix the black beans with 1 cup of vegan herbed tofu ricotta. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. If using plain black beans, add 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Taste, adjusting salt, pepper, and spices. Take ⅓ of the roasted onions (from the sheet pan) chop them up, and add them to the bean filling mixture and stir.
- Blend up the Roasted Ranchos Sauce: Place the remaining onions into a blender along with the tomatoes, pan juices, jalapeño, garlic, and Rancheros Sauce additions: cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, salt, tomato paste and fresh cilantro, adding a little splash of water (or broth if needed) to thin it out, and blend until smooth. Set this aside.
- Prep the poblanos. Carefully cut a slit in the poblano peppers from stem to pointy end and using your fingers, gently remove seeds while rinsing them under cold running water. If the thin skins slip off, let them, but don’t worry about actively peeling them, especially poblanos – their skins are quite thin -leaving some of the skin on is perfectly fine.
- Assemble and stuff. In a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish (or oven-proof skillet) pour a little of the roasted tomato ranchero sauce to coat the bottom (use half the sauce). Place the peppers over top of the sauce, slit side up, then spoon the black bean filling into each one. Pour the remaining flavorful ranchero sauce over the top. At this point, you could add more shredded cheese to the top, up to you.
- Bake. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes at 425F, or until the filling is warm and melty; then uncover and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Serve with cilantro leaves, toasted pumpkin seeds and sour cream if you like.
Notes
When roasting, ff you have an electric oven, or your oven runs hot, lower heat to 425F or just keep a close eye, removing things as they become tender.
Peppers: Get the biggest Poblano Chilies you can find. The peppers you see in the photos were abnormally large poblanos (like 8 inches long!). One pepper was one serving. If you only have smaller ones available ( like 4-inch ones) get double the amount, you may need to serve 2 as a serving. Poblanos (vs Pasilla peppers) are easiest to work with- they are sturdier! They will most likely take 30 minutes to roast, while pasillas roast much quicker, so be sure to check pasillas after 10-15 minutes, or they may get too soft to handle, and hard to stuff.
You can also blacken either of the peppers on a gas grill or on a stovetop gas burner (easiest), rotating with tongs until charred on all sides, then wrap up in a paper bag or kitchen towel for 8-10 minutes to allow them to steam and soften before seeding and peeling under cool running water.
Meat: If cooking for mixed households, you can bake these individual baking dishes or even in mini cast iron skillets like you see here, which is especially nice if cooking for both vegans and meat-eaters. You can easily add browned, seasoned ground meat or chorizo to some while keeping others vegan or vegetarian. If adding meat, this Mexican Turkey chorizo is nice, as well as cooked, shredded Chicken Carnitas.
Make ahead: Feel free to make these ahead, assemble and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking. ( Let them come to room temp before baking).
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 302
- Sugar: 7.9 g
- Sodium: 890 mg
- Fat: 11.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.9 g
- Fiber: 14.2 g
- Protein: 16.6 g
- Cholesterol: 24.5 mg