Poblanos are mild chili peppers with lots of great flavor and just a bit of spice. The peppers originated in Puebla, Mexico and can also be found dried, where they’re known as ancho chile.

Cheese Stuffed Poblano

I’m always looking for low-carb side dishes to serve when we grill meats. That’s not easy as we often go to carby sides when we grill…potato salad, mac & cheese, pasta.

Last weekend, I’d made some of my fresh salsa (chopped tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and minced onion) for another meal and thought…what if I used this tasty salsa to top a stuffed poblano!? This was a well-received and easy-to-make side dish that we served alongside grilled pork chops. One other thing I loved was that I was able to make these in the toaster oven so I didn’t have to heat up the whole kitchen with my standard oven – winning!

You can make these peppers in advance, cool them then reheat them for a few minutes in a 425 degree oven – party perfect!

Ingredients

• 2 large poblano peppers
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• Pinch of sales and pepper.
• 4 ounces grated Cheddar/Jack cheese mix
• Homemade or store-bought salsa
• 2 Tbsp. Crema Mexicana or sour cream
• ½ lime

Poblano Cheese Stuffing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Find a flat spot on the poblano and lay it on your work surface. With a sharp paring knife, cut the top of the pepper (leaving the end and stem intact) to make an opening for the cheese to go into.
3. Rub the oil over the peppers then salt and pepper the interior.
4. Divide the grated cheese between the two peppers, note that you may have too much cheese depending on the size of your peppers.
5. Place the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.
6. Top each pepper with fresh salsa and a drizzle of Crema Mexicana (or sour cream). Squeeze the lime over the peppers.

Makes two side dishes.