Culinary confession: I’ve never had stuffed peppers. I’ve always enjoyed looking at them on food blogs and in magazines but I’ve never taken the initiative to make my own stuffed peppers.
Until now. I’m so glad I finally did. I always imagined making them to be time consuming and a long, drawn-out process. But, with so few ingredients and working in stages, these come together quickly and easily. (Not that long and drawn out isn’t a great way to cook. My Vegetable Lasasgna is amazing, if I say so myself. And, I do.)
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Love these stuffed peppers as a side dish, or served as a meal with a side of chips and salsa.
Pepperjack, Corn, Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers
First, a note about poblano peppers. Sometimes they’re hot, as in, spicy hot. It’s hit or miss when you’re picking them out as there’s no way to tell the level of spiciness. We like spicy. In fact, we revel in the it’s-so-hot-I-can-barely-swallow-this HOT. With this batch of poblanos there was no heat factor what-so-ever. The taste was still phenomenal but they didn’t pack a spicy punch.
If you’re not into being knocked out by the spice, use green peppers. We used them this time because the recipe called for them. They were sweet but bland and they needed extra salt. If you decide to use green peppers, salt the insides before roasting.
The great thing about this recipe is that you really can customize it to your tastes. Don’t like heat? Add other spices. The original recipe just seemed so bland with ony 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I knew that we’d need a bit more “punch” so I added our fave spice blend, Slap Ya Mama.
- 6 poblano peppers
- 1 cup brown rice, cooked
- 2 cups chopped & seeded tomatoes, divided
- 2 ears of corn, shucked and cut from cob
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese, in chunks
- 6 oz. pepperjack cheese, shredded, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut peppers in half and remove seeds.
- Place peppers, cut side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
- Make the filling: combine cooked rice, 1 cup of tomatoes, corn, cream cheese, lemon juice, 4 ounces of pepperjack cheese, salt & cajun seasoning, and half the cilantro. Mix well.
- Remove peppers from oven after 20 minutes, carefully fill peppers evenly with mixture. Return to oven and bake for an additional 7 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with remaining pepperjack cheese.
- Place the pan back into the oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and browned.
- Sprinkle with remaining tomatoes and cilantro.
- Enjoy!
Notes for Making Stuffed Peppers
- The original recipe called for 3 poblanos and 2 green peppers. The filling was the perfect amount for them.
- Queso Fresco can also be used on top of the baked stuffed peppers. Or, use any cheese that you like!
- Serve as a side dish or a light meal with chips and salsa. I topped my stuffed peppers with salsa verde. A smidge of sour cream might also have been tasty!
Kitchen tools you may need to make stuffed peppers
OXO Good Grips Corn Stripper– I’m not comfortable with a chefs knife and this makes stripping corn on the cob so easy.
OXO Softworks 5-Quart Plastic Mixing Bowl-My absolute favorite mixing bowl. The rubber bottom prevents slipping.
OXO Good Grips Multi-purpose Scraper & Chopper-for scooping all those veggies into your mixing bowl.
Commercial Plastic Cutting Board-invest in a GOOD, LARGE plastic cutting board. It allows you to move your veggies to the side while you continue chopping. Batch your work, friends!
Calphalon Baking Sheets-these are MY ABSOLUTE FAVE baking sheets. I’ve had them for 15+ years and they are excellent.
Reynolds Parchment Paper-keep those pans looking nice! Lay down parchment paper when you roast any kinds of vegetables.
