Cinco de Mayo is coming up which means it’s time to put on our party hats and throw a festive party! The holiday celebrates Mexico’s unexpected victory over the French army at the 1862 Battle of Puebla. However, Cinco de Mayo is not just commemorated by those living in Mexico but the United States as well. Many Mexican Americans take pride in the holiday and look at it as a time for honoring Mexican heritage and culture. Here at Melissa’s, we’re looking forward to a day filled with exciting parades, parties and of course, food. This year, we’re bringing you a fiesta of flavors with these Roasted Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. This is our healthy twist on stuffed peppers, which are filled with delicious, nutty quinoa, protein-rich black beans, sweet corn and more. The recipe may be simple and meatless but don’t underestimate just how filling and scrumptious they turn out. After cooking the ingredients separately, all you need to do to assemble is stuff the peppers, top off with plenty of cheese and pop it into the broiler for a couple of minutes! For other tasty Cinco de Mayo-inspired recipe ideas, please check out our menu.
When it comes to stuffing peppers, people often use bell peppers or poblanos. For today’s recipe, we’re using Pasilla peppers, which are not to be confused with poblano peppers. Poblano peppers are a little more mild, ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 Scoville heat units while Pasilla peppers range from 1,000 to 2,500 Scoville heat units. Both pack less heat than jalapeños. Pasilla pepers have a sophisticated flavor that’s both earthy and sweet with just a hint of cocoa and raisins. This makes them excellent when used in a variety of traditional Latin dishes such as mole sauce, adobo sauce, salsas and chile rellenos. Roasting them in the oven helps bring out their flavor which tastes exquisite when combined with fruits, seafood or other meats. Check out our selection of fresh and dried chiles.
Roasted Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 Pasilla peppers
- 1 cup of quinoa, cooked
- 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 onion, minced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 a jalapeno chile, chopped
- 1 cup of shredded jack cheese
- A bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup of sour cream
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
1. Place the pasilla chiles onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast them in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes until the skin has blackened. Turn every few minutes to get an even char. After the peppers have finished roasting, set them aside to cool for at least 20 minutes.
2. While the chiles are cooling, heat up some oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, garlic, black beans and corn and cook for a few minutes until everything has softened. Add the oregano and cumin and mix well. Once cooked, transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add the quinoa, sour cream, 1/2 a cup of cilantro and 1/2 a cup of jack cheese to the bowl. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.
4. When ready to assemble, peel the skins off the roasted chiles. Cut a slit lengthwise along the chiles. Remove the seeds.
5. Spoon in the mixture to fill up the chiles. Make sure the filling is snug and secure inside the chiles. Place the chiles back onto another lined baking sheet. Add the rest of the cheese on top of each chile.
6. Place the chiles under the broiler for around 3 minutes until the cheese has melted and become bubbly. Garnish with the rest of the cilantro before serving.