The photo of these stuffed poblanos in Bon Appetit pulled me in and I felt compelled to try them. (Admittedly their photo was more glamorous than mine.) They are more work than I usually go to for one dish, but after tasting, I wasn’t disappointed. They are absolutely delicious.
The recipe calls for 2 chipotle chilies plus one tablespoon adobo sauce. Smoked jalapeños are very hot, so I was wary of adding so much. But I decided to go with the recipe as written and give it a chance. The finished dish is spicy, but my guests and I thought it was the perfect amount of heat. You can reduce the chipotles and it will still be good, but If you don’t like heat, I would say forget this dish. Part of its appeal is its spiciness.
The poblanos are broiled until they are charred. I feared they would be too raw on the bottom, but I didn’t need to worry. They were perfect.
The tomato sauce is the easiest ever. It is made with a can of crushed tomatoes and chipotle chilies. That’s it. But it tastes far more complex. Depending on the juice of your tomatoes, it doesn’t take long to simmer until slightly thickened.
The filling is also simple and is most likely comprised of most ingredients you have on hand. Sauté an onion and sliced garlic (I don’t think crushed garlic would change the recipe), cumin, coriander, and curly kale. I do think if you bought baby kale instead of a bunch of curly kale it wouldn’t be as good. Although you do need to remove the ribs and stems from curly kale, it has a lot more texture and flavor. I found I needed to cook it more than the 5 minutes suggested so I’ve upped it to 10.
At the end, everything comes together with a small amount of sour cream.
Of course the Bon Appetit recipe doesn’t tell you what you can do ahead, but I have.
I hope you will try the recipe and like it as much as I do. It is now in my VIP dinner’s file.
Simmer tomato chipotle sauce until thickened
All these greens cook down until you don’t even know they are there. You can’t even see them in the finished dish.
4 large poblano chiles, cut in half lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 small bunch curly kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sour cream, divided
4 oz. + 4 oz. oz. pepper Jack, coarsely grated, divided
1/2 cup panko
To broil poblanos.: Heat broiler. Place 4 large poblano chiles, cut in half lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season with kosher salt; toss to coat. Arrange poblanos cut side up on baking sheet and broil until crisp-tender and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
To prepare ahead: Cover with foil and set aside at room temperature for up to several hours.
To make tomato sauce: Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Cook 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce, stirring, until fragrant and sizzling, about 30 seconds. Add one 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes and ½ tsp. kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 9–11 minutes. Cover tomato sauce and keep warm over low heat until ready to use.
To prepare ahead: Sauce without sour cream may be kept at room temperature for several hours. Reheat before using and stir in sour cream.
3. To make filling: Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5–7 minutes. Add 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add one 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed, 1½ tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground coriander, and 1 tsp. kosher salt. Cook, stirring often, until beans are coated and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 1 small bunch curly kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced, and ⅔ cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, until kale is wilted and tender and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes. Stir 1/2 cup tomato sauce into filling. Remove from heat.
To prepare ahead: The filling may be kept covered at room temperature for several hours. Reheat before continuing.
4.Stir 1/4 cup sour cream, and 4 oz. pepper Jack, coarsely grated, into hot filling mixture in skillet; stir to combine. Divide filling evenly among cavities of reserved poblanos.
5. To make crumb topping: Toss ½ cup panko and remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a small bowl; season with salt. Divide crumb topping and remaining cheese over poblanos.
6.To broil: Broil about 5” from heat until browned on top and cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.
7. To serve: Remove pan with remaining tomato sauce from heat and whisk in remaining 3 Tbsp. sour cream. Spread sauce on a platter or plates; arrange stuffed poblanos on top.
Makes 4 servings.
