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Mile-High-Worthy Veggie-Stuffed Poblanos

Source of Recipe

From "Cravings: All Together" by Chrissy Teigen


Recipe Introduction

"If you know me at all, you'll know that I am absolutely b o n k e r s for airplane food. I know you're thinking first class—yes, but no. I legit love ANY airplane meal I, or you, have ever been served. Something about those meals just excites my mind. Even just thinking about how they get made is fascinating—the idea that oilier fish is best in the dry sky, or the science that says food must be saltier for you to taste in high altitude. Top Chef once had a challenge (my FAVORITE), whereby the chefs had to create the ultimate airplane meal. Some dishes do nottttt do well in the sky: scrambled eggs (it basically turns into a cut-up sponge!), hot salmon (never: only okay cold on a salad!), steak (good god, no). Where is this going, you ask?? Well, I want to tell you that this recipe is SO reminiscent of my absolutely favorite kind of in-flight meal—even if you don't share my airplane food kink, it's the kind of dish so full of flavor and color it will wake you up from any mile-high stupor. The soft, roasted poblano chile acts as a nest for an extremely well-curated grouping of veggies (you will fall in love with the cauliflower rice), and you'll very much enjoy sopping up the slightly smoky, sweet-pepper tomato sauce with every single bite. If you've never had a poblano, they are like green bell peppers' cooler cousins, with thinner skins, prettier color, and a taste that's something like a jalapeño with 95 percent of the spice removed. Blanket these with cheese, bake 'em up, and kiss the sky!"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 (24-ounce) jar good-quality marinara sauce
â—¦ 1 (15-ounce) jar fire-roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed, and drained again
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
â—¦ 4 medium (about 6-inch-long) poblano chiles
â—¦ 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
â—¦ 6 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, stems removed
â—¦ 1 large carrot
â—¦ 1 medium onion, finely diced
â—¦ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
â—¦ 1 teaspoon finely diced jalapeño pepper (seeded, if desired)
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
â—¦ 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cauliflower rice, defrosted and squeezed to remove all extra liquid
â—¦ 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
â—¦ ½ cup fresh bread crumbs
â—¦ ½ cup drained canned corn
â—¦ ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
â—¦ ¼ cup crumbled cotija or queso fresco cheese


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425° F. In a blender or food processor, combine the marinara, roasted peppers, and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a blender or food processor and process until smooth, 15 to 20 seconds. You should have about 4 ½ cups of sauce; divide the sauce in half and reserve half (about 2 ¼ cups) for this recipe. (Save the other half for another use.)

Lay the poblanos on their flattest side on a clean work surface. Use a sharp knife to cut nearly through the top and bottom of each pepper, leaving ½ inch uncut at both the stem and pointed ends. Slit the chiles and open lengthwise, then remove and discard the seeds and white membranes with a small spoon. Brush the insides and outsides of the chiles with 1 tablespoon oil, then season the insides with salt. Grate the mushrooms on the large holes of a box grater; you should have about 1 ½ cups lightly packed. Grate the carrot on the smaller holes of the grater and add to the mushrooms.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until lightly golden, 8 to 9 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño, and cumin and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Wash and dry the skillet.

Add the grated mushrooms and carrots to the onion mixture, then stir in the cauliflower rice, 1 cup of the cheese blend, the bread crumbs, corn, ½ cup cilantro, and remaining teaspoon salt. Divide the filling evenly among the four poblanos (about 1 packed cup in each).

Spread the marinara-red pepper sauce in the cleaned skillet and place the stuffed poblanos, cut side up, on top of the sauce. Cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the poblanos soften and the sauce begins to bubble, 30 minutes. Uncover, scatter the remaining ½ cup cheese blend over the poblanos, and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes. Divide the stuffed poblanos and sauce among 4 plates and garnish with the cilantro and cotija.

Serves 4