Description
A simplified, weeknight-friendly version of the traditional Mexican dish, featuring poblano peppers stuffed with a sweet and savory ground beef picadillo and topped with a creamy walnut nogada sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large poblano peppers
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef (80/20 fat ratio)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium apple, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat broiler to high. Place whole poblano peppers on a baking sheet and broil until skins blacken and blister, about 3-5 minutes per side.
- Transfer charred peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let steam for 10 minutes to loosen skins.
- Gently rub off the skins, trim stems, and make a small slit to remove seeds and veins while keeping the pepper intact.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté diced onion for 3-4 minutes until soft.
- Add minced garlic, cumin, and cinnamon; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add ground beef, breaking it up, and cook until browned (5-6 minutes). Drain excess fat if necessary.
- Stir in diced apple and drained raisins. Season with salt and pepper, then cook for 2-3 minutes until apples are tender.
- Remove filling from heat and let cool slightly.
- Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Let cool completely.
- Blend cooled walnuts, heavy cream, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy.
- Stuff the peeled peppers with the picadillo mixture (about ¼ to ⅓ cup per pepper).
- Warm the nogada sauce gently (do not boil). Spoon sauce over stuffed peppers.
- Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.
Notes
Toast walnuts thoroughly for best flavor. Steam peppers after broiling to make peeling easier. Do not boil the nogada sauce to prevent separation. The recipe is naturally gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper per
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 28
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 20
Keywords: chiles en nogada, weeknight dinner, stuffed peppers, Mexican recipe, easy dinner, ground beef, walnut sauce