Recipes
Stuffed Poblano with Mole
Serves 4
| Prep Time: 20 mins
| Cook Time: 30 mins
| Total Time: 50 mins
You may need: Mexican Mole
Discover The Recipe
This recipe for Stuffed Poblano with Mole sauce makes an easy and delightful dinner. As we continue our exploration of Mexican cuisine, we pay homage to one of Mexico's most beloved ingredients: the Poblano pepper. Poblanos originate from the south-central state of Puebla, Mexico. These chilis are low on the heat scale but pack flavor, especially when dried. Dried Poblanos, known as Ancho chilis, are essential to Mexican recipes and you'll see them in several of our spice blends, too.
One of the best known Mexican dishes is the stuffed poblano pepper dish called Chile Relleno. Fresh poblanos are stuffed with cheese or a meat filling, then dipped in egg batter and fried. Taking inspiration from Chile Relleno, our Stuffed Poblano with Mole recipe adds another Mexican classic, Mole ('MOLE-lay') as a topping sauce, providing you a vegetarian feast at home. Mole sauces are a Mexican tradition tracing to pre-Aztec roots. Made by braising chili peppers, aromatics (onion and garlic), spices, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and often chocolate, they combine to form an incredibly complex and rich sauce. Making authentic sauces can take hours. Our mole recipe is admittedly a shortcut but we think our Mole Spice blend and sauce deliver plenty of flavor. Make extra sauce and freeze for future use on enchiladas, tacos, pork chops, or huevos rancheros (eggs).
Ingredients
1 cup rice, cooked (white or brown)
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 poblano peppers, sliced in half lengthwise & seeded
1/3 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup corn kernels (frozen, or fresh ok)
1/3 cup black beans (serve rest of can as optional side)
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup, Cotija cheese, grated (or Shredded Jack cheese)
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalapeño chili, seeded & minced (optional)
2 tbsp Piquant Post Mexican Mole spice
1 (14.5 oz) can of fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 lime, juiced
1 1/4 cup chicken or veg broth, divided
handful of cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup of raisins (optional)
2 tsp kosher salt (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
Notes
Mole sauces are typically made by braising a large list of ingredients like chocolate, seeds, dried fruit, and spices for hours producing incredibly rich and complex sauces. While our version is a shortcut, feel free to experiment with adding new ingredients like more dark chocolate, dried fruit like prunes or apricots, and pumpkin seeds or peanuts.
If you're in a hurry, try using a parboiled rice like Uncle Ben's brand to save precious minutes. Or you can use precooked quinoa.
Frozen corn is another great time saver and produces consistently great results. Simply microwave the frozen corn for 60-90 secs to thaw and heat before adding to the recipe.
We love roasting fresh tomatoes. If you're making this dish at the height of summer when fresh ripe tomatoes abound, feel free to pan roast your tomatoes in a skillet to a light char. Otherwise, we find the canned roasted tomatoes produce great results all year long. Skip the mealy, year-round supermarket tomatoes.
To make the mole sauce, you can use the blender, a food processor or even an immersion (stick) blender. Use what's most convenient for you.
Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don't sweat it if you don't have them.
Instructions
Cook rice per package to yield 1 cup (more if you want to serve on the side). Pre heat oven to 350. Prep all ingredients and heat a large sauté pan on Med heat. Add oil then sauté bell pepper, garlic, red onion and corn. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Once onions are translucent (~4-5 min), stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 mins. Turn off heat. Mix in rice, beans and half the cheese. Spoon mixture into halved poblano peppers. Top with remaining cheese and bake in oven for 30 mins or until peppers have softened and cheese has melted.
Once peppers are baking make the mole sauce. Heat the sauté pan on Med heat and add oil. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and serrano chili to pan and cook for 5 mins. Add mole spice, tomatoes, and broth & stir to mix. Cover and simmer on Med-Low for 10 mins, or until carrots soften. Remove from heat & add cilantro. Transfer to a blender & blend until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of broth to thin sauce. Add more salt / lime juice to taste.
When peppers are done, top with mole sauce and extra cheese. Serve with pico de gallo (salsa) and guacamole (optional).
Alternatives & Substitutions
Mexican Mole sauce is the ultimate topping to transform everyday meals into the extraordinary. Once you see how easy mole is to make using our spice blend, you can make a larger batch and freeze it and re-use to make lovely weeknight meals at will.
Use mole sauce with everything from tacos, enchiladas, "Mexican buddha bowls, fish, pork chops, nachos, and even pulled pork sandwiches. Try our Braised Beef Mole Tacos, Vegan Tlayuda, or Memelas con Mole, and Shrimp Mole Enchiladas.
Mexican poblano peppers are very common in most large supermarkets now. If you can't find them, you can stuff just about any large vegetable: try bell peppers, large portabello mushrooms, eggplant, or even zucchini.
If your local market doesn't carry Mexican cotija cheese, try subbing in another salty cheese like Feta crumbles or Italian cheeses like shredded pecorino, Asiago, or even parmesan.
Try our wonderful chicken mole poblano recipe to transform chicken breasts into something special.
To make this recipe vegan, sub in a vegan cheese (such as Daiya brand) for the cotija cheese. Or, drizzle plain coconut yogurt over top instead of cheese.
If you don't feel like making rice, try substituting in cooked quinoa. Parboiled rice like Uncle Ben's brand also work great and make this recipe eve faster to make.
Or, try our delicious Portobello Mole Enchiladas recipe!
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!
Stuffed Poblano with Mole
Serves
4
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Piquant Post spice you'll need: Mexican Mole
Ingredients
1 cup rice, cooked (white or brown)
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 poblano peppers, sliced in half lengthwise & seeded
1/3 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup corn kernels (frozen, or fresh ok)
1/3 cup black beans (serve rest of can as optional side)
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup, Cotija cheese, grated (or Shredded Jack cheese)
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalapeño chili, seeded & minced (optional)
2 tbsp Piquant Post Mexican Mole spice
1 (14.5 oz) can of fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 lime, juiced
1 1/4 cup chicken or veg broth, divided
handful of cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup of raisins (optional)
2 tsp kosher salt (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Cook rice per package to yield 1 cup (more if you want to serve on the side). Pre heat oven to 350. Prep all ingredients and heat a large sauté pan on Med heat. Add oil then sauté bell pepper, garlic, red onion and corn. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Once onions are translucent (~4-5 min), stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 mins. Turn off heat. Mix in rice, beans and half the cheese. Spoon mixture into halved poblano peppers. Top with remaining cheese and bake in oven for 30 mins or until peppers have softened and cheese has melted.
Once peppers are baking make the mole sauce. Heat the sauté pan on Med heat and add oil. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and serrano chili to pan and cook for 5 mins. Add mole spice, tomatoes, and broth & stir to mix. Cover and simmer on Med-Low for 10 mins, or until carrots soften. Remove from heat & add cilantro. Transfer to a blender & blend until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of broth to thin sauce. Add more salt / lime juice to taste.
When peppers are done, top with mole sauce and extra cheese. Serve with pico de gallo (salsa) and guacamole (optional).
Notes
Mole sauces are typically made by braising a large list of ingredients like chocolate, seeds, dried fruit, and spices for hours producing incredibly rich and complex sauces. While our version is a shortcut, feel free to experiment with adding new ingredients like more dark chocolate, dried fruit like prunes or apricots, and pumpkin seeds or peanuts.
If you're in a hurry, try using a parboiled rice like Uncle Ben's brand to save precious minutes. Or you can use precooked quinoa.
Frozen corn is another great time saver and produces consistently great results. Simply microwave the frozen corn for 60-90 secs to thaw and heat before adding to the recipe.
We love roasting fresh tomatoes. If you're making this dish at the height of summer when fresh ripe tomatoes abound, feel free to pan roast your tomatoes in a skillet to a light char. Otherwise, we find the canned roasted tomatoes produce great results all year long. Skip the mealy, year-round supermarket tomatoes.
To make the mole sauce, you can use the blender, a food processor or even an immersion (stick) blender. Use what's most convenient for you.
Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don't sweat it if you don't have them.
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