Who doesn’t like chiles rellenos? They don’t have to be battered and fried to taste good, and this oven-baked version is flavorful without being a blast of fat. For non-vegetarians who get mopey without their meat fix, sauté some Mexican chorizo, drain well, and add it with the other filling ingredients for stuffed poblano chiles with quinoa.
Ingredients
- 4 poblano chiles, roasted and peeled
- 2 tablespoons corn oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 jalapeño chiles, chopped
- 2 Mexican chorizos, sautéed separately and drained of fat (optional)
- ½ cup cooked corn kernels (thawed frozen kernels can be used)
- 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- ¾ cup cooked quinoa
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons toasted shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- ¾ cup chihuahua or manchego cheese, shredded
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup water or stock
Make a vertical slice along one side of each chile and carefully remove the seeds. Set aside.
In a skillet, heat the corn oil, add the onion and sauté until transparent. Add the jalapeños, chorizo if using, corn and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the juice released from the tomatoes has evaporated.
Add the quinoa and continue to cook, stirring, for another minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the pumpkin seeds, green onions and ½ cup of the cheese.
Carefully fill the chiles with the quinoa mixture and place them in a baking dish. Combine the tomato puree with the water and stock and pour around the chiles.
Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Top chiles with remaining ¼ cup cheese and bake for another 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Quinoa: Mexico welcomes a wonder food
