These Baked Poblano Poppers with White Cheddar & Pinto Beans are a fun vegetarian main twist on traditional jalapeño poppers. The filling is still cheesy and delicious but we add pureed pinto beans to give the dish more protein and fold in chopped bell peppers and green onions for an extra veggie boost.
I had a huge craving for jalapeño poppers the other night but not only did we not have any frozen ones on hand but we didn’t even have any jalapeños on hand to make my own. Instead, I found milder poblano peppers buried in my fridge and it got me thinking of ways I could riff to create a more filling version that could be enjoyed for dinner. I knew I didn’t want to skip the cream cheese filling but decided to bulk it up by pureeing pinto beans into the cream cheese and then folding in red peppers and green onions to hide a few veggies.
The whole thing comes together in under 30 minutes and will be sure to be a new family favorite. Wyatt tends to find my recipes on the “healthy” side for him (eye roll) but he scarfed his peppers down immediately. He’s 31 but has the pallet of a kid so if he approves, I bet your family will too.
I served this with a simple avocado salad of diced avocado, tomatoes, and red pepper to add a little extra fresh veggies to the meal (similar to this but without the corn or cucumbers).
With the ongoing pandemic, I plan to give as many substitution suggestions as possible so you can continue to cook without having to run out to the store. Although some of these suggestions may vary the end result, I only make suggestions if I think it will still be delicious. Here is a list of substitute suggestions for this Baked Poblano Poppers with White Cheddar & Pinto Beans recipe in case you don’t have certain ingredients on hand:
Poblano peppers – You could use jalepeños if you like the extra spice but note you’ll probably want to use 3 for every 1 poblano pepper I call for in the recipe. Another alternative would be to use bell peppers which would be a great choice too.
Cream Cheese – This is a tricky one because you might be able to use crème fraîche or sour cream but since they are thinner than cream cheese, the filling might not thicken up as nicely. Please let me know if anyone tries this alternative and how they liked it!
White Cheddar – Any shredded cheddar or Monterey jack would work just fine here!
Pinto Beans – I love using pinto because they are pretty mild and blend super well. If you don’t have them on hand, you could use canned white beans. You could also use black beans but black beans flavr will most likely be much stronger (and overpower the cream cheese a bit). I’d avoid chickpeas here.
Feta – If needed, feel free to skip and season with more salt.
Green onions – you could use chives or a pinch of dried onion salt.
Interested in other vegetarian recipes featuring canned beans? Make sure to check out my recipe round-up HERE!
These Baked Poblano Poppers with White Cheddar & Pinto Beans are a fun vegetarian main twist on traditional jalapeño poppers. The filling is still cheesy and delicious but we add pureed pinto beans to give the dish more protein and fold in chopped bell peppers and green onions for an extra veggie boost.
- 2 medium poblano peppers
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 15 oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 2 oz feta
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- Torn cilantro for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
-
Slice the poblano peppers in half and remove any seeds. Transfer to a single layer on a baking sheet with the outsides facing down.
-
Using a food processor, blend together the cream cheese, pinto beans, and feta until completely smooth. Fold in the green onions, 1/4 cup shredded white cheddar, and chopped bell pepper.
-
Scoop the filling into the insides of the poblano peppers and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the filling.
-
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown on top.
-
Remove from oven, sprinkle with black pepper and chopped cilantro, and serve.
2 Comments
Petra
Sounds lovely! No spicy peppers on hand unfortunately. Would bell peppers do the trick. I don’t have cream cheese on hand either. Would it be an idea to mix crème fraîche with shredded Gouda cheese and mix it with some Indonesian Hot pepper sauce (called sambal oelek)?
Debbie
I added some garlic powder and cayenne pepper to spice the mixture up a bit. It makes a lot. I stuffed two medium size poblanos as full as possible and there was enough leftover for a third. It could have easily worked for four peppers.