These spicy Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers are a healthy dinner option that your family will obsess over. Topped with melty cheese and served with avocado crema, you’ll devour every bite!
Table of Contents
- Easy Stuffed Poblano Peppers Recipe
- Why You’ll Love these Turkey & Cheese Stuffed Poblanos
- What You’ll Need
- How to Make Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Can I Make These in Advance?
- Tips for the Best Stuffed Poblanos
- Variation Ideas
- What Goes with Stuffed Poblano Peppers?
- How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Can I Freeze These?
- Get the Recipe
- More Stuffed Peppers Recipes
Easy Stuffed Poblano Peppers Recipe
I love me a dinner that’s high in protein and low in carbs. That’s one of the many reasons why I love these stuffed peppers! Each roasted pepper is stuffed with the perfect amount of flavorful ground turkey, black beans and melty Mexican cheese.
I have to spotlight the avocado crema. It adds the ultimate finishing touch to this dish. Made with ingredients like Greek yogurt, fresh avocado and red pepper flakes, you may be tempted to double the recipe and use twice as much!
Why You’ll Love these Turkey & Cheese Stuffed Poblanos
- Flavorful. Poblanos are perfectly suited for roasting. They have a touch of smokiness that goes so well with the sweet, spicy and savory flavors in the filling.
- Easy. You won’t need any fancy ingredients or complicated techniques to make this dinner. Just roast the poblano peppers, then make the filling and crema.
- Healthy. This filling dinner idea is packed with protein and good for you nutrients. I stuffed poblano has a whopping 27g of protein, which will fill you right up.
What You’ll Need
The following items are my personal must-haves for turkey stuffed poblano peppers, If desired, you can make adjustments according to your spice tolerance or general flavor preferences.
For the Stuffed Poblanos
- Avocado Oil: For sautéing.
- Red Onion: Diced.
- Garlic: You’ll need 2 cloves, freshly minced.
- Ground Turkey: Feel free to grind your own turkey breast or buy pre-ground turkey.
- Cumin: For depth of flavor.
- Smoked Paprika: To start heating things up.
- Chili Powder: This really kicks the spiciness up a couple notches. Add it to taste.
- Salt & Pepper: I tend to follow a 2:1 salt to pepper ratio.
- Canned Black Beans: Low-sodium, drained and rinsed.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes: You’ll need one 14-oz can of diced tomatoes.
- Fresh Cilantro: Chopped.
- Lime Juice: Squeeze it fresh for the best results.
- Poblano Peppers: Cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed.
- Shredded Cheese: I like using Mexican blend.
For the Avocado Crema
- Greek Yogurt: Be sure to use a plain Greek yogurt instead of one with added flavor.
- Avocado: Seed removed.
- Garlic: One clove should do the trick.
- Lime Juice: Freshly squeezed!
- Cumin: Ground.
- Red Pepper Flakes: For a touch of spice to tie the topping together with the stuffed peppers.
- Salt: To balance all the flavors.
- Fresh Cilanto: This will serve as a garnish.
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How to Make Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers
This hearty dinner is definitely easy enough for a weeknight. You just have to prepare the peppers, pre-cook the filling on the stove, bake it all up and throw together your avocado crema.
Make the Stuffed Peppers
- Heat Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Pre-Cook Peppers: Place the sliced and seeded poblano peppers on a baking sheet, cut-side up. Roast them for 12-15 minutes.
- Sauté Onion: Bring a medium-sized skillet to medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil and chopped onion. Saute the onion pieces until they’re translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add Garlic: Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add Turkey: Add the ground turkey and cook it until there’s no more pink. This should take approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Add Spices: Add in the cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt and black pepper. Stir to mix all the spices together.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice to the ground turkey mixture. Mix everything together until well combined.
- Stuff Peppers & Bake: Stuff each half poblano with the turkey mixture. Bake the peppers for another 10-12 minutes with the stuffed side facing up.
- Add Cheese & Melt: Remove your poblanos from the oven and sprinkle each pepper with 1 tablespoon of Mexican cheese. Place the peppers back in the oven and bake them for 2 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Let Cool: Remove your peppers from the oven and let them cool while you prepare the topping.
Make the Avocado Crema
- Combine Ingredients: Add the greek yogurt, avocado, garlic, lime juice, cumin, red pepper flakes and salt to a small food processor. Blend until the mixture is combined and smooth.
- Add to Stuffed Peppers: Drizzle each warm poblano with avocado crema. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Can I Make These in Advance?
Yes! You can store your stuffed peppers in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking them. Keep them in a covered container. When you’re ready to cook them, add 5-10 minutes to the bake time since they will be cold.
Tips for the Best Stuffed Poblanos
This recipe is pretty simple, but it never hurts to have a few tips and tricks up your sleeve. Here is what I recommend for the absolute best stuffed poblano peppers ever:
- Pick Good Peppers: Avoid any poblano peppers with wrinkled spots or large patches of discoloration. They should look firm and fresh with bright stems.
- Season to Taste: With the inclusion of smoked paprika and chili powder, these stuffed poblano peppers pack some heat. Feel free to adjust the amounts you use depending on your tastes.
- Bake Cut Side Up: Make sure the open side of the peppers is facing up when you pre-roast them and once the filling is added. This helps the peppers get nice and tender and prevents the filling from falling out when you remove the peppers from the baking sheet.
- Add Cheese at the End: I find that there’s a happy medium when it comes to melting cheese. If you put it on the stuffed poblanos right away, it won’t be as flavorful by the time they’re done baking. I like adding it at the end so it stays nice and gooey and doesn’t get lost in the filling.
Variation Ideas
Want to change up this recipe but not sure where to start? Check out these easy add-ins and variations I’ve compiled! Keep in mind that adding extra stuff will increase the amount of filling made.
- Use Ground Beef Instead of Turkey
- Add Rice
- Use Another Kind of Cheese
- Add More Veggies
- Top with Sour Cream Instead of Avocado Crema
- Sub the Black Beans for Pinto Beans
- Use Different Spices
What Goes with Stuffed Poblano Peppers?
These stuffed poblanos make a well-rounded dinner on their own, but I say the more the merrier! You’ll love these tasty pairing ideas:
- Serve with Salad: You truly can’t go wrong with a classic side salad. This Autumn Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad is a fresh and crunchy masterpiece! It compliments turkey stuffed peppers like none other.
- With Sweet Potato Fries: Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries are always a great match for these tender stuffed poblanos. Keep the healthy comfort food coming!
- Pair with Roasted Vegetables: Not to be dramatic, but you seriously haven’t lived until you’ve tried these caramelized Honey Roasted Carrots! Their sweetness provides an amazing contrast to the spicy flavors in your stuffed peppers.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Storage: Place leftover stuffed poblano peppers in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 4 days. Just make sure they’ve cooled completely before you chill them.
- To reheat: Place your stuffed peppers onto a baking sheet or into a casserole dish and warm them in a 350°F oven. Make sure the filling is facing up and the pan is on a lower rack so it doesn’t burn on top. Remove the poblanos from the oven when they reach your desired temperature.
Can I Freeze These?
Yes, you can freeze your stuffed poblanos for up to 3 months. Once cooled, wrap each one in a layer or two of plastic wrap. Then, place the peppers in a freezer-safe container and store. Thaw them out in the fridge overnight before reheating.
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Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
These spicy Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers are a healthy dinner option that your family will obsess over. Topped with melty cheese and served with a refreshing avocado crema, you’ll savor every bite until there’s nothing left!
Ingredients
For the Stuffed Poblanos
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. ground turkey breast
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
- 14 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 6 poblanos, halved and seeds removed
- 12 tablespoons shredded mexican cheese
For the Avocado Crema
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 avocado
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- garnish: fresh cilanto
Instructions
Make the Stuffed Peppers
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place sliced poblanos on a baking sheet, cut side up. Roast for 12-15 minutes.
- Bring a medium skillet to medium high heat. Add avocado oil and onions. Saute the onions until they are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Next add ground turkey and cook until there is no more pink, approximately 5-6 minutes. Add in cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt and black pepper. Stir to mix all the spices together.
- Add black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice to the ground turkey mixture. Mix everything together until well combined.
- Stuff each poblano pepper with the turkey mixture, make sure the stuffed side is facing up.
- Bake poblanos for another 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle each pepper with 1 tablespoons of mexican cheese. Place poblanos back in the oven and bake for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Make the Avocado Crema
- In the meantime, to a small food processor add greek yogurt, avocado, garlic, lime juice, cumin, red pepper flakes and salt. Blend until mixture is combined and smooth.
- Drizzle each poblano with avocado crema.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed poblano
- Calories: 282
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 594 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
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More Stuffed Peppers Recipes
Hungry for more hearty stuffed pepper recipes? I’ve got plenty to choose from! Here are a few favorites:
40 comments on “Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers”
Absolutely delicious! Will be making this again in the future. Very tasty
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
This looks so good! What a great weeknight meal!
It sure is.. it’s one of my favorites especially in the fall when I’m looking for something more comfort foodie.
Has anyone made and froze them. I’m wondering if I should freeze before completing both oven cook time or after first? Also I’m using a frozen corn, bean mix in them instead of just beans.
I mean honestly, I would freeze them before you cook them. That way they aren’t mushy when you reheat.
Delicious! Made them for friends this evening with air fryer sweet potato fries and honey balsamic carrots. A hit! My husband says it’s a keeper!
So glad this recipe was a hit. These are one of my favorites!
One of my favorite recipes!! Delicious⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mine too! They are so good!
Simple and absolutely perfect! A huge hit with the entire family. Thank you
It’s the best compliment when the whole family enjoys a recipe!!
wow, this flavor is very awesome. I have tried it at home thanks for sharing.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
These are amazing! I used shredded, cooked turkey breast (leftover from a deep fried turkey) vice ground and sour cream vice plain greek yogurt (what I had), but otherwise made them as written. These would be very good without the crema, but the crema really takes it up a notch. I will make these again. Thank you for the recipe.
I am thrilled you loved this recipe, Mark! That crema is life giving! Thanks for the 5 Start review!
Hi Krista,
This sounds delicious and I plan to make it tonight. I’m a little confused because you didn’t say anything about blackening the poblanos to remove the tough, outer skin before stuffing. Did you use poblanos which were already prepped? Full story: I’ve never made chili rellenos (which is what this is) and just assumed they were cooked with a “peeled” poblano so it is edible. Am I mistaken?
Thanks!
Susan
Hey Susan, I did not. I actually leave the skin on. Almost like you would when you make stuffed bell peppers. The skin is fine to eat, some people just don’t like the texture.
These look delicious! I’m going to go out & get the ingredients today! I’m salivating, lol! Quick questions please: would they taste the same with ground chicken instead ? And can I use any other oil instead of grape seed, like olive oil, avocado oil or simple sunflower oil?
hey saher! they may taste a little different with ground chicken. (and ground chicken may dry up faster than turkey but you should still be good) And yes any other oil would work, I’d use either avocado or sunflower though 🙂
Trying this tonight and seems like a great combination of flavors! I’ve generally used a different site’s recipe but yours seems more flavorful. However, curious about not roasting the peppers ahead of time. Am I right that you did not pre-roast or grill? The other recipe does and it would be a huge time saver to skip this step. After 30 minutes in, though, peppers are not looking done. Cranking it up to 375 and taking foil off. Did I miss a step? Thanks so much and hoping all turns out well!!
Hey Nicole, correct. I don’t precook I HATE mushy peppers. My mom use to make mushy stuffed peppers all the time. I like mine to have a little bit more of a bite to them to add texture. However, if you like them more cooked you might want to precook for 15 minutes or so before stuffing them. Hope them helps!
This looks great! Do you deseed the peppers first?
Yes I did, I’ve got a 5 year old who’s not a fan of spicy. But if you like it spicy you can leave them in!
Made these tonight and my husband and I loved them. The avocado crema is AMAZING! I made some Mexican style rice to go with the stuffed peppers. Thanks for the recipe. Will definitely be making again!
Hi
the recipe sounds great and I’d like to try it. But I have a question: Did you do the roasted tomatoes yourself?
thanks for your answer 🙂
I did not. I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes.
I cannot eat any dairy and dislike dairy free cheese. How do you suppose this would taste with no cheese at all?
Oh I think it would still taste great! Honestly I did it because most enchiladas have cheese and that’s what I had in mind while making this dish. The real flavor is in the other parts, not necessarily the cheese. 🙂
I am so sorry you were effected by Harvey. We live in Humble, Tx. and were one of the overly blessed. Mere streets over from us had 3-6 feet of water in their homes. Businesses around us will be months reopening – if ever. I am so grateful God allowed us the opportunity to not only come away unscathed, but to hopefully be of help to others. My sister-in-love lost EVERYTHING. They will rebuild their lives and I am looking for opportunities to be wise with my small savings and bless them. One way is to commit to not eating out. This recipe struck a cord with my heart. I am a true blue fan of Stuffed Pablanos but am used to seeing them dipped and fried. In an attempt to eat cleaner, I was THRILLED to stumble on the recipe!!
Many blessings, my new found friend!
Thank you so much!I appreciate the support and prayers. And you’ll love this recipe, it has all the comforting things about stuffed poblanos just not the fried factor 🙂
Wow. I hate auto correct. *poblanos
Did you have alot of turkey mixture leftover? It sounds like alot of filling for only 6 pollanos so just wondering if I should buy more 🙂
I really stuffed my poblanos and get big ones as well. If you have smaller poblanos then definitely get a few more. 🙂
The flavor combination that you chose is absolutely amazing! I’m so inspired to try and make these!
thanks so much sharon! hope you get a chance to try these! so good!
I’ve followed you and your fabulous recipes for the better part of a year now. Had no idea you were a fellow Houstonian. What a week, sista, to put it mildly. You’re right, bring on all the comfort food!
yeah girl! We are in the spring area but still got hit, just not as bad as downtown houston. It has definitely been a week! whew!