I love the spicy ground turkey filling in these Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey, and this tasty recipe is low-carb, Keto, low-glycemic, gluten-free, and South Beach Diet friendly! Use the Diet-Type Index to find more recipes like this one.
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Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey!
For a while now I've been infatuated with slightly-spicy Poblano chiles (often called Pasilla chiles in U.S. grocery stores, although the name is not actually correct.) I've used them in recipes like Poblano-Avocado Salsa, Ground Turkey Enchilada Casserole, Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers, and Poblano-Cabbage Slaw, plus a few more, and every time I've used Poblano chiles in a recipe I've fallen for them a bit more!
But I'm going to brag a little bit here and say that this new recipe for Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey is the biggest WOW of all the poblano chile recipes I've made so far!
It took some effort to make that happen though. This recipe was inspired by Poblanos Stuffed with Cheddar and Chicken from Fine Cooking Magazine, and that recipe sounded tasty if you didn't mind roasting and peeling the chiles and wanted a stuffing that used rice. But when I set out to make an easier low-carb stuffed poblano with ground turkey I experimented with different options with both Jake and Kara, and also made them once myself before I had a version I was happy with.
Our keeper recipe for Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey simmers the ground turkey with green chile enchilada sauce and spices to get the turkey infused with amazing flavor; then a touch of lime juice, chopped poblano, sliced green onion, and grated mozzarella is stirred into the turkey mixture and it's stuffed inside poblano halves that have been softened in the microwave. After the turkey filling is piled into the poblano shell, each one is topped with a little more mozzarella and they're baked until the filling is bubbling hot and the cheese is melted and browned.
I couldn't resist eating mine with some of my favorite sour cream squeezed on, but no matter how you eat these, they're delicious! You can also make this recipe with ground beef if you prefer.
Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the ground turkey; then add the green chile enchilada sauce, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper, and simmer until all the liquid is evaporated and the turkey has absorbed those flavors.
While the turkey simmers, cut two of the large Poblanos in half lengthwise, cut out the seeds and cut away them stem (I used kitchen shears for that). Then microwave them about 2-3 minutes, or just until they're softened enough to be able to fully open for stuffing.
Chop up enough of the other Poblano to make 1/2 cup chopped poblano and slice 1/2 cup of green onion. (You can cut the onions and peppers a bit smaller if you don't like the idea of biting into a piece of barely cooked chile pepper or green onion.) When the sauce has been reduced so the turkey mixture is fairly dry, turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice, chopped Poblano chile, sliced green pepper, and one cup of grated Mozzarella.
Heat the oven to 375F/190C and spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Pick up each softened Poblano half and hold it over the pan with the meat as you pack in the filling. Top each one with about a tablespoon of grated Mozzarella. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is very hot and the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
Serve hot, with sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa to add at the table if desired!
I love the spicy ground turkey filling in these Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey!
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a baking dish (that's large enough to hold four Poblano halves) with non-stick spray.
When the turkey is browned add the green chile enchilada sauce, minced garlic, dried cumin, salt, and pepper and simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce has reduced and the meat mixture looks dry.
While the turkey cooks, cut the two large Poblanos in half lengthwise; then use kitchen shears or a small knife to cut out the seeds and cut away the stem part. Discard seeds and stems; then put the chile halves on a plate and microwave 2-3 minutes, just until they're barely softened enough to fully open to be stuffed.
Chop enough of the other Poblano chile to make 1/2 cup chopped Poblano (or use it all if you're a Poblano fan. You can chop the Poblano a bit smaller than I did if you prefer.) Slice 1/2 cup green onion.
When the turkey mixture has simmered enough that the bottom of the pan looks dry, turn off the heat. Stir in the lime juice, chopped Poblano and the sliced green onion. Then stir in the cup of grated Mozzarella.
Hold the pepper half over the frying pan while you stuff each chile with the meat mixture (some will fall down into the pan!) You may need to pile it on and press down on it to use all the meat. Put filled peppers in the baking dish and top each one with about a tablespoon of additional grated Mozarella.
Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is very hot and the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve hot, with sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa to add at the table if desired.
My favorite brand of gluten-free green chile enchilada sauce comes in a 15 oz. can, but I chose to use Casa Fiesta Green Enchilada Sauce which comes in a 10 oz. can to limit the carbs, since this recipe only makes 4 servings. Look for the brand of green enchilada sauce with the least carbs, and if you only find the larger size can and want to use the full can you can do that, you'll just have to simmer the meat mixture a little longer.
This recipe was inspired by Poblanos Stuffed with Cheddar and Chicken and perfected with help from Jake and Kara.
These stuffed Poblanos with lean ground turkey and cheese are a great dish for any phase of the South Beach Diet and most other low-carb eating plans. Look for green chile enchilada sauce with the lowest possible carbs; I used Casa Fiesta Green Enchilada Sauce which had only 10 carbs in the 10 oz. can.
Thanks for the Pasilla tip! Will be on the lookout for Pasilla and/ or Poblano Peppers.
Hubby came home from the office with what I guessed were poblano peppers and I prepared this recipe as directed with excellent results. 10oz can green enchilada sauce was more than enough for 1lb ground turkey. Served with sour cream and hot sauce as suggested, with sliced cucumbers on a bed of lettuce on the side. Delicious as were the leftovers reheated in microwave later in the week. Now where to find poblanos so we can enjoy this excellent recipe again!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it. Sometimes poblanos are called Pasilla Peppers, that might help you find them.
Really tasty and filling! It's a great leftover as well (made it for two dinners.) Thanks for the great recipe! It's going into the rotation.
Thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe! Made it for dinner last night and it was delicious! I added some chopped onions and used the Mexican cheese blend instead, came out perfect. Thank you again for a well-written recipe.
Thanks CJ; so glad you enjoyed it!
So tasty!!! My poblanos got a little soggy, but that's my fault! I think next time I'll just chop them all up, mix them in, and use it for tostadas!
I made these tonight and my husband and I really enjoyed them. I changed a few things…I added a 1/4 chopped onion to the ground turkey when browning it. I also increased the garlic by 1/2 tablespoon (we love garlic) and not being fans of too much cumin, i decreased that to 1/2 teaspoon and added a rounded 1/4 teaspoon of Mexican oregano, 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon paprika and a pinch of cinnamon. The poblanos I had were hot so I elected to leave out the chopped chilis, to keep down the heat. I also used half mozzarella, half Monterey Jack. Served with a dollop of sour cream and some sliced farmers market tomatoes made an excellent dinner. Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow night! Thanks for the recipe!
Your version sounds great; so glad you enjoyed it!
The name of the sauce I used, plus a link to see it, is in the recipe.
Awesome recipe and is going in my meal rotation! I used some already browned ground turkey with bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic that I needed to use up. I added the lime and think it adds another layer of flavor, but was still delicious without it. I think the filling would also be good as a wrap. I tried another recipe from your site this week and it was also incredible, thanks for posting lower carb recipes.
What a great recipe… I'm Vegan and can easily adapt this using TVP and Vegan Cheese. I love Poblano Peppers too and have always wanted a great recipe for using them. I have recently found a love in cooking, though I'm not too creative. Your recipes are awesome!
Thanks James; love hearing how you can make this vegan!
Absolutely tremendous! I prefer red enchilada sauce, and I can report it worked very well. Thanks so much.
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your idea for the red enchilada sauce; I bet that is delicious!
I always forget about ground turkey! Its such a great dinner option and perfect for poblanos since they are a mild spicy. Thanks for the recipe!
I know; you have to work on it a bit to make ground turkey into something memorable, but we loved this. Hope you enjoy!
I wish poblano peppers were easier to come by here. Sometimes, they are just the right amount of heat (i.e., not much). Can't wait to try this!
Lydia even here the size is highly variable but I love them!