Every Tuesday at our house we enjoy eating Mexican food.  For years, we were stuck in the rut of having regular crunchy beef tacos, and that got old rather quickly!  Recently, I’ve become more adventurous on Taco Tuesday!

Back in July we were on vacation and stumbled upon a Mexican restaurant that was absolutely delicious!  I am sometimes leery of trying out new places while out-of-town, because….well, everything should be awesome on vacation. Right?!  The atmosphere of this restaurant was rather casual, and they brought out the standard chips and salsa when were seated at the table.  After browsing the menu, everyone chose what they were going to eat.  I decided that I would have the chicken fajitas with no tortillas, of course.  However, my husband and daughter decided to get the stuffed poblano pepper.

When the food was delivered, I immediately had regret for my food choice!  Their food was clearly going to taste better than mine.  Of course, I decided at that moment, that I would need to embark on figuring out how to cook a poblano pepper.  Much to my surprise, it is pretty easy to do.

This recipe can be modified with different “stuffings” depending on what your family enjoys.  I have made these peppers before with ground beef, and a cauliflower rice stuffing. I know shrimp would really delicious as well.  For this recipe I used Carne Asada meat, and it was truly amazing!  If you’ve never made Carne Asada, don’t worry.  It’s easier than you think.  Carne Asada is simply beef that has been marinated and grilled, typically served sliced in thin strips as a main course or as a filling in tacos, burritos, etc.!

Since Carne Asada has to be marinated, you will want to make sure that you have enough time to do all the steps.  You can even prep the meat in the marinade the day or night before.

Cheese is always a good idea in our house, so I made a quick and easy cheese sauce to top the peppers with.  The recipe for this cheese sauce is basically queso style cheese, and you can use it for a number of different things, including simply as a dip.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

This recipe consists of making the meat, prepping the peppers, and making a cheese sauce.  Once everything is made, you put the pieces together like a casserole.

Carne Asada

2 lb. Beef Roast chopped into small pieces (rump, chuck, etc.)
4 tbs. Minced Garlic
1 Jalepeno Pepper (seeded & minced)
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 large handful finely chopped Cilantro
2 tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. Sweetener (stevia, erythritol, etc.)
1/2 cup Oil (avacado, olive, etc.)
Juice of 2 limes                                                       Coat meat well in Salt & Pepper

Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl, or bag, and marinate for 1-4 hours.

Poblano Pepper Prep

4-6 Poblano Peppers (depending on size)

Wash peppers.

Remove tops, and deseed peppers.                                              Slice peppers in half, lengthwise.
The pepper itself is not spicy, but the seeds are.
You may want to leave a few if you like it hot!
I remove all of the seeds.

Queso Dip/Cheese Sauce

8 oz. Shredded Cheese (Colby Jack, Cheddar, etc.)
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
4 tbs. Butter
1/8-1/4 cup Water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat.  Stir often until everything is melted and well combined. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

When the meat is finished marinating, heat skillet, (I use cast iron) to a very high heat. When skillet is hot, put marinated meat in skillet and cook until the meat is slightly crispy on the edges. Remove from heat.

Now it’s time to put it all together.
Lay peppers flat in a 9×13 baking dish.
Fill peppers with Carne Asada meat.
Cover the meat with cheese sauce.

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, and put it in the oven.
Bake until the peppers are slightly tender, but not soggy.
Depending on your oven, this will take approximately 25 minutes.
Remove foil, and bake for an additional 5 minutes to allow a slight crisp on top and enjoy!