I’m so excited to share today’s recipe with you. This was the recipe that inspired this monthly series and was supposed to be the first recipe I was going to share. I’m not sure exists anywhere else and I wasn’t even sure what to call it so I’ve named it Poblano Casserole.
I can’t take credit for inventing it as the idea was given to me from my assistant several years ago. She and I shared many things in common including our love of cooking, trying new recipes and Mexican food.
She claimed her idea for this recipe came from her love of the stuffed poblanos (chile rellenos) common in Mexican restaurants. She was also into healthy foods so she eliminated the deep fried outer coating and created a sort of casserole. She made hers more of a sauce to serve over rice but my version is more of a casserole with the ingredients all mixed together.
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What you will need to make Pablano Casserole:
- 2-3 medium to large poblano peppers, cut into bite sized chunks
- ½ to ¾ lb hot itallian sausage (chorizo or your favorite sausage would work too) removed from casing and broken into chunks
- ½ chopped yellow onion
- 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2-3 cups tomato sauce (I have also used enchilada sauce)
- Crushed Red Peppers to taste
- Garlic Powder
- Additional spices for heat as you prefer
- 2 c shredded Mexican blend or sharp cheddar cheese
- 2-3 cups cooked rice or quinoa
Directions for Poblano Casserole
Before I begin I will say that we have made this traditionally on the stove, over a camp fire and this time in our Ninja Foodi which is a pressure cooker. This recipe is versatile enough that it works no matter how you choose to make it. Now, let’s get started!
Cook rice or quinoa separately according to directions. For mine, I pressure cooked my rice for 1 minute according to the Foodi’s recommendations and it came out perfectly. To save time during the week, you could also pre-cook your rice or quinoa and just pull it out when you need it.
Once complete, I removed my rice and kept it in another bowl until I was ready for it again.
Cook sausage in large frying pan or shallow pot, breaking up chunks even more as it cooks. For mine, I set the Foodi to “Saute” and cooked my sausage in the same pot as I cooked the rice earlier.
Once cooked through, add pieces of poblano peppers, garlic and onion and cook until they begin to soften.
(Alternate: If you don’t like the poblano skins, you can roast the poblanos whole for a few minutes in the oven before cooking. The skin will pretty easily peel off and the pepper can be cut into chunks that way).
Once the sausage and peppers are cooked, add tomato sauce or enchilada sauce. (B and I have used both and it tastes almost exactly the same)
If you wan’t added seasoning, this is also where you’d add those. Season sauce with crushed red peppers and other spices to preferred heat. A Mexican Seasoning Blend like this would also work well.
Allow to cook on low – medium heat for 10 -15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Stir frequently to evenly distribute all those yummy flavors.
Once the sauce is heated through, lower heat and add in rice or quinoa, stir to combine.
Add in cheese and stir until melted and creamy.
Serve with additional cheese sprinkled on top or add a dollop of sour cream and green onions.
This meal tastes even better the next day!
I suggest tasting as you go to ensure the right amount of heat. Here in PA sometimes the poblanos are pretty hot while other times they have no heat at all. We love a good amount of heat so we often add in additional spices to reach the right amount of heat. Sometimes B will even sprinkle on some hot sauce to his plate.
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Have you tried it? Do you have a similar recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know. B and I love poblanos and we are always looking for more ways to cook them.
Love Pressure cooking? Check out another favorite recipe here.
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