Black Bean & Veggie Stuffed Peppers with Rice, Cheese & Sour

• portions: 2 servings
• temps total: 45 minutes

Ingrédients

10 oz Ground Pork

½ cup Long Grain White Rice

2 Poblano Peppers

1 15.5-Oz Can Black Beans

1 Zucchini

2 Scallions

2 cloves Garlic

2 tsps Chipotle Chile Paste

2 oz Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese Blend

1 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar

¼ cup Sour Cream

⅓ cup Guajillo Chile Pepper Sauce

Instructions

1 Cook the rice Place an oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Carefully rinse the rice (sifting through for any impurities). Drain thoroughly. In a medium pot, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, without stirring, 13 to 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork.

2 Roast the peppers Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce. Line a sheet pan with foil. Place the peppers on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; turn to coat. Roast 12 to 14 minutes, or until browned and blistered. Leaving the oven on, remove from the oven. Set aside to cool at least 5 minutes. Carefully cut a lengthwise slit in each cooled pepper, keeping one side intact. Carefully open each pepper. Using a spoon, remove the ribs and seeds. Thoroughly wash your hands immediately after handling.

3 Prepare the remaining ingredients Meanwhile, small dice the zucchini. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and hollow green tops. Drain and rinse the beans.

4 Make the filling In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the pork and diced zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the chopped garlic and sliced white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Add the drained beans, sugar, 2 tablespoons of water (carefully, as the liquid may splatter), and as much of the chile paste as you'd like, depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the pork is cooked through. Transfer to the pot of cooked rice; add half the sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

5 Stuff & roast the peppers Evenly stuff each prepared pepper with the filling (you will have extra for serving). Top with the cheddar and monterey jack. Roast 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven. Let stand at least 2 minutes before serving.

6 Warm the guajillo sauce & serve your dish If you prefer to use a microwave, place the guajillo sauce in a bowl; microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until heated through (to avoid any splatter, cover the bowl with a piece of paper towel). If you prefer to use the stove, wipe out the pan used to cook the vegetables. Add the guajillo sauce to the pan. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through. Divide the remaining filling between two serving dishes. Top with the stuffed peppers. Drizzle with the warmed guajillo sauce and remaining sour cream. Garnish with the sliced green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!

1 Cook the rice Place an oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Carefully rinse the rice (sifting through for any impurities). Drain thoroughly. In a medium pot, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, without stirring, 13 to 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork.

2 Roast the peppers Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce. Line a sheet pan with foil. Place the peppers on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; turn to coat. Roast 12 to 14 minutes, or until browned and blistered. Leaving the oven on, remove from the oven. Set aside to cool at least 5 minutes. Carefully cut a lengthwise slit in each cooled pepper, keeping one side intact. Carefully open each pepper. Using a spoon, remove the ribs and seeds. Thoroughly wash your hands immediately after handling.

3 Prepare the remaining ingredients Meanwhile, small dice the zucchini. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and hollow green tops. Drain and rinse the beans.

4 Make the filling In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the pork and diced zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the chopped garlic and sliced white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Add the drained beans, sugar, 2 tablespoons of water (carefully, as the liquid may splatter), and as much of the chile paste as you'd like, depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the pork is cooked through. Transfer to the pot of cooked rice; add half the sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

5 Stuff & roast the peppers Evenly stuff each prepared pepper with the filling (you will have extra for serving). Top with the cheddar and monterey jack. Roast 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven. Let stand at least 2 minutes before serving.

6 Warm the guajillo sauce & serve your dish If you prefer to use a microwave, place the guajillo sauce in a bowl; microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until heated through (to avoid any splatter, cover the bowl with a piece of paper towel). If you prefer to use the stove, wipe out the pan used to cook the vegetables. Add the guajillo sauce to the pan. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through. Divide the remaining filling between two serving dishes. Top with the stuffed peppers. Drizzle with the warmed guajillo sauce and remaining sour cream. Garnish with the sliced green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 960