• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
An Edible Mosaic™
  • about
    • contact
    • accessibility
    • privacy policy
    • terms and conditions
  • cookbooks
  • recipes
  • world cuisine
    • arabic and middle eastern
    • asian
    • british
    • buffalo foods
    • czech
    • dutch
    • ethiopian
    • french
    • german
    • greek
    • indian
    • irish
    • italian
    • jamaican
    • jewish
    • latin
    • polish
    • russian and ukrainian
    • swedish
    • tex mex
    • thai
    • west african
  • Nav Social Menu

menu icon
go to homepage
  • about
  • fall recipes
  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • about
    • fall recipes
    • recipes
    • cookbooks
    • subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Type » Main Courses » Beef

    Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce {Freezer-Friendly}

    Published: Oct 21, 2016 · Modified: Jan 21, 2022 by Faith · This post may contain affiliate links · 17 Comments

    These freezer-friendly Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce is full of Tex-Mex flavors without too much spicy heat; it’s a real crowd-pleaser!

    Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce 1

    When I was in law school I fell into a weekly Tex-Mex routine with few friends. We’d meet at a local dive on Thursday evenings and order a bunch of different dishes to eat family-style. In addition to the food being great (because we all know sometimes the shadiest dives have the best food), the atmosphere was so much fun: lively with music, bright-colored décor, and lots of laughter. I remember one particularly crazy night that involved an extremely large sombrero, and I’m sad to say I can’t find those pictures anywhere! Anyway, that Tex-Mex tradition was something we all looked forward to.

    Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce 2

    I’ve been craving Tex-Mex flavors something fierce lately and one day when I spotted Mexican Cotija cheese at Costo I couldn’t resist picking it up. I was in the mood for Chilies Rellenos (because yum), but I wanted to avoid the battered-and-fried aspect of that recipe. I came up with this casserole, which is every bit as delicious, but easier to make and a bit healthier as well. Winning on all levels, right?

    Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce 3Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce

    I whipped up an easy sauce for this to simulate enchilada sauce. You can use your favorite kind of store-bought sauce if you prefer, but I have trouble finding a store-bought sauce I like that’s a) really good, and b) full of clean ingredients and free of things like gluten and sugar. The nice thing is, you’ll use the entire batch of sauce to make these stuffed peppers. If you like, you can even make a double batch of the sauce and freeze it for next time!

    The really great thing about this recipe is that it makes eight servings in two 9 by 13-inch casserole dishes. It’s perfect if you’re feeding a crowd or if you want to freeze one of the dishes for another meal; or you could pay it forward and surprise a lucky neighbor with dinner.

    Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce 4Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce 5

    If you don’t like spicy food and you’re worried about the spice level here, I can assure you that it’s not spicy hot. It has a great balance of flavors and a nice complexity from the sauce, but even my mom who is the most spicy food-averse person I know (seriously…I’ve seen toddlers chow down on food that’s spicier than my mom can handle) went crazy for it.

    I tried to keep this dish pretty low-carb too; not only did I skip the batter that’s normally on Chilies Rellenos, but there’s no rice in our stuffed pepper filling, and I didn’t even use beans either (which are of course healthy and delicious, but also tend to be a bit high in carbs). I promise though, you really won’t miss the carbs here.

    Don’t be surprised when your family asks you to add this recipe to your regular dinner rotation!

    Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce 6

    Print
    Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce {Freezer-Friendly}
    Author: Faith Gorsky
    Prep time:  30 mins
    Cook time:  50 mins
    Total time:  1 hour 20 mins
    Yield: 2 (9 by 19-inch casserole dishes); 8 servings
     
    These freezer-friendly Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce is full of Tex-Mex flavors without too much spicy heat; it’s a real crowd-pleaser!
    Ingredients
    Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce (yields about 4 cups; you’ll use the whole batch for this recipe):
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 (14.5 oz/411 g) cans diced tomatoes, juices drained but reserved
    • 1 medium-large onion, chopped into large chunks
    • 6 large cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
    • 5 teaspoons ground chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    Filling:
    • 1.33 lbs (600 g) ground beef (I use organic 85% lean)
    • 1 medium-large onion, diced
    • 4 large cloves garlic, minced
    • 8 oz (230 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
    • ½ cup (120 ml) Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce (save the rest to pour in the bottom of the casserole dish)
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    Other:
    • 8 medium-large poblano peppers, halved and de-seeded
    • 8 oz (230 g) cheddar cheese, shredded
    • 2 oz (60 g) Mexican Cotija cheese, crumbled (or substitute crumbled feta or goat cheese if you can’t find Cotija), for garnish
    • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
    Instructions
    1. For the sauce, preheat the oven to 450F. Stir together the oil, diced tomatoes, onion, and garlic and spread it out in a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Roast until the vegetables are starting to char in places, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Cool slightly and then transfer to a blender along with the reserved tomato juice and spices and process until smooth. Measure out ½ cup to use in the filling and set the rest aside for now.
    2. While the sauce roasts, make the filling. To do so, add the beef, onion, and garlic to a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook (uncovered) until the beef is browned and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir in all remaining ingredients; continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
    3. Pour the remaining Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce into 2 (9 by 13-inch) casserole dishes and spread it out in an even layer. Spoon the beef filling into the poblano halves and arrange them in the bottom of the 2 casserole dishes. At this point, you can either bake or freeze the stuffed peppers.
    4. To bake the peppers, preheat the oven to 400F and bake (uncovered) until the peppers are softened, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle on the cheddar cheese and run it under the broiler until melted.
    5. Sprinkle on the Cotija and cilantro and serve.
    Notes
    Make-Ahead: You can make the sauce and the filling and store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge up to 3 days ahead.

    Freezer-Friendly: Complete Steps 1 through 3; let the peppers cool completely and then wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To finish cooking, thaw the peppers in the fridge overnight and then continue with Steps 4 and 5.
    3.5.3251

    More Beef

    • ground beef casserole recipes featured image
      15+ Ground Beef Casserole Recipes For Dinner Tonight - Budget-Friendly Meals the Whole Family Will Love!
    • stuffed pepper casserole recipe featured image
      Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe (Unstuffed Peppers) - An Easy 1-Skillet Dinner!
    • sloppy joe casserole recipe featured image
      Weeknight Sloppy Joe Casserole with an Easy Cornbread Topping
    • easy taco pie recipe featured image
      Kid-Friendly Veggie-Heavy Taco Pie Recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      Rate this recipe:  

    1. Sandi says

      October 11, 2021 at 9:12 pm

      I made the sauce using fresh tomatoes &it worked great.

      Reply
    2. Mike says

      August 01, 2020 at 3:44 pm

      I substituted 1 lb of ground mild sausage and 1/3 lb of bacon for the 1.3 lbs of ground beef.
      Everything's better with bacon! 😊

      Reply
    3. Lee says

      February 04, 2019 at 1:30 pm

      Faith,
      Do you leave the skin on the peppers or char them first.

      Reply
      • Faith says

        February 05, 2019 at 8:26 am

        Lee, I leave the skin on the peppers. You could char them first to add an extra layer of flavor and soften them a bit if you prefer. Hope you enjoy them if you give them a try!

        Reply
    4. Erin says

      October 26, 2018 at 4:17 pm

      Hi, I have a question. I’m getting ready to make this recipe right now, but I’m confused about the tomatoes- fresh or canned?

      Reply
      • Faith says

        October 26, 2018 at 7:07 pm

        Erin, Sorry about that! I used canned tomatoes to make the sauce. Hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    5. KalynsKitchen says

      February 17, 2017 at 8:57 am

      Happy Friday! Just letting you know I featured this recipe in my weekly Low-Carb Recipe Love in a collection of Low-Carb Stuffed Peppers Recipes. I hope a lot of my readers will click over and try your recipe!

      Reply
      • Faith says

        February 17, 2017 at 5:52 pm

        Kalyn, Thank you so much for including me, it is much appreciated!

        Reply
    6. De says

      October 27, 2016 at 7:23 am

      Poblanos are some of my favorite things on the planet! Pinning!

      Reply
    7. Marissa says

      October 25, 2016 at 5:49 pm

      Oh boy, I just happen to have a jar of enchilada sauce in the refrigerator that I just made. I am SO making these with it. I love that these can be frozen too!

      Reply
    8. Kevin | Keviniscooking says

      October 24, 2016 at 10:45 am

      Boy, these look scrumptious. Not only am I now thinking of these, but the real deal Chilies Rellenos. I can't think of that last time I had something deep fried. Though these look so much better for me. Beautiful!

      Reply
    9. Laura | Tutti Dolci says

      October 24, 2016 at 12:54 am

      I love stuffed peppers, these look so flavorful and delicious!

      Reply
    10. Rosa says

      October 23, 2016 at 1:33 pm

      So comforting and tasty! A great dish.

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Instant Pot Keto Low Carb Beef Chili Recipe (Beanless Low Carb Chili) says:
      January 4, 2019 at 9:08 am

      […] Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers from An Edible Mosaic […]

      Reply
    2. Healthy Make Ahead Freezer Meals #SundaySupper says:
      December 28, 2017 at 12:01 am

      […] Fajita Enchiladas from Delish Knowledge are healthy make ahead freezer meals everyone loves! 10. Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers from An Edible Mosaic go from freezer to table surprisingly easy. 11. Sweet Peas and Saffron […]

      Reply
    3. Easy Ground Beef Recipes (over 40!) | This Gal Cooks says:
      November 3, 2016 at 5:58 am

      […] Cheesy Beef Stuffed Poblano Peppers […]

      Reply
    4. 10 Recipe To Try This Week | ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO says:
      October 30, 2016 at 9:01 am

      […] If I don’t make enchiladas for Day of the Dead then I’m definitely going with Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers. […]

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    faith photo with welcome

    Hi, I'm Faith!

    I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind An Edible Mosaic. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had. Welcome to An Edible Mosaic!

    More About Faith →
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • RSS Feed

    Popular Recipes

    • boba milk tea featured image
      How to Make Bubble Tea (Easy Boba Tea Recipe)
    • mini victoria sponge cakes featured image
      Mini Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe - Fit for Royalty & Easy to Make as Cupcakes! {video}
    • canned chicken salad featured image
      Canned Chicken Salad Recipe
    • low carb chicken casserole featured image
      Keto Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole - Based on the Dip! {video}

    Seasonal Recipes

    • pear kale salad featured image
      Simple Pear Kale Salad with Candied Almonds and Crumbled Feta
    • slow cooker enchiladas featured image
      Really Easy Crockpot Enchiladas (Ground Beef Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole)
    • baked brie featured image
      20-Minute Elegant Baked Brie Recipe with Honeyed Grapes
    • caramel apple popcorn featured image
      Easy Caramel Apple Popcorn Recipe and a Fall-Themed Movie Night Snack Board

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Contact
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    an edible mosaic stamp logo 1200 square

    SEE RECIPE INDEX

    Social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • RSS Feed

    My Other Blogs

    • Daily Desserting
    • The Keto Queens

    An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I use and love.

    Copyright © 2023 An Edible Mosaic