Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce {Freezer-Friendly}
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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.
Recipe by An Edible Mosaic™ at https://www.anediblemosaic.com/cheesy-beef-stuffed-poblano-peppers-with-easy-roasted-tomato-chili-sauce-freezer-friendly/