Name: Skinny Chile Rellenos {Mexican Stuffed Peppers}
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 4 poblano peppers; 2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese; Finely chopped cilantro, to serve (optional); Sliced avocado, to serve (optional); Lime wedges, to serve (optional); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 1 green pepper, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 (796mL) can diced tomatoes; 1 tbsp chili powder; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp each salt & pepper; 2 cups water; 1 cup dry rice; 1 tsp butter; 1 tbsp taco seasoning

These Skinny Chile Rellenos offer a healthier spin on the traditional Mexican stuffed peppers made with poblanos and a spicy red sauce.

How to make chili rellenos

Bake the poblano peppers.
Make the spicy red sauce and the Mexican rice (optional).
Slice the poblano peppers down the middle.
Scrape out seeds and membranes and fill the peppers with cheese.
Bake until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven, top with sauce and serve!

plated Mexican dinner - chili relleno and Spanish rice

Ingredients and substitutions

Poblano peppers – you could also use Anaheim peppers or green bell peppers (although they'll be less spicy).
Monterey jack cheese – asiago or mozzarella cheese would also work.
Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like canola, avocado or grapeseed oil.
Onion – white or yellow onion is best here.
Green pepper – you can also try red pepper or additional diced poblano peppers.
Garlic – I like using fresh garlic for the best flavour, but jarred minced garlic or garlic powder work in a pinch.
Canned diced tomatoes – use fresh diced tomatoes if you can't find the canned.
Chili powder – you can make your own blend using paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cayenne.
Brown sugar – use a combination of white sugar and molasses to make your own brown sugar.
Cumin – coriander would also work, as it comes from the same spice family.
Paprika – cayenne pepper is the best substitute here.
Salt & pepper – to taste

poblano peppers and ingredients to make a Chile Relleno recipe

What is chile relleno?

This dish is a Mexican version of stuffed peppers, as chile relleno translates into “stuffed chilis” in English. The traditional dish features poblano peppers stuffed with meat and cheese, then covered in egg whites and flour and fried in hot oil. To cut down on the calorie count and make this dish healthier, this recipe doesn't have any meat and is baked instead of fried.

How many calories are in chile relleno?

The original chile relleno is high in calories as it's stuffed with meat and fried in oil and typically has over 700 calories. This version is a lot lighter, with just 482 calories.

How to make the Chile Relleno sauce

While your poblanos are baking in the oven, you'll make a delicious, spicy sauce to pour over top and enhance the flavour. Combine a can of diced tomatoes with green pepper, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, then blender everything up with an immersion blender.

This way you don't have to wait for your sauce to cool enough to transfer to a regular blender, and you won't have any extra dirty dishes either. You can grab an immersion blender for cheap here.

Peeling the poblano peppers

After you have baked your poblano peppers and have the sauce going, you'll want to peel the skin off the poblano peppers. to see the video, which will show you how to do this.

This is an extra optional step but it will result in a more authentic chile relleno recipe and will make the peppers much easier to cut.

After you peel the peppers, you will slice them down the middle and gently scrape out the seeds and membranes, then you'll stuff them with cheese.

Storing and reheating

You can store this recipe in the fridge for 3-5 days in glass meal prep containers. When you're ready to eat, reheat them in the microwave or pop them in the oven in a foil-covered baking dish.

Freezing this recipe

Although the texture of the peppers won't be exactly the same, you can freeze this dish. Wait until the peppers have completely cooled, then freeze them in airtight glass containers. I recommend freezing the peppers and the sauce separately for the best results.

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More healthy Mexican recipes

Meal prep tools for this recipe

Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on making this recipe for your weekly lunches.
Grab an immersion blender to blend the sauce ingredients.
Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Pick up a rice cooker here.

Skinny Chile Rellenos {Mexican Stuffed Peppers}