Name: Spinach Stuffed Poblanos & Mexican White Rice
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 43 min
Ingredients: 8 poblano chiles; 10- ounce package baby spinach; 4 ounces fresh goat cheese; ⅓ cup golden raisins; ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted; 2 cups long grain white rice; 4 cups water; ½ large white onion, cut into chunks; 4 garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; chopped cilantro for garnish

Spinach Stuffed Poblanos & Mexican White Rice

Recipe adapted from Ana Garcia.

This is a dish that the chef, Ana Garcia, told me she makes to feed a crowd. It takes a little time to char the peppers, and then clean and stuff them, but the rice is easy to put together and the rest of the cooking is hands-off. Ana’s version is stuffed with an equal blend of Oaxaca cheese and Chihuahua cheese, but I really enjoy a rendition I tried years ago in Mexico that used spinach and goat cheese and have adapted the recipe to that version. If you’d like to make her original recipe, simply use 1 ½ cups of each cheese for the total amount of peppers. If you have a hard time finding chihuahua cheese, use queso fresco instead.

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Spinach Stuffed Poblanos & Mexican White Rice

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 43

Recipe adapted from Ana Garcia.

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Course

Servings

Ingredients

8 poblano chiles
10- ounce package baby spinach
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
⅓ cup golden raisins
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
2 cups long grain white rice
4 cups water
½ large white onion, cut into chunks
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Place the chiles directly over a gas burner or grill. Char them on all sides, being careful not to turn them too much and tear the skin. When they have all been blackened, place them in a bowl and cover them with a lid to steam and cool. When the chiles are cool enough to handle, peel the charred skin from the pepper. Cut a slit from the stem to the bottom and carefully remove the seeds from the inside, keeping the pepper as intact as possible.
Cook the spinach and raisins together in a skillet with a splash of water and ¼ teaspoon salt until the spinach is wilted. Drain the spinach in a mesh sieve, squeezing out the extra liquid once it is cool enough to handle. Place it in a bowl, and mix with the goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.
Stuff each pepper with an equal amount of the spinach mixture and set them aside.
Place two cups of water, the onion, tablespoon of salt and garlic in a blender and puree.
Warm the olive oil in a large wide pot with a lid. Add the rice and fry over medium heat, stirring to coat the rice in the oil. Cook for about 5 minutes until the rice is matte white, being careful to not let it toast or brown.
Pour the onion mixture into the pot with the rice with the remaining two cups of water. Add the oregano and stir. Nestle the peppers in the rice, then bring to a simmer, cover the pot and cook over low heat for 25 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it sit for another 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro to serve.