Green, white and red–have you ever noticed how the colors of Mexico’s national flag appear frequently in our southern neighbor’s cuisine? Roasted poblano chiles with a meatless filling, a white crema stripe and red dice garnish, these green chiles rellenos with chickpeas follow the flag theme in the most tasty way!
Dark roasted poblano chiles filled with tender chickpeas, carrots, onions, and melty cheese make a healthy vegetarian meal. Not what you might expect for chiles rellenos. Better!
Restaurant cheese rellenos are most often dipped in egg batter, and then fried in a decent amount of oil. I love those rellenos all oozy with melting cheese, but fried food is not really good for us, not to mention the calories that come along with the fried rellenos.
Relleno (ray-yay-no) means filled with something. Bottom line–whatever you put inside, if it’s called chile relleno, it’s a filled chile.
If a menu offers chiles rellenos, it’s a given that the chiles are filled with something. Most often just melty cheese.
Vegetarian chiles rellenos can be filled with sautéed vegetables, potatoes or beans. Note that you don’t have to use chickpeas in these vegetarian rellenos–I often use white beans like navy or great Northern variety. Pintos and black beans are other options.
How to peel poblano chiles:
- The step of charring gives them a delicious smoky quality and makes the skin is easy to peel.
- The fastest easiest way to char and blister poblano chiles is on a grill. You can use the flame on a gas stovetop or your oven broiler but if a grill is handy, blister the skin of your chiles there. Blister them well, you could say burned–on all sides.
- When they’re well blistered, place them in a covered pan to steam. After 5 to 10 minutes, slip off the skins.
More about poblano chiles:
- Dark green poblano chiles, with their long, triangular shape, are the best choice for this recipe. Anaheim chiles are good substitutes, though they won’t hold as much filling.
- The larger poblanos have an thicker skin and should be blistered and the skin removed before being filled.
- The insides of green chiles, the veins and seeds, hold most of the picante heat, to keep the temperature mild, remove the seeds. Generally, the smoky, earthy essence of a poblano chile sparks, but doesn’t burn like the smaller green chiles.
Chiles rellenos with chickpeas, all red white and green. Mexican food like this makes me a happy bandita.
More chile rellenos recipes you will LOVE:
- These Lentil Chiles Rellenos are my vegetarian twist on the Mexican classic Chiles en Nogada.
- With a story that will make you want to go to Mexico, these poblano chiles are stuffed with mashed potatoes.
- Tortillas spread with refried beans and rolled around cheese-filled chiles these chile relleno enchuritos are easy to make and a winning vegetarian dish to feed to guests.
These Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas show off Mexico’s colors with green and red sauces.
Chiles Rellenos with Chickpeas kitchen notes:
- Mexican crema is sold at Latino markets and many supermarkets. Crema resembles a thin sour cream, which is a decent substitute.
- Serrano chile’s fresh distinctive taste adds an flavor layer to the filling. Serranos are about the size of a pinky finger and carry much more heat than poblano chiles.
- Adapted from Barbara Pool Fenzel’s pinto bean chiles rellenos, from her beautiful cookbook, Seasonal Southwest Cooking. (Affiliate link.)
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Vegetarian Chiles Rellenos with Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 4 fresh poblano or Anaheim chiles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion , cut in ½-inch dice (about 1 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 serrano chile , seeds and veins mostly removed, minced
- 1 carrot , cut in ¼-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas) (1 (15-ounce can) drained and rinsed) (see note)
- ½ cup vegetable broth or beer
- 1 cup grated sharp cheese
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ red bell pepper , cut in ¼-inch dice
- Crema , sour cream or whole milk plain yogurt
Instructions
- Char the chiles until the skins are well blistered on all sides. To loosen the skin so it peels away easily, place freshly blistered chiles in a covered bowl or a plastic bag. Set aside and let the chiles “steam” for about 10 minutes. Gently peel away the loosened skin.
- Slice a slit down the center of each chile. Cut away the bulk of the seeds near the stem, aiming to keep the stem as intact, mostly for show. Set the prepared chiles aside on a plate.
- In a medium skillet heat the olive oil. Add the onion, serrano chile, carrots, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent. Stir in the chickpeas, cumin and oregano. Add the broth. Using the back of a fork or a potato masher, mash the beans with the broth to heat through. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and salt. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Fill the chiles with the bean mixture. (You may have some filling left depending on the size of the chiles.)
- Place them in a casserole dish, seam side down.
- Bake about 20 minutes, until the rellenos are heated through.
- If you wish, sauté the diced red pepper in a bit of oil. Otherwise leave the red pepper raw.
- To serve: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the crema into the corner of a small plastic sandwich bag. Cut a tiny hole in the corner. Squeeze the bag with gentle pressure to draw the white stripes over the chiles. Sprinkle with diced red pepper.
- Serve with tortillas or steamed rice.
Notes
- You can use any type of bean. I love these rellenos with white beans.
- Mexican crema is sold at Latino markets and many supermarkets. Crema resembles a thin sour cream, which is a decent substitute.
- Serrano chile’s fresh distinctive taste adds an important flavor layer to the filling. Serranos are the lighter green chiles about the size of your pinky finger.
Nutrition
*** Nutrition information is meant to be an estimate only. The numbers will vary based on the quantity consumed, brands used and substitutions that are made.
