Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey (Video)

Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey have a deliciously cheesy filling, and I love this tasty recipe that uses my favorite Poblano chiles! And if you’ve never cooked with Poblano chiles, you’re in for a treat!

PIN Stuffed Poblanos to make them later!

For Friday Favorites today I’m reminding you about these absolutely delicious Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey and if you haven’t ever eaten Poblano chiles or made this type of stuffed poblano recipe, you should try this right away!  Every time I’ve used Poblano chiles in a recipe I’ve fallen for them a bit more, but I still think this recipe for Stuffed Poblanos is the biggest WOW of all my recipes that use slightly-spicy Poblano chiles! 

When I set out to make a low-carb stuffed chile pepper with ground turkey I tried experiments with both Jake and Kara, and then made them once more myself before I had a version I was happy with. But the recipe you see here is a winner, and it’s been really popular on the blog. I hope you’ll try it if you like Mexican flavors!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• ground turkey
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• 10 oz. can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link)
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• Ground Cumin (affiliate link)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• fresh lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
• Poblano Chiles 
• grated Mozzarella cheese
• green onion

What are Poblano (or Pasilla) Chiles?

For a while now I’ve been infatuated with slightly-spicy Poblano chiles, which are often called Pasilla chiles in U.S. grocery stores. Poblanos have a milder flavor than many green chiles and are a medium-sized chile.

Can you use other meat for the stuffed Poblanos recipe?

If you’re not a fan of ground turkey you can also use ground beef to stuff into the Poblano peppers for this recipe.

What makes the stuffed Poblanos so flavorful?

This recipe simmers the ground turkey with green chile enchilada sauce and spices to get the turkey infused with flavor; then a touch of lime juice, chopped poblano, sliced green onion, and grated mozzarella is stirred into the turkey mixture and it’s stuffed inside poblano halves that have been softened in the microwave. After the turkey filling is piled into the poblano shell, each one is topped with a little more mozzarella and they’re baked until the filling is bubbling hot and the cheese is melted and browned. These are so, so delicious!

What else can you make with Poblano Chiles?

I’ve Poblano chiles in recipes like Turkey Enchilada Casserole, Southwestern Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers, and Instant Pot Mexican Pork Stew and I’ve loved them in every dish where I’ve used them!

How to Make Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Heat the oven to 375F/190C and spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the ground turkey; then add the Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link), Minced Garlic (affiliate link), cumin, salt, and pepper, and simmer until all the liquid is evaporated and the turkey has absorbed those flavors.
3. While the turkey simmers, cut two of the large Poblanos in half lengthwise, cut out the seeds and cut away them stem I used kitchen shears (affiliate link) for that. Then microwave them about 2-3 minutes, or just until they’re softened enough to be able to fully open for stuffing.
4. Chop up enough of the other Poblano to make 1/2 cup chopped poblano and slice 1/2 cup of green onion. (You can cut the onions and peppers a bit smaller if you don’t like the idea of biting into a piece of barely cooked chile pepper or green onion.)
5. When the sauce has been reduced so the turkey mixture is fairly dry, turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice, chopped Poblano chile, sliced green pepper, and one cup of grated Mozzarella.
6. Pick up each softened Poblano half and hold it over the pan with the meat as you pack in the filling.
7. Top each one with about a tablespoon of grated Mozzarella.
8. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is very hot and the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
9. Serve hot, with sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa to add at the table if desired!

More Yummy Low-Carb Mexican Food:

• 22 Keto Mexican Food Dinners
• Green Chile Shredded Beef Cabbage Bowl
• Low-Carb Mexican Food Favorites

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Yield: 4 servings

Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

I love the spicy ground turkey filling in these Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey, or use ground beef if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground turkey (see notes)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 10 oz. can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, gluten-free if needed (see notes)
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 2 T fresh or fresh-frozen lime juice (see notes)
• 2 large Poblano Chiles + 1/2 cup chopped poblano pepper (see notes)
• 1 1/4 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a baking dish (that’s large enough to hold four Poblano halves) with non-stick spray.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the ground turkey and cook over medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked through, any water is evaporated, and turkey is nicely browned. As it cooks, break it apart with your turner or mash with an old fashioned potato masher (affiliate link) like I do!
3. When the turkey is browned add the green chile enchilada sauce, minced garlic, dried cumin, salt, and pepper and simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce has reduced and the meat mixture looks dry.
4. While the turkey cooks, cut the two large Poblanos in half lengthwise; then use kitchen shears (affiliate link) or a small knife to cut out the seeds and cut away the stem part.
5. Discard seeds and stems; then put the chile halves on a plate and microwave 2-3 minutes, just until they’re barely softened enough to fully open to be stuffed.
6. Chop enough of the other Poblano chile to make 1/2 cup chopped Poblano (or use it all if you’re a Poblano fan. You can chop the Poblano a bit smaller than I did if you prefer.) Slice 1/2 cup green onion.
7. When the turkey mixture has simmered enough that the bottom of the pan looks dry, turn off the heat. Stir in the lime juice, chopped Poblano and the sliced green onion. Then stir in the cup of grated Mozzarella.
8. Hold the pepper half over the frying pan while you stuff each chile with the meat mixture (some will fall down into the pan!) You may need to pile it on and press down on it to use all the meat.
9. Put filled peppers in the baking dish and top each one with about a tablespoon of additional grated Mozarella.
10. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is very hot and the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
11. Serve hot, with sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa to add at the table if desired.

Notes

Buy three Poblanos; the third one can be a bit smaller.

I used Casa Fiesta Green Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) which comes in a 10 oz. that only contains ten carbs in the whole can. Look for the brand of green enchilada sauce with the least carbs, and if you only find the larger size can and want to use the full can you can do that, you’ll just have to simmer the meat mixture a little longer.

I used my fresh-frozen lime juice. Lime juice is definitely optional, or use less if you're not a big fan of lime.

This recipe was inspired by Poblanos Stuffed with Cheddar and Chicken and perfected with help from Jake and Kara.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 480Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 10gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 604mgCarbohydrates: 6.5gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 39g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
These stuffed Poblanos with lean ground turkey and cheese are a great dish for any phase of the original South Beach Diet and most other low-carb eating plans. Look for green chile enchilada sauce with the lowest possible carbs; I used Casa Fiesta Green Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) which had only 10 carbs in the 10 oz. can.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Oven Dinners to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey were first posted March 13, 2016 and last updated with more information in 2023.

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