Recipes from Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset, Coastal Living, All You, Real Simple, and Health
What is the Test Kitchen Guarantee?

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños with Ranchero Sauce

Cooking Light
Goat Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños with Ranchero Sauce
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Edit Note

My Notes

(Only you will be able to view, print, and edit this Note)

Worthy of a Special Occasion

Prepare the sauce up to two days ahead, and chill. Grill the jalapeños a day in advance, and refrigerate. Stuff and bake them just before serving.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed jalapeño, 1/3 cup sauce, and 1 tortilla)

Ingredients

  • Sauce:
  • 1  teaspoon  canola oil
  • 2  cups  vertically sliced onion
  • 3  garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2  cup  water
  • 1  teaspoon  cumin seeds
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  Mexican oregano
  • 1  (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1  (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

  • Jalapeños:
  • Cooking spray
  • 10  large jalapeño peppers (about 4 inches long)
  • 1/4  cup  (2 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 4  ounces  goat cheese, softened
  • 1  garlic clove, minced
  • 10  corn tortillas, warmed according to package directions

Preparation

1. To prepare sauce, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water and next 5 ingredients (through tomato sauce). Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400°.

3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add jalapeños to pan; cook 9 minutes or until tender and blackened, turning occasionally. Cut a lengthwise slit in each jalapeño; discard stems, seeds, and membranes.

4. Combine cream cheese and next 3 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove). Fill each jalapeño with about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture. Place jalapeños on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 7 minutes or until warm. Serve with tortillas and sauce.

Nutritional Information

Calories:
126 (34% from fat)
Fat:
4.7g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:
5.3g
Carbohydrate:
17.2g
Fiber:
2.7g
Cholesterol:
10mg
Iron:
0.9mg
Sodium:
283mg
Calcium:
75mg
Lorrie Hulston Corvin, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008

Member Ratings and Reviews

5 stars
carolfitz
Excellent. The tomato-onion sauce went really well with the peppers and cheese. We like the look of the blackened skins but would probably peel them next time. Served along with CL's Chipotle Black Bean Dip and CL's Yucatan Shrimp Cocktail Salad. Recommend.03/14/09

5 stars
Terri
I've made these twice now. The ranchero sauce is very very good, definitely a 5 star rating. I served the leftover sauce with pierogies and that was unexpectedly great! The stuffed jalapenos are *very* hot since it's touch to get all of the membrane out, especially on the stem end. Definitely an eye-watering treat. They are also pretty messy. Next time I might slice them in half completely, to help with the heat and with the mess.01/25/09