Vegan Chiles Rellenos

Having grown up in California, Mexican food is one of my favorites and actually, can work very well in a plant-based diet. These chiles rellenos are a perfect example. 

Canned Whole Green Chiles

Poblano peppers work best in this dish and roasting them bring out a real depth of flavor.

This recipe also calls for cayenne pepper but if you don’t like spicy then you can leave it out or if you like spicier food add a tinge more.

Make sure you use a good quality seasoning and that your seasoning herbs and powders are fresh.

What makes Mexican food so delicious is a combination of things, but one is the use of complex flavors in sauces. This can take time, but produce good results.

Start first by roasting the pablano peppers. Preheat the oven to broil. Place the peppers on a pan and roast until the skin begins to blacken. Be sure to turn them frequently for an even toast.

Once the peppers are nice and blackened, remove from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap for a few minutes. This step helps steam to loosen the skin. You are now able to peel the skin from the pepper, being careful not to break the flesh of the chili.

Here’s a few more plant-based recipes to try:

• Spring Asparagus, Pea, Zucchini Soup with Pesto
• Moroccan Stew with Kale
• Broccoli Waldorf Salad
• Country Hash Browns with Sausage Gravy

Slice and remove seeds. If using store-bought roasted chili’s, just cut and remove seeds.

Convenience of store-bought ingredients can shorten your cooking time. If you like making everything from scratch, by all means, use fresh ingredients. I’ve included recipe shortening ideas, such as using canned chilies and store-bought enchilada sauce.

Now, prepare your filling. In a large bowl, crumble the tofu, adding in the basil, pistachios, nutritional yest, cumin, zucchini and corn. Combine these ingredients. You can now stuff your roasted chilis, placing them in a pan and smothering with the red enchilada sauce.

I found a Whole Foods 365 brand that has good ingredients such as organic tomato puree, red bell peppers, vinegar, and spices.

I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Vegan Chiles Rellenos! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it!

Print Recipe

4.5 from 10 votes

Vegan Chiles Rellenos

This stuffed pepper dish is loaded with South of the Border flavor without all the heaviness that can come from more traditional foods. Make this dish ahead of time and serve it for dinner, for parties or when you need a great “go to” meal.

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time1 hr 5 mins

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

Chilies and Filling

• 6-8 fresh pasilla chiles or sometimes called chiles poblano. (Or, use canned whole green chilies, pictured above.)
• 1 package firm organic tofu drained and pressed for about 10 minutes *
• 1/4 cup basil chopped
• 1/3 cup pistaschios chopped
• 2 Tbl nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 medium-sized zucchini chopped ¼” dice
• 3/4 cup corn either fresh or frozen
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Red Enchilada Sauce (you may use store-bought if you prefer)

• 1 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 Tbl tomato paste
• 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth (or try homemade)
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic sliced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Prepare fresh chiles by preheating the oven to "broil" Put the chiles under the broiler and cook until the skin begins to blacken, making sure to turn frequently. Remove them from the oven and place into a bowl. Cover with a plate for a few minutes to loosen the peel. Peel the outer skin, being careful not to tear the flesh of the chili. Lower the oven to bake at 350°F.
• With a sharp paring knife, make a long slit the length of each chili and then gently remove and discard all of the seeds. Set the chiles aside while you make the filling.
• If using store-bought chiles: cut chiles with a small slit and remove seeds.
• Prepare the filling: Crumble the tofu into a large bowl. Add the chopped basil, pistachios, nutritional yeast, cumin along with the diced zucchini and corn. Mix to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Red Enchilada Sauce

• Use a small amount of vegetable broth or water to saute the onions and garlic in a large pan until the onions are almost tender.
• Place the can of fire roasted tomatoes into a blender along with the cook onions, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Blend until the tomatoes are pureed adding more vegetable broth, as needed.
• Pour into a sauce pan. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 30 minutes to combine flavors.

Assembly

• Assembly: add a little of the homemade or store-bought sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish.
• Stuff each chili with about 1/3 cup of the tofu mixture (or more if needed) and place on top of the sauce.
• Cover the chiles with sauce and bake for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Notes

*Pressing Tofu: drain the tofu and wrap with a few paper towels and then a dish towel or some newspaper. Place on a plate. Put a heavy object on top such as a can of tomatoes or a sauce pan filled with a can and press for about 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Chiles Rellenos

Number of Servings

Amount per Serving

Calories

135

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

4.1

g

6

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.8

g

5

%

Sodium

 

239.3

mg

10

%

Carbohydrates

 

18.1

g

6

%

Fiber

 

6.7

g

28

%

Sugar

 

9.2

g

10

%

Protein

 

11.7

g

23

%

Vitamin A

 

400

IU

8

%

Vitamin C

 

90.8

mg

110

%

Calcium

 

210

mg

21

%

Iron

 

3.4

mg

19

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.