We have an abundance of beautiful peppers of all sorts at the farm stands and farmers markets right now, all types and all sizes, hot and sweet, large and small.
One of our family’s favorite peppers is the poblano. It carries just a little heat (although you never know, sometimes you can get one that happens to be pretty hot!), and they have a delightful pronounced pepper flavor. Shiny and beautifully dark green, they are also pretty to behold!
The late summer bounty
I’ve stuffed many a poblano with many a filling. This time around, I decided to use both summer squash and tomatoes, also in abundance right now, and for my starch a pasta that I am particularly fond of – fregola.
Fregola, also called Sardinian couscous, is a small, hand-made, semolina pasta that is nutty in flavor and more irregular in texture than Israel couscous, although about the same size. It has a lovely slightly chewy texture, and distinct flavor. I find mine at an Italian market, but if your hunter gathering is unsuccessful, use Israel couscous. Toast it in a dry pan until starting to brown and become fragrant. Precook only about half way according to your package directions.
Use whatever tomatoes you have
I had a medium heirloom tomato, so I tossed in some cherry tomatoes as well, it’s all good! If you have a really large beefsteak, that’s all you’ll need. You can also use Roma tomatoes. A nice layer of tomatoes will add moistures the dish and help the peppers to steam and finish cooking. In a pinch, you can use a small can of diced tomatoes.
Poblanos Stuffed with Fregola and Summer Vegetables
- ½ cup fregola
- 6 large poblano peppers
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 medium summer squash, small dice
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
- 2 tsp. dark amber maple syrup
- 1 large beefsteak tomato, or several Romas, chopped
- 2 oz. Cheddar cheese, optional
Cook the fregola in lightly salted, boiling water for about five minutes. Drain and set aside. It will finish cooking in the oven.
Make a slit in the poblanos from top to bottom. Place them in a hot oven, 400 degrees, for about 7 or 8 minutes, just so they start to soften a bit. Cool, then gently open at the slit and using a grapefruit spoon or melon baller, scrape out the seeds.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, sauté the onion, summer squash, garlic, and smoked paprika and add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking just until the onions have softened. Add the fregola and mix everything together and cook for about a minute. Place in a bowl to cool slightly.
Add the sherry vinegar and maple syrup, then taste to correct any seasoning.
Gently stuff the peppers with the filling and place in a buttered casserole dish.
Top with the tomato chunks and give a last sprinkle of salt. Tuck any extra filling around the peppers. If you don’t have a covered casserole dish, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit over the vegetables and then wrap with foil. I don’t like foil touching my food to avoid any transfer of metallic flavor.
Bake for 35 minutes covered, then uncover and top with a little cheese, if using, and bake an additional 5 minutes or so, until melted.
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I love fregola!! this is such a lovely recipe!!
Thank you! It’s one of my favorites too, and added just the right texture here. It was delicious the next day as well!
Looks so good!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
You’re welcome! Thank you for the amazing recipes!
You are welcome!!!
What a beautiful blog! I’m at the opposite end of the country these days but when I lived on the east coast, my husband and I lived for fall trips to Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom.
Thank you so much for your kind words Deb. It is indeed beautiful here in the fall, and the leaves are just starting to tun a bit now. The Northeast Kingdom is especially beautiful!
Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Fregola and Summer Vegetables
I’ve just eaten dinner, Dorothy, and yet I am salivating at the thought of this recipe. It looks delicious, and such a great way to eat peppers. Guess what I’ll be eating tomorrow? Hahah… And, speaking of tomatoes, I planted the first season Roma tomato yesterday with a little cherry tom. More to come as the weather warms!
Thank you Carolyn! They really are good. I love the tomato planting time; I always envision what the plants will look like laden with beautiful fruits, especially the cherry tomatoes. Right now, mine have creeped out of their raised beds and are almost out of control!
“Right now, mine have creeped out of their raised beds and are almost out of control!”
I’m enjoying that vision enormously! 🙂
And now, Dorothy, I am ever so happy to report that this wonderful recipe was simply scrumptious. I made a few little changes to make it ‘vegan’. Plus, I didn’t have any sherry vinegar so I used brandy instead. Wow – the flavours are/were so good; I really can’t do it justice with words. You probably appreciate that sentiment; I’m sure.
Thank you so much Carolyn! I’m thrilled you tried this recipe, and I absolutely loved your substitution with the brandy! I bet it added a lovely flavor to the dish. That’s what it’s all about, especially right now, we swap things out and often we come up with a gem in the process! PS, the tomatoes are still creeping….
Poblanos add an earthy flavor to garden vegetables. Mmmm. 😋🍂
They have such a lovely flavor, one of my favorites.
You always come up with the most interesting combinations. Your stuffed peppers sound terrific.
Thank you Karen! They were delicious indeed! It’s always fun to change things up.
What a delicious meal. Lots of vitamin C also!
Yes, so nutritious!
Definitely my type of grain and vegetables!👍💗
It’s so good!
The history of the pepper is also very amazing.