Rocoto Relleno
Rocoto relleno is a classic Peruvian dish featuring spicy rocoto peppers stuffed with a savory mixture of ground beef, vegetables, and cheese. The peppers are blanched to reduce their heat, then baked until tender and golden. It's a comforting and flavorful meal with a delightful kick.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 1 hr 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Per serving
- 441 kcal
Allergen information: may contain eggs, milk, and sulphites. Always check ingredient packaging if you have an allergy.
Mise en place
Ingredients
Converted for display; the recipe amounts stay equivalent.
Ingredients
- 4 pcsrocoto pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds and veins removed
filling
- 300 gground beef, lean
- 0.5 pcsyellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 clovegarlic, minced
- 1 pcstomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1 pcshard-boiled egg, chopped
- 15 graisin(optional)
- 30 gblack olive, pitted and sliced
- 0.5 tspcumin, ground
- 0.25 tsporegano, dried
- 1 tspsalt
- 0.25 tspblack pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tbspvegetable oil
topping
- 100 gmozzarella cheese, grated
- 30 gparmesan cheese, grated(optional)
- 1 pcsegg
- 60 mlmilk
Equipment
spoon · large pot · skillet · cutting board · knife · whisk · small bowl · baking dish
The method
Step by step
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
About 5 min
- 2
Carefully place the rocoto peppers into the boiling water and blanch for 3 minutes.
About 3 min
Cook’s note: Use gloves when handling rocoto peppers to avoid skin irritation.
- 3
Remove the peppers and drain, then repeat the blanching process two more times with fresh water to reduce the spice level.
About 10 min
Cook’s note: Blanching multiple times is key to making the rocotos palatable.
- 4
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
About 10 min
- 5
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
About 1 min
- 6
Add the yellow onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
About 5 min
- 7
Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
About 1 min
- 8
Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned.
About 8 min
Cook’s note: Drain any excess fat if necessary.
- 9
Stir in the tomato, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
About 1 min
- 10
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
About 7 min
- 11
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the hard-boiled egg, raisins (if using), and black olives.
About 2 min
- 12
Carefully fill each blanched rocoto pepper half with the beef mixture.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: Don't overfill; leave a little space for the cheese.
- 13
Arrange the stuffed peppers in a baking dish.
About 1 min
- 14
Top each pepper with a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.
About 2 min
- 15
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.
About 1 min
- 16
Pour the egg and milk mixture over the peppers in the baking dish.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: This creates a creamy sauce that bakes around the peppers.
- 17
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (if using).
About 1 min
- 18
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown and the peppers are tender.
About 30 min
- 19
Serve hot.
Per serving
Nutrition
- Calories
- 440.9kcal
- Protein
- 26g
- Carbs
- 16.7g
- Fat
- 30.5g
- Fibre
- 3.5g
- Sugar
- 10g
Estimated from the recipe’s ingredient quantities. Values can vary with brands and substitutions.
Keep it good
Store leftover rocoto relleno in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheat in the oven at 160°C (325°F) until warmed through, or in the microwave.
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