This is a sponsored post by Hunt’s® tomatoes. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands I love that make this blog possible.
The playoffs are well underway and that’s enough reason to invite some baseball fans over to enjoy some homegating food. Stuffed jalapeños are an all-around great appetizer this time of the year because they can be served at any celebration. Once baseball season is over, the holiday party season begins and these are great enough to serve during those potluck parties and get-togethers.
These jalapeños are extra special because they originate from the state of Veracruz, Mexico. They are very versatile because they are customarily stuffed with ground beef during the fall and winter months for the holidays or stuffed with salmon or tuna for the lenten season, also known as chiles Cuaresmeños. Both types of stuffed chiles are very tasty and popular with large crowds.
This year, I decided to debut them early for homegating. I stuffed them with popular fall ingredients and used Hunt’s® tomatoes to finish off the flavorful stuffing. Hunt’s® tomatoes uses hot water to FlashSteam and peel its tomatoes. No chemicals, such as lye are used in the process and no chemical by-products get put back into the earth. THANK YOU! Hunt’s® tomatoes also cans their diced, whole, stewed and crushed tomatoes within hours after harvest. I was so pleased when I found that out that started to stock my pantry for upcoming holiday cooking marathons.
I hope you enjoy these easy but flavorful stuffed jalapeños. Remember you can always replace the protein in this appetizer with tuna, sardines, salmon, chicken or turkey. For a meatless version, try cooked, rice, farro or quinoa. You will absolutely love the various flavors and textures that make this dish so unique.
Ingredients
- 16 jalapeño peppers, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 pound LEAN ground beef 93/7
- 1/2 cup green olives with pimento, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup peeled and slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 cup capers, drained
- 1 cup Hunt’s ORIGINAL Diced Tomatoes, drained
- 1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Using a pairing knife, carefully slice a "T" on each jalapeño. Starting from the stem side slicing side to side then down vertically. Making an opening wide enough to scrape seeds and veins with a small spoon. Repeat with remaining jalapeños and set aside.
- Place jalapeños in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Heat over medium heat for approximately 7-10 minutes or until jalapeños begin to change in color. Do not over cook. Jalapeños should still be crispy. Remove from hot water and set aside to cool.
- In a large saute pan, cook oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add ground beef, breaking it appart with large spoon. When beef begins to brown, add olives, almonds, raisins, pine nuts, capers, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Spoon in 2-3 tablespoons beef mixture in each jalapeño and place on a serving plate. Serve at room temperature and enjoy.
Lye peeling is generally recognized as safe by the FDA and has no adverse effects on the healthfulness of tomatoes.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hunt’s® tomatoes.
