Mexican Street Corn Stuffed Mini Peppers
Servings: 24 peppers
Calories: 59kcal
Mexican Street Corn Stuffed Mini Peppers are the perfect party snack. This quick and easy recipe is made with grilled corn blended with a creamy sauce and stuffed into mini peppers with caramelized onions.
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Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 small skillet
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 Microplane or box grater
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, thinly sliced (4 ounces/113 grams)
Mexican Street Corn
- 3 ears fresh corn (3 cups/15 ounces/427 grams of kernels)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (4 tablespoons/1.3 ounces/37 grams)
- ½ cup sour cream (3 ounces/984 grams)
- 1 lime
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
- 1 pinch cayenne
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup queso fresco, grated (2 ounces/57 grams)
Mini Peppers
- 12 mini peppers (similar in size)
- ¼ cup queso fresco, grated (1 ounce/28 grams)
Instructions
Caramelized Onions
- Thinly slice an onion. The length of the onions should be the same as the length of the mini peppers.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season with ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Occasionally, stir the onions. If the bottom of the skillet is getting brown from the onions, add 2 tablespoons of water to deglaze it. Scrape any brown bits off the skillet bottom. You may need to repeat this step more than once.
- When the onions are golden brown, in about 6-8 minutes, take the skillet off the heat and set aside to cool.
Grill the Corn
- While the onions are caramelizing, remove the husks and silk from the ears of corn.
- Grill the corn. There are a few methods. I grill the ears of corn with the flame of a gas burner. You can also use a broiler or a grill. Rotate the corn as it grills. Let the corn cool.
Combine the Sauce
- Zest and squeeze a lime into a medium bowl. Add ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and let it dissolve in the lime juice.
- Whisk in the mayonnaise and the sour cream.
- Mince a clove of garlic and cilantro. You will need 2 tablespoons of cilantro. Add to the bowl.
- Season with cayenne to your liking.
- Add ½ cup of grated queso fresco.
Combine Mexican Street Corn
- Cut the corn off the cob. Lay the cob on a cutting board and cut off the kernels on one side. Rotate the cob and continue removing the corn.
- Add the corn to the sauce and stir to combine.
Assemble Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers
- Cut the mini peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and large membranes.
- Add caramelized onion to each of the pepper halves.
- Spoon the Mexican street corn into the pepper halves.
- Add a garnish of grated queso fresco cheese on the top of each pepper.
- Put the halves on a sheet pan and under a broiler. When the cheese melts and is bubbling and brown, remove it from the oven.
- Serve with pico de gallo, chips, and diced avocado from a full spread of appetizers.
Notes
Substitutions
Here are some suggestions for ingredient substitutions for this versatile recipe.- While fresh corn is recommended, you can use frozen. Brown the kernels in a skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Mexican crema is an easy substitution for sour cream.
- Tajin has some of the same flavors as the Mexican street corn recipe. The chili and lime profile tastes great with the corn. You can also use hot paprika or chipotle powder.
- If you prefer a stronger cheese, try cotija. It has a saltier taste, but not the meltability of queso fresco.
- Optional add-ins include
- black beans for added protein
- spicy jalapenos for heat
- pepper jack cheese for creamy cheese
- red onion for a mild sweet onion flavor
Nutrition
Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 527IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 0.2mg
