Puerto Rican FoodCubanelle Peppers Stuffed with Sweet Plantains, Sausage Rice, and Queso del País
An original Puerto Rican-inspired dish: roasted cubanelle peppers stuffed with a savory mixture of rice, longaniza sausage, sweet ripe plantains, sofrito, olives, and queso del país, then baked until juicy and golden.
Ingredients
- 4 unit large cubanelle peppers (partidos a lo largo and without semillas)
- 30 ml olive oil (divided)
- 250 g Puerto Rican longaniza sausage (without tripa and desmenuzada)
- 220 g ripe plantain (en cubitos small)
- 300 g cooked white rice (at room temperature)
- 80 g sofrito (casero or preparado)
- 100 g white onion (chopped en cubitos)
- 12 g garlic (chopped fino)
- 120 ml tomato sauce (simple)
- 40 g green olives (chopped)
- 15 g capers (escurridas)
- 1 g dried oregano
- 1 g ground cumin
- 1 g black pepper
- 4 g salt (ajustar to taste)
- 140 g queso del país or Puerto Rican semi-hard cheese (grated)
- 60 ml chicken broth or water (for humedecer the relleno)
- 8 g culantro leaves (chopped for terminar)
Nutrition facts
per serving
Approximate nutritional information. Estimated from the recipe’s ingredients and amounts, using standard reference nutrition values. It may vary with brands, sizes and cooking method. For guidance only; not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.
Allergens
Instructions
- 1
1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F. Rub the cubanelle peppers with 1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml), place them cut side up in a baking dish, and set aside.
- 2
2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the crumbled longaniza sausage and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until it releases its fat and browns.
- 3
3. Add the white onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sofrito, and cook 2 minutes more, stirring so it does not burn.
- 4
4. Add the diced ripe plantain and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly softened. Mix in the tomato sauce, green olives, capers, dried oregano, ground cumin, black pepper, and salt.
- 5
5. Stir in the cooked white rice and the chicken broth or water. Cook for 2 minutes, mixing well, until the filling is moist but not runny. Turn off the heat and add 100 g (3 1/2 oz) of the queso del país, reserving the rest for topping.
- 6
6. Fill the cubanelle peppers with the rice, sausage, and sweet plantain mixture, pressing gently so they hold their shape. Sprinkle the remaining 40 g (1 1/2 oz) cheese on top.
- 7
7. Loosely cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 190 °C / 375 °F. Then remove the foil and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is golden.
- 8
8. Remove the dish from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, and finish with the chopped fresh culantro before serving.
Chef tips
For more color and a deeper roasted flavor, you can pre-roast the empty peppers for 8 minutes before stuffing them. Day-old rice works especially well because it holds its texture better.
Substitutions
You can substitute the longaniza with fresh Caribbean-style sausage. If queso del país is unavailable, use any semi-hard melting cheese. Culantro can be replaced with cilantro, though the flavor will be less traditional.
What I used to make it
Generic kitchen tools that work for this recipe. You don’t need to buy anything to make it.
Illustrative imageCosori Pro LE 5 Qt Air Fryer
Browning and baking with little oil
- Browns food with very little oil
- Handy for vegetables, chicken and reheating
- Check the basket capacity
Illustrative imageTempPro TP19H Digital Thermometer
Checking doneness of meat and chicken
- Checks doneness of meat and chicken
- Quick reading
- Clean the probe after each use
Illustrative imageT-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized 12" Non-Stick Pan
Eggs, omelets and stir-fries
- Eggs and omelets that don’t stick
- Comfortable, sturdy handle
- Use wooden or silicone utensils
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