Puerto Rican FoodCubanelle Peppers Stuffed with Turkey Mamposteao Rice and Mild Guava-Recao Sauce
An original Puerto Rican recipe featuring cubanelle peppers stuffed with turkey mamposteao rice, pink beans, sofrito, and melted cheese, finished with a mild guava and recao sauce. It is a homestyle, colorful, deeply Puerto Rican dish.
Ingredients
- 4 4 units (approx. 600 g) large cubanelle peppers (cut a lo largo and without semillas)
- 450 450 g ground turkey (preferiblemente muslo or mezcla with algo of grasa)
- 400 400 g cooked white rice (cold or of the día anterior)
- 260 260 g cooked pink beans (escurridas)
- 120 120 ml Puerto Rican sofrito (divided)
- 120 120 g chopped yellow onion (divided)
- 12 12 g minced garlic (divided)
- 15 15 g chopped culantro (divided)
- 30 30 g tomato paste
- 2 2 g dried oregano
- 1 1 g ground cumin
- 2 2 g sweet paprika
- 40 40 g chopped green olives
- 180 180 ml chicken broth or water (divided)
- 85 85 g guava paste (diced small)
- 15 15 ml apple cider vinegar
- 100 100 g semi-firm white cheese, shredded (tipo queso of papa or mozzarella suave)
- 30 30 ml olive oil (divided)
- 14 14 g butter
- 6 6 g salt (or to taste, divided)
- 2 2 g black pepper (or to taste, divided)
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
Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F. Lightly grease a baking dish with a little of the olive oil.
- 2
Slice the cubanelle peppers lengthwise, remove the seeds and membranes, and place them in the baking dish cut side up. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and bake for 12 minutes at 190 °C / 375 °F to soften slightly.
- 3
Meanwhile, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the onion and half of the garlic; cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
- 4
Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, oregano, cumin, and sweet paprika. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink.
- 5
Stir in 1/3 cup of the sofrito, the tomato paste, the olives, and 1/4 cup of the chicken broth or water. Cook 3 more minutes, stirring well, until you have a moist but not soupy mixture.
- 6
Add the cooked white rice, pink beans, and half of the culantro. Mix gently to create a mamposteao-style filling. If it needs more moisture, add the remaining broth little by little. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper if needed.
- 7
Fill the pre-baked cubanelle peppers with the turkey and rice mixture. Press gently to compact, then divide the shredded cheese over the top.
- 8
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 190 °C / 375 °F. Then uncover and bake 8 to 10 minutes more at 205 °C / 400 °F, until the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
- 9
While they bake, make the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the remaining onion and remaining garlic with 2 tablespoons of sofrito for 2 minutes.
- 10
Add the guava paste, apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 cup chicken broth or water. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the guava dissolves and the sauce becomes smooth.
- 11
Turn off the heat and stir the remaining culantro into the sauce. For a smoother texture, mash or briefly blend the sauce. Adjust with salt and pepper.
- 12
Serve the stuffed peppers hot with the mild guava-culantro sauce spooned over or on the side.
Chef tips
For deeper flavor, use day-old cooked rice. If your peppers are very thin, reduce the first baking time to 8 minutes so they do not split.
Substitutions
You can swap the turkey for ground chicken. The semi-firm white cheese can be replaced with mozzarella. If pink beans are unavailable, use cooked pinto beans. Culantro can be combined with a little 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 imageNinja Professional BL610 Blender
Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Easy-to-wash jar
- Check the power and jar size
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
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