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–+ servings

Chiles en Nogada Cups

Roasted poblano “cups” stuffed with spiced keto picadillo, crowned in a silky walnut-cream nogada — all the fiesta flavors of the classic patriotic dish, without the carb-heavy batter or fruit filling.
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 33 minutes
Total Time: 58 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 345kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 medium poblano peppers sub: Anaheim or cubanelle
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil sub: olive or melted bacon fat
  • 1/2 lb ground pork sub: ground beef, turkey, or chorizo
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion sub: white or yellow onion
  • 1 small zucchini diced; sub: diced mushrooms
  • 1 Roma tomato finely chopped; sub: 3 Tbsp canned tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste sub: omit if using tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp each ground cinnamon & smoked paprika sub: chili powder + pinch clove
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves sub: extra cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds toasted; sub: pecans or pumpkin seeds
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Nogada: 1/2 cup raw walnuts soaked 30 min & drained (sub: macadamias or blanched almonds) 2 oz cream cheese softened (sub: mascarpone), 1/3 cup heavy cream (sub: coconut cream), 1 Tbsp powdered sweetener, pinch salt, pinch cinnamon
  • Garnish: pomegranate seeds chopped parsley or cilantro

Instructions

  • Roast the poblanos: Preheat oven to 425°F. Rub poblanos with avocado oil, arrange on a parchment-lined sheet, and roast 15–18 min, turning once, until skins blister. Set aside to cool; keep oven on at 375°F.
  • Make the keto picadillo: While peppers roast, heat a skillet over medium-high. Sauté ground pork 5 min until browned. Add onion, zucchini, tomato, tomato paste, cinnamon, paprika, cloves, salt, and pepper. Cook 4–5 min more until veggies soften. Fold in toasted almonds; remove from heat.
  • Stuff & bake: Carefully peel loose skin from poblanos. Slice a “lid” off the stem side and scoop out seeds. Mound picadillo firmly into each cup, place back on the sheet, and bake 10 min to heat through.
  • Blend the nogada: In a mini-processor, blitz soaked walnuts, cream cheese, heavy cream, sweetener, salt, and cinnamon until ultra-smooth and pourable.
  • Finish & serve: Spoon nogada generously over each hot poblano cup. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and parsley for color.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 345kcal | Protein: 20g | Fat: 28g | Fiber: 2g
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