Kale and Butternut Squash Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Ingredients

For the stuffing:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, halved, and seeded
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 8 medium Poblano peppers, washed, patted dry
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, sliced in thin half-moons
• 5 cups Cut ‘N Clean Greens Organic Rainbow Kale
• 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 8 pieces (sized to fit inside the peppers)
• Optional: Pomegranate arils for garnish

For the Butternut Squash Purée:

• Half the reserved roasted butternut squash
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp ground red chile powder
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Dice the butternut squash into ½-inch cubes. Toss the squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Divide between two baking sheets and bake until cooked through and golden, about 30 minutes. Stir about halfway through cooking. Reserve half the roasted squash for the peppers and the other half for the purée.

Meanwhile, using your fingers, rub the Poblano peppers with 1 tablespoon oil and place them over a stovetop burner on high (must be a gas burner). If you don’t have a gas stove, a grill works just fine. Cook pepper evenly for a complete blackened char. Have tongs handy to rotate peppers as needed. Once they are charred, placed them in resealable bag and allow to steam for about 10 minutes.

With the squash baking in the oven and the peppers steaming, start sautéing the onions. In a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions and sauté until they soften slightly, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the Rainbow Kale to the pan and cover. Allow the kale to soften, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half the roasted squash and remove skillet from heat. Season the kale and squash with salt and pepper to taste.

Once your peppers have steamed and cooled slightly, run them under cold water to carefully remove the charred skin. Cut a small vertical slit in each pepper, remove the seeds and pat dry.

Divide the kale and onion mixture between the 8 peppers and gently stuff each pepper, leaving some room for the cheese. Top off each stuffed pepper with a 1/2-ounce piece of Monterey Jack cheese. Arrange peppers in a large baking dish. Lightly brush the peppers with oil and place in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese, about 5 minutes.

Quickly purée the remaining half of the roasted squash with the chicken broth, heavy cream, brown sugar, chile powder, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and salt and pepper. The puree should be smooth, yet remain a little thick. Reheat over a medium flame if necessary. Add additional chicken broth or water until you get the right consistency.

To serve: Divide the roasted butternut squash puree between 4 plates. Place 2 stuffed peppers on top of the puree. Sprinkle with pomegranate arils as a garnish.