Fiery rocoto peppers stuffed with savory beef picadillo, topped with cheese and baked until bubbling.
Rocoto relleno is a signature dish of Arequipa in southern Peru, built on the rocoto pepper, a thick-walled, intensely spicy chile that looks like a bell pepper but carries serious heat. Since rocoto peppers are hard to find outside Peru, this recipe honestly substitutes bell peppers with a chile added to the filling for heat, since a bell pepper doesn't carry any spice on its own the way a real rocoto does. The filling, picante de carne, is a savory beef picadillo cooked with onion, garlic, aji panca paste, olives and hard-boiled egg, a combination that balances the heat of the pepper with salty, briny and rich notes. Traditionally the peppers are parboiled in a sugar-water solution multiple times to tame some of their intense heat before stuffing, a step this recipe keeps in spirit by blanching the peppers to soften them. Topped with cheese and baked until bubbling, rocoto relleno is often served with a wedge of baked potato and a drizzle of evaporated milk, a classic Arequipeña presentation.
Serves 4
Boil peppers in water with sugar for 5 minutes to soften and mellow their bite. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 6-7 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up, 8 minutes until browned. Stir in aji panca paste and minced chile, cooking 2 minutes until fragrant.
Stir in olives, hard-boiled eggs, cumin and salt. Cook 2 more minutes, then remove from heat.
Chop the hard-boiled egg small and fold it in gently at the very end so it doesn't turn mushy.
Fill each blanched pepper generously with the beef mixture, mounding slightly. Top each with shredded cheese.
Place peppers in a baking dish and bake at 190C (375F) for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden and the peppers are tender.
Drizzle with evaporated milk if using, and serve hot, traditionally alongside a baked potato wedge.
If you can find real rocoto peppers at a Latin market, use them for an authentic version — just blanch them twice in sugar water to tame the heat before stuffing.
Use aji panca paste specifically for the filling's characteristic smoky, mild-heat flavor; substituting a different chile paste changes the dish's core taste significantly.
Fold the chopped hard-boiled egg in at the very end, off the heat, so it stays distinct in the filling instead of breaking down.
Make it milder by using only half a minced chile, or spicier by adding a second one, depending on your heat tolerance.
Swap ground beef for ground turkey for a lighter filling.
Serve with pastel de papa (a Peruvian potato casserole) on the side for a full Arequipeña-style meal.
Refrigerate stuffed peppers up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 175C (350F) oven for about 15 minutes until warmed through and the cheese re-melts.
Rocoto relleno is one of the most iconic dishes of Arequipa, a city in southern Peru known for its distinct, spice-forward regional cuisine, and it remains a point of local pride served at family gatherings and traditional picanterías throughout the region.
Yes, this recipe is built around bell peppers with added fresh chile for heat, since bell peppers themselves carry no spice — it won't be a traditional rocoto relleno, but it captures the same filling and flavor.
It's a Peruvian dried red chile paste with a mild, smoky, slightly fruity flavor; if unavailable, a mix of smoked paprika and a small amount of tomato paste is the closest substitute.
Bell peppers with thick walls sometimes need a longer initial blanch, closer to 7-8 minutes, to soften enough before the shorter bake time finishes the job.
Per serving (340g / 12.0 oz) · 4 servings total
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