Jalapeño Popper Skillet

In the mood for spicing things up for dinner tonight? Amazing! I have something for you! Jalapeno Popper Skillet – Say what? Yes, we take a popular restaurant appetizer and turn it into dinner! All made in one skillet like we did with this enchilada skillet

A delicious and quick vegan dinner perfect for any night of the week. Especially perfect now, with Cinco de Mayo around the corner!

Now that the days are getting warmer, I love me a  quick, easy, and tasty one-pan dinner that allows me to stay outside longer. And this one is seriously easy.  Traditionally, Japaneño Poppers are a bit fiddly to make, First hollowed out, then stuffed with a mixture of cheese and sometimes ground meat before they are breaded and deep-fried. This skillet dinner is more like a deconstructed cheater’s version. We take those cheesy briney flavors we love and incorporate them into a delicious Mexican-inspired tortilla skillet.

A simple hearty mix of sauteed onion, tomato and bell peppers with added veggie crumbles and some pickled jalapeno is the base of this Tex Mex Skillet dinner. No breadcrumbs needed here! I went with some sliced tortillas that get tossed with the jalapeno popper filling directly in the pan. Cheese and jalapeno popper sauce on top, and DONE! No fussing, no stuffing no breading or frying involved. WIN!

You can serve this Vegan Jalapeño Popper Skillet Dinner with some tortilla chips, over rice or cauliflower rice,  with a salad or just straight out of the pan. The most important thing is drizzling it again all over with a generous amount of vegan Jalapeno Popper Cream for a bit of tang.

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Ingredients:

• sauteed onions, tomatoes, and bell pepper form the base
• I add some veggie crumbles as a stand-in for minced meat but you can use cooked lentils
• 3 standard-sized cut-up wheat tortillas are added to take this Tex Mex dish into an even more Mexican direction. Choose gluten-free tortillas if you want.
• pickled jalapenos add that briny taste and that perfect amount of heat
• chili for some extra spice, if you want.
• I like to sprinkle vegan cheese on top. Not a must but recommended.
• For the Jalapeno Popper cream, we blend cashews with lemon juice, pickled jalapenos, ACV and nutritional yeast. SO GOOD!

Tips:

• Skip the chili powder if you suspect the jalapenos are already spicy enough for you.
• You can add a pinch of smoked paprika if you want a hint of smokiness or a pinch of cayenne pepper for even more heat, if you want extra spicy.
• Top these with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, and some more pickled jalapeno.
• Pico de Gallo would be amazing with this but I would serve it on the side, not spooned on top as it would make the dish watery and the tortillas soggy.
• You can add in some black beans or sweet corn to bulk this up a bit.

How to make Jalapeno Popper Skillet:

Heat a cast iron, or regular skillet over medium high heat, add oil. Add the onion and peppers, cook for two minutes, then add in the veggie crumbles, salt, and chili powder blend, and mix in. Cook until the onion is golden.

Add in the tomatoes, and two tbsp of water and mix in. Cook until the tomatoes are somewhat tender. Mash some of them.

Add in the tortillas and the pickled jalapenos and mix in.

Reduce heat to medium. Top with the jalapeno popper cream sauce, pickled jalapenos, and 1/4 cup of vegan cheese shreds, if using. Then cover the skillet with a lid, and continue to cook until the cheese melts, 4-5 minutes.

Remove from the heat, top with avocado or salsa and cilantro and serve.

To make the jalapeno popper cream sauce!

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth and creamy,
Taste and adjust flavor by adjusting salt, adding more tang with the brine from the pickled jalapeno as needed.