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Peruvian

Rocoto relleno

Non-vegetarian

Fiery rocoto peppers from Arequipa, blanched to tame their heat, stuffed with spiced beef, peanuts, raisins, olives and egg, topped with cheese and baked in a milk-and-egg custard.

Rocoto relleno is a Peruvian main course, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with rocoto pepper, ground beef and queso fresco. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Baked stuffed rocoto pepper on a bed of cheesy potato gratin
Photo: Idan Robbins / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
40 min
Cook
1 h
Total
1 h 40 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
456

Ingredients

6 servings

For blanching

For the filling

For the custard

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cut a lid off each rocoto (opens in a new tab) and scrape out all seeds and white veins (wear gloves). Put in a pan of cold water with 1 tbsp sugar (opens in a new tab) and 1 tbsp vinegar, bring to the boil and drain. Repeat twice more with fresh water, sugar and vinegar.

    Food safety: Rocoto is very hot: wear gloves and keep your hands away from your eyes.

  2. Step 2

    Fry the onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in the oil until golden, add the ají paste and cumin (opens in a new tab), then the beef and salt. Cook until browned and dry, then stir in the peanuts, raisins (opens in a new tab) and olives (opens in a new tab).

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Fill each rocoto (opens in a new tab) with the beef, tucking in a piece of hard-boiled egg (opens in a new tab), and top with a slice of cheese. Stand them in a baking dish (opens in a new tab) with their lids alongside.

  4. Step 4

    Whisk the milk (opens in a new tab) and eggs (opens in a new tab) with a pinch of salt and pour around the peppers. Bake at 180 °C for 30 minutes until the custard has set and the cheese is golden.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Arequipa, Peru · Well documentedMore food from Peru
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Blanched, Oven-baked, Sautéed
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), savoury, sweet & savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Rocoto pepper · Ground beef · Queso fresco · Sugar · White vinegar · Onion
Techniques
Baking · Sautéing · Boiling · Blanching

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom queso fresco, milk
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

456 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 344 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 23%
  • Carbohydrate 21%
  • Fat 56%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy456 kcal133 kcal
Protein26.9 g7.8 g
Carbohydrate24 g7 g
Net carbohydrate20.6 g6 g
Sugars14.8 g4.3 g
Added sugars0.7 g0.2 g
Fibre3.4 g1 g
Fat29.2 g8.5 g
Saturated fat9.7 g2.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol190 mg55 mg
Sodium824 mg240 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
863 mg
Calcium
252 mg
Iron
4.1 mg
Magnesium
73 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
188 µg
Vitamin C
180 mg
Vitamin D
1.9 µg
Vitamin B12
2.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
65 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Rocoto pepper: Raw red hot chilli peppers (FDC 170106) used as a stand-in for rocoto (Capsicum pubescens), which has no USDA entry.
  • Ají amarillo paste: Raw hot chilli peppers (FDC 170106) used as a stand-in for puréed Peruvian yellow chilli; jarred pastes may add a little oil and salt.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Taste a sliver of blanched rocoto: if it is still too hot, blanch once more.

Serve with

  • Served in Arequipa with pastel de papa (potato and cheese gratin).

Food safety

  • Cook the beef until no pink remains and bake until the egg custard is fully set.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered at 170 °C for 15–20 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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