Vegetarian Bell Pepper Fiesta Skillet
Try this Vegetarian Bell Pepper Fiesta Skillet recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Vegetarian Bell Pepper Fiesta Skillet recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1 small yellow onion sliced
- 1 large ear of corn shucked
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
- for the fajita seasoning:
- for the skillet:
- 2 large bell peppers stem removed, blade a (i used yellow and red)
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup mexican blend cheese
- 1 avocado, peeled pitted and sliced thinly
- Carbohydrate 9.11356493055297 g
- Cholesterol 19.775 mg
- Fat 8.82595881944408 g
- Fiber 2.80241604744529 g
- Protein 6.25047791666516 g
- Saturated Fat 4.37942234027777 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (158g)
- Sodium 178.146402777745 mg
- Sugar 6.31114888310768 g
- Trans Fat 0.466560652777644 g
- Calories 134 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Place the corn halves into a medium pot and cover with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and let cook for 2-3 minutes or until corn is cooked through (easily pierced with a fork.) Drain into a colander and set aside to cool.
- Once water boils, place a medium cast-iron skillet (or regular skillet will do) over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the onions and bell peppers and cook for 5 minutes or until peppers and onions begin to soften. Then, add in the tomatoes, garlic, black beans and 1 tablespoon of the fajita seasoning. Toss and let cook for 2-3 minutes and then add in the cilantro and corn, shaving the corn off the cob into the skillet with a knife.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle over with cheese. Place in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
- Serve immediately, garnished with avocado slices.
Swapping canned black beans for freshly cooked dry beans alters the moisture balance significantly, requiring a thorough pat-down with paper towels to prevent excess liquid from steaming the vegetables instead of browning them. Achieving the right texture in a vegetable skillet relies entirely on managing moisture and heat retention. When raw bell peppers and sliced yellow onions hit the heated extra virgin olive oil in a cast-iron pan, water inside the cellular walls begins to convert into steam. If the heat is maintained at medium without overcrowding, the exterior of the peppers achieves partial caramelization while retaining a crisp snap after five minutes of cooking. Adding seeded roma tomatoes and minced garlic too early introduces excess water that arrests this browning process, which is why timing the additions matters immensely in a high-heat environment.
Black beans present another textural hurdle. Because canned beans carry surface starches and canning liquid, draining and rinsing them is only half the job. Patting them dry before they enter the pan stops them from becoming mushy when tossed with the softened onions, peppers, and warm spices like cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Shaving the boiled corn off the cob directly into the skillet introduces bursts of starch that contrast against the soft beans and melted Mexican blend cheese.
Transferring the heavy cast-iron skillet into a preheated 450 degree oven for five minutes allows radiant heat to melt the cheese uniformly without scorching the bottom. Using a well-seasoned 10-inch skillet ensures the cheese releases cleanly from the edges rather than sticking to bare metal.
