This Rajas recipe is a staple in Mexican home cooking. It’s made with charred poblano peppers, golden onions, garlic, and a touch of oregano.
Whether you’ve had it folded into cheesy quesadillas, stuffed into a tamal, or spooned over a taco, this dish delivers comforting, smoky flavor in every bite. If you’ve ever wondered how to make authentic rajas at home, this is the rajas recipe to bookmark.
Why You’ll Love This
You’ll love this rajas recipe because it’s intensely flavorful yet straightforward. It’s naturally vegetarian (and easily vegan), gluten-free, and perfect for adding a rich, savory touch to almost any dish. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to use up summer’s bounty of poblano peppers.
It’s a one-size-fits-all recipe as it works just as well as an appetizer or side dish served with tostadas, as a vegetarian taco filling, or tossed with cheese for quesadillas.
Recipe Ingredients
This rajas recipe calls for just a handful of ingredients, but each one plays a key role:
- Poblano peppers: The dish’s star, these chiles bring smoky heat and meaty texture.
- Neutral oil: Used for sautéing, it lets garlic and onion flavors shine.
- Garlic: Thinly sliced for mild, sweet depth.
- White onions: Slowly caramelized until golden for a touch of sweetness.
- Dried Mexican oregano: Adds a citrusy, earthy note.
- Broth or water: Just a splash to deglaze and unify the flavors.
- Salt: Essential to bring it all together.
How To Make This Recipe
This rajas recipe begins by charring the poblano peppers until blackened and blistered, then steaming and peeling them. From there, you slice the peppers into strips and set them aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat the oil and gently cook the garlic. Then add the onions and cook low and slow until golden and soft. Add the oregano and the poblano strips, season with salt, and cook just until everything is tender and fragrant. Finish with a splash of broth or water to deglaze the pan and make everything luscious.
What To Serve With This
This rajas recipe is incredibly versatile. Serve it as a side dish with grilled meats, stuff it into warm tortillas for a vegetarian taco, or use it as a filling for enchiladas, tamales, tostadas, or quesadillas. It’s also perfect paired with eggs for a smoky breakfast scramble.
Variations On This Recipe
You can customize this rajas recipe in a few delicious ways. Add crema or cheese for rajas con crema, which is a richer, creamier version. Mix in corn kernels for a touch of sweetness and crunch.
For a heartier dish, add sautéed mushrooms or shredded chicken. The base rajas recipe is a solid starting point for any variation.
Rajas De Chile Poblano | Charred Rajas Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 medium poblano peppers (sometimes labeled pasilla)
- 2 tablespoons canola, grapeseed, or peanut oil
- 8 medium garlic cloves ends trimmed and discarded and rest sliced paper thin
- Kosher salt
- 2 medium white onion peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- Splash low-sodium vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water
Instructions
- Char The Poblano Peppers: Start by charring the peppers. You can do so by roasting the chili peppers directly over the flame of a gas stove set to medium, grilling them on a medium heat grill, placing them on a rimmed bakaing sheet under a hot broiler, or on a traditional comal. Regardless of the method, roast them until skin is completely charred and blackened all over.
- Once the chilis are charred, place them in a bowl and cover them with a large plate to cover the bowl. Set the chilis aside and let stand until they've steamed a bit and are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Use a folded-over paper towel or the back of a butter knife to rub off charred skin (it's okay if you don't get every last bit). Remove the tip and stem of the poblano chilis, then open them up and cut out the light green ribs and remove all the seeds. Slice the poblanos into strips roughly 1/4-inch thick and 3 inches long (it's okay if they're not all that exact length).
- Sauté The Onions: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook, occasionally stirring, until starting to soften about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook, occasionally stirring, until onions are golden brown, about 12 minutes.
- Make The Rajas: Add the Mexican oregano and the sliced poblanos, add a pinch of salt and cook until the peppers are just soft and the whole mixture is fragrant, about 3 minutes. To finish, add a splash of liquid (broth or water) and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan then stir to combine it all. Remove from heat, taste, and add more salt as needed.
- Serve as a side dish with tostadas, as a taco filling, or combined with cheese in a quesadilla.
