Grilled Mexican Street Corn Peppers

These grilled mexican street corn stuffed peppers are a fast, easy, no-oven-required weeknight meal. They are packed with veggies (and flavor!) and make for a filling lunch, or easy side dish. Stretch this dish even further by adding a few cups of cooked black beans to the filling.

Ingredients

4 ears sweet corn shucked and silks removed

3-4 bell peppers halved, seeds removed and grills trimmed

2 tbsp avocado or olive oil

1 c. cherry tomatoes diced

½ red onion diced to ½” inch

½ c. queso fresco or cotija cheese crumbled

½ c. cilantro coarsely chopped

1 jalapeno seeded and minced

1 lime zested and juiced

Kosher salt to taste

Cracked black pepper to taste

⅓ c. greek yogurt or sour cream

¼ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp cumin

Instructions

Preheat a grill to high heat. Brush the corn kernels and the interior and exterior of the bell peppers with the avocado or olive oil (I use a silicone basting brush). Place the corn on the grill and cook, rotating a quarter turn every 3-4 minutes, until the kernels are soft and lightly charred, 15-20 minutes. Place the bell peppers on the grill, exterior side down, and grill, turning once, until the exterior is charred and the flesh is soft, but still firm enough to hold its shape, 8-10 minutes.Remove the corn and bell peppers from heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.While the corn and peppers are cooling, prepare the remaining salad ingredients - dice the onion, cilantro and jalapeno, crumble the cheese, and zest and juice the lime.Prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, lime juice, cumin, and a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper.Once the corn is cool enough to handle, slice the kernels from the cobs. In a large bowl, mix the corn kernels, tomatoes, red onion, cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, lime zest, and salt and pepper.Stuff each pepper with the corn salad, and dress to taste. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Make it Vegan: Omit cojita cheese; substitute vegan mayo for yogurt.

Add black beans for a more substantial filling or extra protein.