Jalapeño Popper Skillet

Vegan Jalapeño Popper Skillet is a delicious and quick vegan dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes making it perfect for any night of the week. Dairy-free and can be made gluten-free.

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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Print Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Jalapeno Popper Skillet Dinner

Vegan Jalapeño Popper Skillet is a delicious and quick vegan dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes making it perfect for any night of the week. Dairy-free and can be made gluten-free. 

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Tex Mex

Keyword: jalapeno popper skillet, vegan jalapeno popper

Servings: 2

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 cup (80 g) thinly sliced onion
• 1/2 cup (74.5 g) thinly sliced bell pepper red, green or both
• 1 cup (82.09 g) veggie crumbles or cooked lentils
• 1/2 cup (74.5 g) chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili powder blend
• 2-3 tortillas sliced into triangles or use tortilla chips
• 2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeno

For the Jalapeno popper cream-

• 1/4 cup cashews soaked for 15 minutes in hot water, see notes for Nutfree
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 4 or 5 slices pickled jalapeno
• 3-4 tbsp water

For toppings

• Sliced Avocado
• Cilantro
• Pickled Jalapeno

Instructions

• Heat a cast iron, or regular skillet over medium high heat, add oil.
• Add the onion and peppers, cook for 2 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. The cover the skillet with a lid, and continue to cook until the cheese melts, 4-5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, top with avocado and cilantro and serve.

To make the jalapeno popper cream sauce-

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

Notes

• Nutfree: use 1/3 cup Silken or firm tofu or 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds for jalapeño cream sauce 
• Glutenfree: use Glutenfree tortillas or corn tortilla chips
• 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. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Jalapeno Popper Skillet Dinner

Amount Per Serving

Calories 327 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Sodium 654mg28%

Potassium 571mg16%

Carbohydrates 34g11%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 1944IU39%

Vitamin C 57mg69%

Calcium 60mg6%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.