Search

Chiles en Nogada de Almendras

Chiles en nogada are a classic dish from Puebla, Mexico. Here, the sauce is made with soaked, pureed almonds instead of traditional walnuts, giving it an especially creamy texture. Make this dairy free by substituting plant-based “cream” for the crema. The sauce is also good on enchiladas and grilled chicken. Created by foodthinque on behalf of Almond Board of California.
Almonds

Difficulty

Hard

Ingredients
Serves: 12
For the Almond Nogada Sauce (yield about 3 cups)
  • 1 1/8 cups (175 g) slivered almonds 
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water 
  • 10 oz queso fresco
  • 12 oz Mexican crema
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
For the Picadillo
  • 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
  • 4 lb ground beef
  • 2 cups sofrito
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 4 tsp Ancho chili powder
  • 4 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp cayenne
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
For the Chiles
  • 12 Poblano peppers
  • ¾ cup pomegranate seeds
  • 6 tbsp chopped parsley
Preparation
For the Almond Nogada Sauce
  1. Combine the almonds and warm water in a container. Soak for at least 2 hours (or up to 48 hours refrigerated).  
  2. Drain the soaked almonds. 
  3. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute.
  4. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm for service.
For the Picadillo
  1. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil.
  2. Add the beef and cook, evenly browning it.
  3. Add the sofrito, salt, and spices and stir to evenly coat the beef and cook through.
  4. Add the cranberries and stir to combine.
  5. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate.
For the Chiles
  1. Over an open flame, char the peppers until the skins turn black.
  2. Place them in a closed container or bag and allow to steam for 5 minutes.
  3. Peel the charred skins off and discard.
  4. Slit each pepper lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs.
  5. Stuff each chile with about ½ cup Picadillo and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
  6. Bake the chiles at 350°F until warm through, 5 to 7 minutes.
  7. Plate one chile for each serving and top with ¼ cup warm Nogada Sauce.
  8. Garnish with 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds and ½ tbsp parsley.
Nutritional Info
Per Serving
NAME AMOUNT
Calories 630
Total Fat 43 g
Saturated Fat 15 g
Trans Fat 1.5 g
Cholesterol 125 mg
Sodium 1740 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Total Sugars 15 g
Protein 38 g
Vitamin D 1 mcg
Calcium 248 mg
Iron 5 mg
Potassium 964 mg
Did you know?

In addition to almonds being a delicious ingredient in our recipes they’re also heart healthy, gut healthy, and full of vitamins and nutrients - explore Health & Nutrition to learn more. Not only that, almond farmers are dedicated to sustainability - find out how they’re Growing Good.