Pepinos Rellenos de Carne (Caigua Stuffed with Beef)
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 12 pepinos or caiguas
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 2 scallions chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- Salt and pepper to your taste
- 1 cup cooked and diced potatoes
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 4 medium tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup beef broth
- Salt and pepper to your taste
- ¼ cup heavy cream
To Serve
- Parsley to garnish
Instructions
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Make the filling: Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced red bell pepper, chopped onion, scallions and garlic. Stir regularly until the vegetables soften. Add the ground beef and ground pork, breaking up the meat with a spoon. Cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. When the meat is cooked, stir in the cooked, diced potatoes, mix well and remove from heat. Reserve the mixture until ready to stuff the pepinos.
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Prepare the pepinos: Wash the pepinos (fresh or thawed, if using frozen) and simmer them in salted water for 5 to 10 minutes until tender but not falling apart. Make a lengthwise slit down the center of each pepino and remove the inner seeds and any tough veins. Carefully fill each pepino with the meat-and-potato mixture and place them in a plate or pan, seam side up.
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Make the sauce and finish cooking: In a saucepan, heat the oil and butter for the sauce. Sauté the chopped garlic and onion until translucent. Add the peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes and cook until they become very soft and saucy. Pour in the beef broth, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer. Place the filled pepinos in a single layer in the sauce, cover the pan, and cook over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes so flavors meld and pepinos finish cooking. Stir in the heavy cream and cook for another 4–5 minutes to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning.
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Serve: Serve the pepinos immediately, spooning sauce over them. Garnish with parsley. They are traditionally served alongside white rice, avocado and a simple salad.
Pepinos Rellenos is a classic home-style dish from Colombia. The pepino (also called caigua) is a South American vegetable usually prepared stuffed with savory fillings. Variations vary by region and family: some bake stuffed pepinos, others simmer them in sauce, and some batter and deep-fry them. This particular family recipe fills them with a mixture of ground beef, pork, potatoes and sautéed vegetables, then cooks them gently in a tomato-and-broth sauce enriched with cream.
This recipe comes from my grandmother. She made it often when I was growing up in Colombia. As a child I did not always enjoy the dish, so she sometimes adapted it for me by stuffing potatoes with the same filling and cooking them in the same sauce — a variation I loved. My grandmother served these pepinos with white rice, slices of avocado and a fresh salad on the side.
Finding fresh pepinos can be difficult outside parts of South America. If you can’t find them fresh, frozen pepinos from a Latin market work well — thaw them before cooking and follow the same steps. After confirming the recipe with family members back in Colombia, I prepared this dish and am happy to share Mamita’s version with you.
Notes and tips: adjust salt and pepper to taste, and avoid overcooking the pepinos so they keep their shape. If you prefer a thicker sauce, reduce it a few minutes longer before adding the cream. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a couple of days and gently reheated on low heat.
Buen provecho!
