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This Chili Relleno Casserole is one of our favorite Mexican recipes. It has all the flavors of a classic chili Relleno without all the prep work. This recipe is always a big hit whenever I serve it. It is cheesy! Spicy! And delicious! You are going to love it!
Don and I love Mexican food and he is especially partial to chili rellenos. They are a bit involved if you make them at home.
Basically, chile Rellenos are roasted poblano peppers stuffed with as much cheese as you can get into them. Then they are dipped in an egg batter, giving them a thick coating. Finally, they are fried until golden brown.
Deconstructing the recipe into a casserole simplifies the dish and makes it very approachable.
Chili Relleno Casserole
The first time I made this recipe I bought some fresh poblano chiles and roasted them myself. Well, that really took the ‘quick and easy’ out of this recipe and I confess, all that extra effort did nothing to improve the taste.
Canned peppers work well for casseroles like this one and they make it easy to get dinner on the table quickly. If you want some more ideas using poblano peppers, try our poblano chorizo strata or our chipotle pork skillet dinner.
Why This Recipe Works
- It is easy and quick.
- Uses pantry ingredients so you can make this any night of the week.
- Makes a great weeknight dinner.
The Ingredients
Here is the list of ingredients you will need for this chile relleno casserole. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details and ingredient amounts. You can substitute the cheeses for
- Eggs
- Milk
- Flour
- Salt and pepper
- Canned green chiles
- Cheddar cheese
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Pepper jack cheese
- Tomato paste
- Salsa
Sometimes I switch the flavors up and substitute the salsa for homemade mole sauce. I recommend you try that version as well.
This chili relleno casserole is easy and quick to put together, the most difficult part is waiting for it to bake.
I served this with a simple tossed salad and chips with Chipotle corn salsa and that is all we needed for dinner.
Check out our video and see how easy it is to make this chili relleno casserole.
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Chili Relleno Casserole
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Ingredients
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1-½ cups milk
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 cans, 7-ounces each whole green chiles, split open and any seeds removed
- 3-½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 pound, reserve 1/2 cup
- 4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 1 pound, reserve 1/2 cup
- ½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1-6 ounce can of tomato paste
- ½ cup prepared salsa
- ¼ cup water, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and prepare a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- In a mixing bowl add the egg yolks, milk, flour, salt and pepper and beat together. In a separate bowl whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and set aside while you assemble the casserole.
- Arrange 1/2 of the peppers on the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 of cheddar and 1/2 of the monterey jack cheese. Create the next layer with the remaining chilies and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the casserole to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour and the center does not jiggle.
- While the casserole is baking: in a medium size bowl, toss the reserved cheddar, the reserved monterey jack cheese and the pepper jack cheese. In another small dish, mix the tomato paste and the salsa together until smooth. It may be necessary to add a small amount of tap water to get a spreadable consistency. Reserve the cheese and tomato topping in the refrigerator until the casserole has baked for the one hour.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and spread the tomato/salsa over the casserole and distribute the reserved cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and a little bubbly on the edges.
- Transfer the casserole to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Is there this recipe can be tweaked so it will be low carb? Like replacing the milk for half and half or heavy whipping cream, replacing the flour for almond flour? Or can they be omitted alltogether?
Hi, Maria…Thanks for you interest in our chili relleno casserole. I am sorry but I have not made this as low-carb and looking at the ingredient list substitutions would totally change the recipe.