Easy Chile Relleno Casserole
This easy chile relleno casserole recipe has all the big flavors of a classic chile relleno without the deep frying!
My sister sends me lots of cooking videos for inspiration, and this easy chile relleno casserole recipe is one dish I couldn’t resist making! What’s not to love about layers of gooey cheese and poblano peppers, with puffy clouds of baked eggs on top? As much as we love regular chile rellenos, this recipe is easy, fun to make, and tasty! The quick homemade tomato sauce makes this chile relleno casserole extra delicious, and we all thought it paired well with southwestern rice and a Mexican wedge salad.
Easy Chile Relleno Casserole
Ingredients:
- 3 poblano peppers
- 10 oz Monterey Jack cheese, or other melty cheese like Oaxaca cheese
Egg Batter:
- 3 large eggs, (at room temperature)
- 2½ tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Sauce:
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- ½ yellow onion
- ½ jalapeno pepper
- 2 small garlic cloves, skin on
- 2 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil
- 1 street taco-sized corn tortilla (or ½ of a regular-sized corn tortilla)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon
- ¼ tsp oregano
- 2½ tbsp water
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Serving Options:
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Sour cream
- Avocado slices
- Hot sauce
How to Make an Easy Chile Relleno Casserole
Prepare the poblano peppers by preheating the oven to broil and setting the oven rack directly under the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the whole peppers on top.
Broil the peppers for 3-4 minutes or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Carefully flip them over and broil them for 3-4 minutes or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Remove from the oven, put the charred chiles in a large zip-lock bag, and seal.
Allow them to steam for 5-7 minutes. Peel off the charred skin and discard the stem and seeds.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Make the batter by separating the egg whites from the yolks in two bowls, placing the whites in a large bowl.
Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
While continuing to beat the egg whites on low, add in the yolks, one at a time, until they are fully mixed in.
Beat in the flour, milk, baking powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. The batter should be light, fluffy, and smooth.
Prepare the chile relleno casserole by pouring half of the egg batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and spreading it out evenly.
Spread two poblano peppers in the baking dish in a single layer.
Sprinkle some of the cheese evenly on top.
Spread the remaining two poblano peppers in the baking dish in a single layer.
Next, sprinkle some of the cheese evenly on top.
Pour the remaining half of the egg batter evenly on top of the cheese.
Finally, add the last bit of cheese evenly on top of the casserole.
Bake the chille relleno casserole by placing the baking dish into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, make the sauce (while the casserole bakes) by charring the tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, and garlic cloves (skin on) in a cast iron skillet until lightly charred and softened.
Remove the skin from the tomatoes and place them in a blender with the onion and jalapeno. Remove the skins from the garlic and add the cloves to the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Heat the avocado oil in the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn tortilla once the oil is HOT and cook until lightly golden brown and crisp. Side Note: You will cook the sauce in the same oil, so don’t discard it.
Remove tortilla from the skillet and place in the blender. Add the chicken bouillon, oregano, water, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.
Finish the sauce by carefully pouring it back into the oil in the cast iron skillet in which you cooked the tortilla. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes, and re-season if needed.
To serve, sprinkle cilantro on top and slice.
Spoon some sauce on a plate, then place a slice of the casserole on top. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 3 poblano peppers
- 10 oz Monterey Jack cheese or other melty cheese like Oaxaca cheese
Egg Batter:
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2½ tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Sauce:
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- ½ yellow onion
- ½ jalapeno pepper
- 2 small garlic cloves skin on
- 2 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil
- 1 street taco-sized corn tortilla or ½ of a regular-sized corn tortilla
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon
- ¼ tsp oregano
- 2½ tbsp water
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Serving Options:
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Sour cream
- Avocado slices
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the poblano peppers by preheating the oven to broil and setting the oven rack directly under the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the whole peppers on top.
- Broil the peppers for 3-4 minutes or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Carefully flip them over and broil them for 3-4 minutes or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Remove from the oven, put the charred chiles in a large zip-lock bag, and seal.
- Allow them to steam for 5-7 minutes. Peel off the charred skin and discard the stem and seeds.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Make the batter by separating the egg whites from the yolks in two bowls, placing the whites in a large bowl.
- Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- While continuing to beat the egg whites on low, add in the yolks, one at a time, until they are fully mixed in.
- Beat in the flour, milk, baking powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. The batter should be light, fluffy, and smooth.
- Prepare the chile relleno casserole by pouring half of the egg batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and spreading it out evenly.
- Spread two poblano peppers in the baking dish in a single layer.
- Sprinkle some of the cheese evenly on top.
- Spread the remaining two poblano peppers in the baking dish in a single layer.
- Next, sprinkle some of the cheese evenly on top.
- Pour the remaining half of the egg batter evenly on top of the cheese.
- Finally, add the last bit of cheese evenly on top of the casserole.
- Bake the chille relleno casserole by placing the baking dish into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce (while the casserole bakes) by charring the tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, and garlic cloves (skin on) in a cast iron skillet until lightly charred and softened.
- Heat the avocado oil in the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn tortilla once the oil is HOT and cook until lightly golden brown and crisp. Side Note: You will cook the sauce in the same oil, so don't discard it.
- Finish the sauce by carefully pouring it back into the oil in the cast iron skillet in which you cooked the tortilla. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes, and re-season if needed.
- To serve, sprinkle cilantro on top and slice. Spoon some sauce on a plate, then place a slice of the casserole on top. Serve immediately and enjoy.
wow that looks fabulous and so cheesy!
When I make a chile relleno casserole, I microwave Poblano peppers to soften them, remove the innards, but never remove the skin. They have always been tender. My experiment with Anaheim peppers did not have the same results. The skins were tough and fibrous and add cardboard to the recipe.
looks like a delicious alternative to normal chile rellenos.
I think it’s an excellent idea. There are also chiles rellenos de carne (meat-stuffed chiles). Do you think it’s possible to make the casserole with meat, or a combination of meat and cheese? Thank you.
Mag,
Absolutely. I would sprinkle a layer of your cooked meat of choice on top of the first two cheese layers. Let me know how it turns out.
-Pam