Making true, authentic chile rellenos involves frying. It’s a labor of love and quite a process making them…roasting chiles and preparing them, stuffing the chiles with cheese, flour them and dip in egg mixture, deep fry them and then add to a big pot of sauce. Sometimes we’d be over generous stuffing the peppers and cheese would ooze out of the relleno while deep frying, making cracking sounds and dangerous oil splattering. (My dad used to say “I’m feeling like an overstuffed chile relleno” after a good meal and full stomach.)
Chile Rellenos are so flavorful and delicious! I grew up with my Mom and Aunts making huge pots of chile rellenos for family gatherings. It was a lot of work. When I got married and had the hankerin’ for one of my very favorite dishes, it was a meal that had to be planned for the weekend. Even though I was just cooking for me and my husband, I’d make as many as the peppers I could get a hold of since I was going through the laborious process.
Not “too” long ago, my Mom shared this casserole recipe with me. I was very skeptical and couldn’t believe there could be anything as good as the real thing. While I still occasionally make the chile rellenos I enjoyed growing up, I appreciate the genius of this casserole AND that there’s no deep frying! It’s a great dish and one that reheats well for leftovers. I’ve made changes to the recipe for a healthier, fresher and more flavorful version by using fresh peppers versus canned and making my own sauce instead of using canned enchilada sauce. I’m positive you’ll appreciate the couple of extra steps to achieve a more healthy and flavorful dish.
- The handed-down casserole recipe called for 1 large can of Ortega chiles. When the chiles soak in their own juices for an extended period of time, it changes the flavor. I recommend using fresh peppers.
- Grilling the peppers on an outdoor grill makes the roasting process quick and less mess on your stove top.
- When shopping for Anaheim peppers for Chile Rellenos, select peppers that are straight and less curvaceous. It will make grilling them evenly easier.
- Making your own sauce either with fresh, stewed tomatoes or using a can of whole peeled tomatoes gives you much more control of the flavors and how much salt is used.
- Make extra sauce to pour over individual servings and maybe drizzling some on your Spanish Rice accompaniment.
- Sprinkle crumbled Cotija cheese on top of each serving for that great cheese flavor and aesthetics.
8-10 Anaheim peppers
Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup brown onion, diced
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes in tomato juice, blended
Salt and pepper, to taste
Egg Mixture
6 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
6 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 1/2 cups Colby Jack Cheese (or mix of cheddar and jack cheese)
Cotija cheese for garnish (optional)
Roast the peppers: Using a grill or gas burners, roast the peppers until blackened. After roasting each pepper, place in plastic bag while roasting the others and allow to steam within the bag. When all the peppers are roasted, cut the stems off, split open and clean the roasted peppers by pulling out the seeds and membrane and peeling/sliding the skins off (it helps to run the peppers under cold water while peeling). Dry the clean peppers with paper towels and set aside.
Chile Relleno Prep – Roasting the Peppers
Make the Sauce: In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté the onions in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until transparent. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and its juices, salt and pepper and simmer on medium-low heat until slightly thickened (about 10-15 minutes).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 13″ x 9″ baking dish by spraying non-stick spray along the bottom and sides. Line bottom of pan with half of the prepared peppers. Evenly distribute 2 1/4 cups of the cheese on top of the first layer of peppers. Repeat with the rest of the peppers and cheese (your last layer will be cheese).
Chile Relleno Prep – Layering
Beat egg whites until a soft peak forms. Mix together the milk, flour, egg yolks & salt and pepper. Blend the milk mixture with the egg whites. Pour over the layers of peppers and cheese.
Chile Relleno Prep – Egg Mixture
Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and evenly distribute the sauce over the top. Return the baking dish to the oven for another 30 minutes. Let set about 5-8 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with crumbled cotija cheese, serve warm with Spanish Rice and Salsa. Enjoy!
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
I made your chile relleno casserole recipe this morning (x-mas) for my family. They all loved it. My husband actually went in for thirds!
Thanks so much and Merry Christmas.
HD
I’m so glad that you tried this chile relleno casserole and that your family enjoyed it too! It really is a keeper of a recipe! Thank you for sharing that you tried it…hope you’ll be making it again! ;)
Do you think this would freeze well? I’m going to a “casserole party” next week and am looking for something to take. This looks awfully good!
Hi Sarah: This is a great casserole to take to your casserole party! With regard to freezing…I couldn’t tell you from experience if it would freeze well as I’ve never tried it.
I made this recipe for our quarterly block party in our neighborhood – it is truly delicious! I used fresh roasted New Mexico green chilis – yum!!!! I try lots of recipes I find on line and in magazines and most I never make again, but this one is a keeper!!! I love your website.
Hi Pat and thank you! I’m so thrilled to hear that you tried this chile relleno casserole and that you liked the recipe with all my adjustments. It is a keeper and a great dish for a potluck! :)
Brilliant idea! You have turned one excellent dish into a new excellent dish.
Thanks Jason! Chile rellenos are a labor of love…however this casserole is a tasty and quicker to make, treat.
Hi Deb:
The green Anaheim peppers, used for chile rellenos, are a milder variety pepper. Honestly, though, I have come across some “hot” ones in all the years I’ve enjoyed them but my spicy/hot tolerance level is not super high. I have not heard that tip about the ends as an indication as to its “hotness” – I can offer these tips:
- From personal experience I have found that the most beautiful, healthy Anaheim peppers in the mkts are around the winter months (for southern California). The peppers at that time seem to be more flavorful and there tends to more “hot” ones.
- If you’d like to reduce the heat of the peppers: after roasting and opening them up for either the casserole or authentic rellenos, remove the seeds and flesh inside the pepper (wear kitchen gloves to avoid pepper burn!).
I’ll look into it further about if there’s a good way to tell when buying them if they’re hot or not.
If I come across anything further – I’ll post it here and email you. Thank you for visiting TeenieCakes – please let me know if you make the casserole. =)
How do you make sure you buy fresh green chilies that aren’t too hot? I’ve heard if the ends are more rounded than pointed they might not be as hot.
This looks wonderful! You have such a wonderful site. I’m so happy I found you on Cook Eat & Share!
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Cheers~
Wow!!! your blog is fantastic…. and this post is very interesting..
This looks stunning! I’ve never seen anything like it. I imagine it would be quite spectacular. So golden and fluffy!
I love that you didn’t have to fry anything to make this inventive, delicious casserole. Roasting the peppers must add so much flavor. Have a great weekend! xo
I’ve always wanted to try making Chile Relleno but was daunted by all the frying involved. I love your version and find it much more appealing actually than the traditional recipes I’ve seen. Thanks for a great post Cristina :)
This looks like a really great comfort dinner!
Oh I am learning a lot about Mexican cuisine and culture throughout your site, which I am not too familiar with! Great dish, and even though never tasted some, I now from the pic that it must be incredibly delicious!
This looks fantastic! But am I missing something? I can’t locate the amount of flour required. It’s called for in the instructions but i don’t see it in the ingredient list.
Hi Krista: The flour is listed under the “Egg Mixture” It calls for 6 tablespoons of flour. =)
This looks sooo gooood., and easy… Yumy!!! I’m going to make this Saturday :)
Thanks, T.
Little Cousin: Let me know how you liked it…you’ll so love how much quicker it is to enjoy and no frying!!! =)
What a tasty dish! and fine photos! This would be great for our Sunday brunch table. thanks & best from Jefferson’s Table
Great idea for Sunday brunch (especially this weekend’s Mothers Day!)
My mom makes something similar but she uses poblanos, I have not made it in awhile, thanks for the reminder..looks yummy
sweetlife
Poblanos would be good too! It would give it a different taste/flavor.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, it would be great to bring to a potluck supper.
I am impressed with how easy you made this look. And the pictures are great!
Cristina, this looks amazing! You are making me crave this dish now. I have not had chili relleno for a while.
I love Mexican food and this looks like a good dish to try.
This Chile Relleno Casserole looks awesome! Nice and Cheesy…yum!
Thanks C and C Dish…doesn’t all that oozy cheese just mean “yum!”
Mmm, that looks delicious. And perfect for today!
This looks so good! I would have never thought of layering the chile relleno ingredients and turn it into a casserole.
Rochelle – I wouldn’t have either! It’s ingenious…and knowing how much work it is making individual rellenos and then making this casserole…”brill!” (My Manager at work was from England and he used to say “brill” alot ..short for “brilliant!”) =)
This looks like a perfect dish for company. I’ve saved this for the weekend! Terrific picture too.
Thanks Kristi. It’s a great dish to share at gatherings!
Tina, this looks amazing! My husband LOVES chiles rellenos and always says I don’t make them often enough. He’s gonna flip when I make this. Thanks for sharing! :)
You will like it’s simplicity too and how much quicker you’ll get it on the table to serve and enjoy!
Wow perfect for Cinco~ and the colors are magnificient, what a great photo, love the colors and you can almost taste the flavors….so perfectly well stacked!
Thank you…it’s a good dish and it makes me hungry looking at it too. I just want to cut into it! :)
Looks so good! And you’ve really simplified the whole dish. Thanks for sharing! :)
Thank you! It really is a simple dish with such great flavors!