Our Chili Relleno Casserole recipe is loaded with flavor thanks to Cotija cheese, chorizo, blackened green chiles and a light tomato sauce. It’s very similar to the Chilean Rellenos you know and love… only simpler!
Classic chili rellenos are green chiles, blackened and the outer skin removed, stuffed with either cheese or a pork sausage picadillo, dipped in batter, fried in oil, and often served with a thin tomato sauce.
I grew up eating the Rellenos Chilis that my mom made for us. The only problem is that they’re a bit difficult to make; They can sometimes get soaked from the oil. And they can get a little rich with all that roasting.
This Chili Relleno Casserole recipe skips the steps of dipping in the batter and frying and instead bakes the stuffed chiles in a batter.
The recipe is based on one from Sunset Magazine; Our main adaptation of the original is to add a tomato sauce base to the casserole. Chilis Rellenos taste better with a light tomato sauce, as in this casserole.
make it vegetarian
You can simply omit the meat in this recipe to make a vegetarian chili relleno casserole. Add black beans, vegetarian/vegan chorizo, spicy potatoes, and/or sautéed veggies in place of the meat, if you like.
To make more cheesy casseroles!
- Broccoli Cheddar Casserole
- Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Classic tuna noodle casserole
- Reuben casserole
- Cheesy tortellini casserole
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Chile Relleno casserole
Feel free to play around with the filling. Mexican chorizo works great in this recipe, but we also used spicy Louisiana pork sausage. Alternatively, you can omit the pork altogether and just use a jack cheese filling.
Note that this casserole serves 8; You can easily halve the ingredients and use an 8″ x 8″ dish for the casserole.
ingredients
-
8th poblano chillies
-
2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
-
1 Cup chopped Onion
-
4 cloves Garlic, chopped
-
1 (28–ounce) can tomatoeswhole or diced
-
Kosher salt
-
1 lb Mexican chorizoor other spicy sausage
-
1 Cup Cotija cheesecrumbled (can be sub feta)
-
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
-
12 big eggs
-
1/3 Cup all purpose flour
-
1 teaspoon baking powder
-
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or mild cheddar cheese
method
-
Char the whole poblano chillies:
The first step is to char the outer skin of the poblano chiles. The easiest way to do this is directly over the flame of a gas burner (see How to Roast Chilies Over a Gas Flame).
You can also do this over a grill or in a grill pan under a grill (do not use a thin baking sheet as it will warp under the high heat). Simply place the chiles close enough to the heating element to char and bubble on the surface.
Turn the chilies so that they are completely black all over. Place the blackened chiles in a bowl and cover with a plate or damp cloth. Allow the chiles to steam in their own heat for a few minutes.
-
Preheat the oven:
Preheat oven to 375°F and place a wire rack in center.
-
Prepare tomato sauce:
While the chilies are cooling, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the tomatoes (break up any whole tomatoes before adding them to the pan). Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Remove from stove and set aside.
-
Peel and core the roasted poblanos:
Peel and carefully discard the black skin of the chilies. Cut off the stem ends. Carefully remove the seed pod without tearing the chilies (which you will fill later).
-
Cooking Chorizo:
Place the Mexican chorizo in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. As it cooks, break up the chorizo with the edge of a metal spatula. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes.
-
Spread the tomato sauce in the casserole dish:
Spread the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. The tomato sauce should have the consistency of thin spaghetti sauce. If it’s too thick, dilute it with some water.
-
Make the filling:
In a large bowl, mix together the cooked chorizo, cotija, and oregano filling.
-
Fill the chilies:
Fill the chilies with the chorizo mixture and place on top of the tomato sauce in the casserole dish.
-
Whisk together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt:
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs vigorously. Stir in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt.
-
Assemble the pot:
Sprinkle chilies with half of the jack or cheddar cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the chilies and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
At this point you can go ahead and relax for several days. Add 10 minutes to the cooking time in the next step if you go ahead and refrigerate.
-
Bake, rest and serve:
Bake at 375°F until top begins to brown and eggs are firm but still soft, about 30 minutes. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 587 | calories |
| 44g | Fat |
| 15g | carbohydrates |
| 33g | protein |
