CHILI RELLENO CASSEROLE

Author: Susanne at dishwithme.com

Chili rellenos might not be as popular as tacos, but that doesn’t mean they are not completely delicious. Delicious, but not super easy to make. Chili relleno literally means a stuffed pepper, and it isn’t super easy to accomplish stuffing and coating said pepper, which is probably why the idea of a Chili Relleno Casserole was born.

This Chili Relleno Casserole has all of the flavor of the classic chili relleno without all the stuffing and deep frying, making it a much less labor intensive.. In fact, it’s super easy to throw together.

In most restaurants a chili relleno will be served with a red sauce on top. This is completely optional, but it adds an extra layer of delicious flavor. Don’t drown the casserole in it, but, instead, drizzle a little on top of each serving.

Make sure to make plenty because everyone in my house thinks this particular recipe is even better left over 🙂

HELPFUL HINTS FOR CHILI RELLENO CASSEROLE

Pre-shredded cheeses are often coated with ingredients such as potato starch and wood pulp (also called cellulose) in order to keep the shreds from sticking together. I have started buying block cheese and grating it myself. Using a box grater is time consuming and labor intensive, so I bought this tool called a rotary shredder to help with the shredding process. It makes it so much easier and quicker.

The red sauce recipe is completely optional, but you really need to make it because it goes so well with this casserole. It is great for more than chili rellenos, too. It can be used to top enchiladas, burritos and even tacos.

There are a couple different ways to peel the Pablano peppers. The way I like best uses the flame from a burner on a gas stove to char the skin of the pepper. The second way makes use of the broiler in the oven. Place the peppers on a baking tray, place them under the broiler and turn several times until all sides are charred. After either method of charring the skins, place them into in a zippered plastic bag, close it and let them steam for about 15 minutes. The skins will come off fairly easy after steaming.

GROCERY LIST

CHILI RELLENOS

• Pablano peppers – fresh
• Canned green chilis – I use mild
• Monterey Jack cheese – shredded
• White cheddar cheese – shredded
• Cotija cheese
• Eggs
• Whole milk
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Julio’s Mexican seasoning
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Granulated onion powder
• Granulated garlic powder
• TOPPINGS: Red sauce, salsa, cilantro, sour cream

LINKS TO OTHER RECIPES TO ENJOY

RED SAUCE FOR CHILI RELLENOS

AUTHENTIC TASTING MEXICAN RICE

AUTHENTIC TASTING HORCHATA RECIPE

QUICK RESTAURANT STYLE REFRIED BEANS

** This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission at absolutely no cost to you. Thank you.**

LINKS TO PRODUCTS USED

If you cannot find Julio’s seasoning in your local grocery store, follow this link to find it on Amazon.

This casserole dish is so pretty!

This rotary cheese grater makes short work of shredding block cheese.

A sheet tray can be used to roast the pablano peppers in the oven.

CHILI RELLENO CASSEROLE

The same flavor as a chili relleno without the stuffing and deep frying

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: CHILI RELLENO, CHILI RELLENO CASSEROLE

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Susanne

Ingredients

• 6 Pablano peppers Roasted, skins removed, *See notes
• 14 ounces Canned diced green chilis include the juice, I use mild
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• 2 cups Mozzarella shredded
• 1 cup White cheddar shredded
• 4 ounces Cotija cheese
• 6 Large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups Whole milk
• 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 20 grinds Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Julio's seasoning
• 1/2` teaspoon Granulated onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Granulated garlic powder
• pinch Powdered nutmeg
• TOPPINGS (All optional)
• Red sauce
• Salsa
• Cilantro
• Sour cream

Instructions

• Roast and skin the peppers *See notes.
• Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13 casserole pan.
• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice or dice the skinned Pablano peppers
• Arrange half of the skinned and diced Pablano peppers, half of the canned diced green chilis and half of the Monterey Jack and white Cheddar cheeses into the casserole pan. Repeat with the remaining peppers and cheese. Then top with Cotija cheese.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, and seasonings. Whisk together until well combined.
• Pour the flour mixture evenly over the layered chilis and cheese. Use a wooden spatula, spoon, or your hand to push down on the casserole to make sure all areas of the casserole are covered with the egg mixture.
• Place into the pre-heated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is puffy in the center and the eggs are set.
• Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into squares and top with red sauce or other toppings, if desired.

Notes

The Pablano peppers will need to be roasted and the skins removed.  There are a couple different ways to go about this. 

If you have a gas stove, you can use tongs to hold the pepper over the flame to char the skin all the way around.

You can also cover a baking tray with foil and lay the peppers on the tray.  Place the tray of peppers underneath the broiler.  Turn the peppers every couple minutes in order to char all sides.

Whichever method you use, the next step is to place the peppers into a zippered plastic bag to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. As the peppers cool the skins will become loose.  After the peppers are cool, remove the skins, stems and the seeds.