Chile Relleno Casserole

Easy Hatch Chile Relleno Casserole recipe is so delicious and only requires a handful of ingredients. This easy casserole makes a great breakfast dish but can also be eaten for brunch, lunch or dinner.

When I decided I wanted to make this dish I poked around the internet to see just what people are putting in their chile rellenos casserole. I wasn’t surprised to see that there are many different versions of this dish.

Some had a couple of eggs and a lot of milk and some had more eggs and a little bit of milk.

Some used fresh hatch chiles and some used canned chiles. Many of the recipes said to separate the eggs and whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Then you whisk the milk and flour into the egg yolks, then fold the yolk mixture into the egg mixture.

I decided that to make this a truly easy chile relleno casserole I was just going to whisk my eggs whole and then add the milk, flour and baking powder to the whisked eggs.

And speaking of baking powder, some recipes call for it and some don’t. I came to the conclusion that since I was not whipping the egg whites separate from the egg yolks that I would add some to my recipe to help it rise a bit.

My goal when I decided to make this chili relleno casserole was to find canned whole green chiles. I didn’t even know if my local grocery store would have such a thing. So I guess I wasn’t too surprised to find that both of the major chains in my neighborhood only had whole jalapeno peppers in the can. I looked to see what kind of fresh peppers were available. They had fresh jalapenos, of course, they also had poblano peppers and anaheim peppers.

Then I had to figure out if I wanted to roast the peppers. Well it didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that, no, I didn’t want to roast them. The whole point of making this dish was to come up with a cheesy dish with green chiles that was easy. So, I decided that the best kind of green chiles to use in this would be the diced green chiles that come in a can. I mean, it doesn’t get any easier than that.

Also, I figured if I was having that much trouble finding the whole chiles then other people would too. It’s not good to share a recipe that you can’t find the ingredients to make, is it?

It came out great and my kids said it tasted like something you get out at a Mexican restaurant.

Ingredients

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Ingredient Notes

Green Chiles – we use chopped green chiles for this because we wanted it to be an easy recipe using ingredients that can easily be found at any grocery store. If you want to roast your own peppers Food.com has a great how-to.

Eggs – large room temperature eggs are best.

Milk – we like whole milk for this.

Shredded Cheeses – we like equal parts cheddar cheese & Monterey Jack cheese. You can use pre-shredded cheese, if grating your own it takes about 3/4 of a 1 pound block to get 3 cups. 

Flour – a small amount of all purpose flour holds everything together.

Baking Powder – just a bit to make our casserole light and fluffy.

Optional Toppings – green onions, fresh chopped cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, or pico de gallo.

How to Make

1. Drain the green chiles in a strainer and allow to drain while you prepare the baking dish and eggs. Grate cheeses reserving one-half cup of each type of cheese.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 13 X 9 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs until fluffy, add flour and baking powder and whisk until almost no lumps remain. Add milk and continue to whisk until well combined.
4. Spread half of the green chiles in the bottom of the dish, sprinkle half of the cheese on top, add the remaining chiles, top with the remaining cheese. Pour the egg mixture on top and then top with the reserved cheese.
5. Bake 40-45 minutes or until the center of the casserole puffs up and the edges are golden brown.
6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then serve with your favorite toppings.

Variations

With only seven ingredients there aren’t too many variations that I can come up with but here are a couple.

Swap some of the cheese with pepper jack cheese for a little more heat.

Add cooked meat; ground beef, ground sausage or chorizo would work. Just add half onto each layer of chiles. Make it however you like, there are no rules when you cook for yourself!

Storage & Reheating

Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for about 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. 

What is chile rellenos batter made of?

Authentic chile rellenos batter is made with eggs that are separated, salt, and flour. You beat the egg whites with an electric mixer and whip the egg yolks with the flour and salt. Then you fold the whites into the yolks.

What kind of pepper is chile rellenos made of?

The most common pepper used in classic chile rellenos is the poblano pepper. Other popular chiles are New Mexico chile, pasilla, and jalapeño peppers.

What kind of filling is used in chile rellenos?

Typically, in the US, they are stuffed with Monterey Jack or asadero cheese and can even have meat in them.

What we Love About our Easy Hatch Chile Relleno Casserole Recipe

• It is an easy meatless casserole that has plenty of protein.
• We have made an easier version of the traditional dish.
• There are two kinds of cheese, and we love cheese!
• We use canned chopped green chile peppers that can be found in virtually any grocery store.

What side dishes to serve with hatch chile relleno casserole?

Mexican black beans

Refried beans

Mexican rice

Spanish Style corn

More easy breakfast casserole recipes

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Smoked Sausage Hash Brown Casserole

Peach French Toast Casserole

Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Casserole

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