Chile Relleno Casserole
This Chile Relleno Casserole is your favorite Tex-Mex dish baked into a casserole! It’s made with roasted, cheese-stuffed poblano peppers covered in a fluffy egg batter, topped with more cheese, then baked until light, crispy, gooey, and perfectly golden.
Easy Poblano Pepper Casserole
If you’ve ever had chile relleno, then you’ll understand that sometimes that chile relleno craving hits at the most random of times…and it hits hard. Unfortunately, you can’t always drop everything and run to your local Mexican restaurant to grab some.
You can, however, drop everything and whip up this super simple and delicious chile relleno casserole.
This recipe is the easiest way to enjoy the delicious flavors and textures of classic chile relleno without the mess of a frying pan! It’s packed with freshly roasted poblano chiles, gooey monterey jack cheese, and a fluffy egg batter.
Tips and Notes
- For the best egg batter texture, separate the egg yolks and whites, then mix together the milk, flour, egg yolks, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy, then gently fold the two mixtures together. This isn’t totally necessary but does help give a lighter, fluffier texture.
- To help remove the charred skin from the roasted peppers, rinse them under cold water as you peel. They should come off easily.
- Can’t find poblanos? Feel free to swap them out for another variety of pepper such as banana or anaheim.
- Want to bulk your casserole up? Feel free to add seasoned ground beef or pork from some protein.
- I love the flavor of Monterey jack cheese, but you could also use cheddar, white cheddar, or even pepper jack.
- For even easier prep, skip the whole chiles and use diced chiles. Simply mix them with the batter and bake!
- Want a spicier flavor? Add a few pickled or fresh jalapeños to the egg batter.
What to Serve with Poblano Chili Relleno Casserole
This poblano pepper casserole recipe makes an excellent breakfast or dinner!
If you’re serving this stuffed poblano casserole on its own, it’s delicious topped off with a dollop of sour cream or a scoop of homemade salsa.
If you’re looking for ways to bulk your meal up, try serving it alongside Mexican rice, tamales, Mexican street corn pasta salad, or roasted veggies tossed with taco seasoning!
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator: Leftover chile relleno casserole will last, covered or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezer: For longer storage, you can freeze the casserole. Simply bake it, let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure that you use a freezer-safe and oven-safe container or use a foil pan.
Make-Ahead: To prepare ahead of time, you can bake the casserole a few hours in advance and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, simply warm it at 250ºF in the oven. You can also prep the ingredients in advance, leave them separate, then assemble just prior to baking.
Reheating: To reheat, microwave smaller portions on half power until heated through. To reheat larger portions, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then bake at 250ºF until heated all the way through.
What is a Chile Relleno Called in English?
The word “relleno” translates to “stuffed vegetable”. So, “chile relleno” refers to a stuffed chile pepper!
What is the Difference Between a Chile Relleno and Chile Poblano?
Chile relleno is a traditional Mexican recipe. Chile poblano is simply a type of pepper that is used to make chile relleno!
Can You Make Chile Relleno Without Removing the Skin?
I don’t recommend it. The skin of poblano peppers is tough and difficult to digest. Chile relleno is much better with the skin of the peppers removed!
Fortunately, roasting the peppers makes the skin soft and easy to peel right off the pepper!
More Tex-Mex Recipes You’ll Love
- Mexican Casserole
- Instant Pot Street Tacos
- Instant Pot Tamales
- Cheese Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Green Chile Cornbread
- Chili Cornbread Casserole
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Like This Recipe?
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Ingredients
- 8 poblano peppers, washed and dried
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or other neutral tasting oil
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, cut into 1 ounce pieces
- 4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the peppers on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Rub the oil evenly over peppers then transfer the pan to the oven.8 poblano peppers1 tablespoon canola oil
- Cook the poblanos for 25 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally. The skins should blister and blacken.
- While the peppers roast, make the filling. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.5 large eggs½ cup milk½ cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon salt
- Remove the peppers from the oven, and reduce the oven to 350°F. Allow the peppers to cool until they’re easy to handle, then peel away the skins and discard. Cut off the stems and tops, and remove the seeds and membranes.
- Place a 1 ounce piece of cheese into each poblano. Lay the poblanos in a single layer in an 11×7-inch or 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the peppers. Top with remaining 4 ounces of shredded Monterey jack cheese.8 ounces Monterey jack cheese4 ounces Monterey jack cheese
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is set. Remove from the oven and serve with sour cream or salsa if desired.
- Scroll up and see the post for tips, FAQs, and storage recommendations.
Suggested Equipment
Notes
- The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of ⅛ of the chile relleno casserole. Actual calories will vary.
- For more information, tips, and answers to frequently asked questions, please refer to the post.
Oh yeah! This was awesome! We love chilli relleno casserole and THIS one is now our favorite one! thank you!
Thank you Carol! Kim and I are glad you enjoyed the casserole. Have a lovely day 🙂
These were amazing! I used a 1to 1 gluten free flour blend and probably added a little more seasoning.. (talking to you cumin) my only “problem” is I’ve been craving it and can’t find poblano peppers. Guess I”ll be growing some next year🌶️
Good morning Meredith, thank you for commenting and rating the recipe! We thrilled you enjoyed the casserole. Have a lovely day 🙂
I would add more salt. Adding 3/4 tsp of garlic powder helped. I think it may have been too bland if I had not done that. But, it is really good!
Thank you Shawn! Adding more salt and garlic powder are great ideas. Typically, we have to ease up on the spices in our recipes so they appeal to as many readers as possible. But, I hear you. I usually add a good bit of salt and spices to my food as well. Thanks again for commenting and rating the recipe. Have a good one!
I made, and loved, this recipe. Firstly, the poblanos are so tasty! I would not want to use another pepper. The cheesy-eggy part was so yummy. Of course, I do love chiles rellenos! Making this recipe at home brings all of the flavor when one doesn’t feel like finding a restaurant that has them.
Good morning Ginny, thank you so much for your comments. We appreciate the 5 star rating as well. It can be tough to find a good chile relleno sometimes. We have one go-to restaurant in our city. But, if they’re closed…. Thank you again sharing your experience with the recipe and we hope you have a lovely day 🙂
Would have been great if the recipe stated EGG WHITES. I essentially have peppers cooked into an egg brick. Didn’t know it was meant to be whites until reading through comments.
Well, this recipe isn’t supposed to use only egg whites, and that’s why it’s not in the recipe. When I developed this recipe, I used whole eggs.
The comments you’re referring to are suggestions saying to mix the egg whites and yolks separately for a better texture. We also mention that in our “tips” section. Not sure if you saw that or if you used the “Skip to Recipe” button. Here it is in case you missed it:
“For the best egg batter texture, separate the egg yolks and whites, then mix together the milk, flour, egg yolks, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy, then gently fold the two mixtures together.”
Either way, mixing the egg whites and the yolks separately was a wonderful suggestion from one of our readers. We agree that it works well.
We’re sorry that you ended up with a chile relleno casserole brick instead of a light and fluffy casserole. It really stinks when recipes don’t turn out as intended.
I’m making this for the first time and am wondering if it’s ok to assemble the day before cooking it.
Good Morning Lea, I would not assemble the casserole the day before. We covered your question already in the Storage and Reheating section of the post. Please see below:
Make-Ahead: To prepare ahead of time, you can bake the casserole a few hours in advance and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, simply warm it at 250ºF in the oven. You can also prep the ingredients in advance, leave them separate, then assemble just prior to baking.
Have a great day!
I can’t wait to make this. It looks Sooo delicious 😋
Good morning Leah, we hope you like the casserole. Don’t forget to check out the tips section for helpful information and other ways to make the casserole if you don’t want to roast the chiles yourself. Thank you for commenting and rating the recipe! Have a love day 🙂
I cooked the peppers for 15 and then flipped them and cooked another 15 minutes. The peppers were complete mush, I skinned them and they fell apart in my hands. Very time consuming. I tried to wrap the pieces of pepper around the chunks of cheese. Baking now, we’ll see how it comes out and taste.
Well, that sucks. Sorry to hear that Michelle. We’ve never heard of something like that happening with our recipe. However, I do have a solution I’ll add to the comments. If you don’t want to deal with roasting the peppers yourself, you can use canned green chiles (diced or whole). If using whole chiles, drain them and follow the directions as written. When using diced, drain the peppers and add them to the batter. Then shred all the cheese and add that to the batter. Pour into the dish and bake as directed. Casserole will come out more like heavy frittata. But, it does save you a lot of time. I hope this information helps you or someone else. Have a lovely day 🙂
This was pretty good. We added salsa on top & raised it to the next level. Also could serve with tortillas. The eggs were very tender.
I also had issues trying to skin the peppers and did them in layers with grated cheese. Next time I’m not going to skin the peppers, they don’t for chili renellos in restaurants and I think I will try cleaning the peppers out before roasting.
Good Morning Gail, thank you for commenting and rating the recipe! Kim and I are glad you enjoyed the casserole in spite of the hiccups. Thank you again for the feedback. Have a lovely day 🙂
Can I serve this at room temperature at a pot luck
Good Morning Clara, that’s a good question. Due to my experience with food safety standards, I can’t recommend serving the casserole at room temperature for a potluck. You can keep it refrigerated and reheat it in a microwave. It reheats just fine. Thank you for asking and have a lovely day 🙂
This was fabulous but I did like someone’s suggestion of beating the egg whites first then folding them into the egg flour mixture. I also after eating thought this would also be great with the homemade tomato sauce I make when I make the long version of Chili Rellinos…I made some for the lefts over tomorrow!
Good morning Kathleen, thank you for sharing your experience with the recipe. I agree, beating the egg whites first does sound like a great idea. Also, a homemade tomato sauce will add a ton of extra flavor to the casserole. Thank you again for commenting and rating the recipe! Have a lovely day 🙂