Chile Relleno Casserole with Homemade Sauce

If untangling the best parts of a tedious recipe and weaving them back together in a simpler way sounds appealing, you and this chile relleno casserole are about to get real cozy.

With certain dishes that you might make to order a few at a time, the method for transforming it into a crowd-pleasing casserole is obvious. Take French toast, for example. Layer the bread in a baking dish, douse it in an eggy custard, toss in the oven, bake, and call it a day.

Or rather, call it breakfast.

Case in point: deconstructing roasted, stuffed, battered, and fried poblano peppers to make a layered, eggy casserole.

A similar transformation takes place when making stacked enchiladas montadas instead of your classic rolled and filled enchiladas. It’s simpler to construct, with the same comforting and delicious flavors you crave.

I love taking something familiar and creating a new dish that still flaunts its best original features. Feel free to disagree with me here, but I find this to be one of most satisfying ways to flex your creative culinary muscles.

If you’ve ever enjoyed chiles rellenos, you know the deal. It’s a joyous symphony of satisfyingly gooey melted cheese stuffed – hence the “relleno” portion of the name – into a roasted poblano pepper, batter-dipped, and fried. Yum.

But with this recipe you can skip the painstaking construction and the pan full of hot oil with an eggy breakfast casserole that’s easy enough to make before you’ve even had your first cup of coffee.

Poblanos are roasted under the broiler until they’re charred and blistered, making the skins easy to remove. The result is smoky, slightly sweet, tender, and delicious. And you can even roast the peppers ahead of time if you’re not into early morning prep work.

If you have a gas range or grill, rotating the poblanos over an open flame is another option. For more tips, read our guide that features three different methods for roasting peppers.

After slicing, the roasted peppers are layered with shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese that will flawlessly melt into gooey nirvana…

As for the batter the poblanos typically take a dip in before frying, an eggy base reinforced with a little flour is poured over the top instead, resulting in a perfectly puffy casserole.

If you’re wondering what baking powder is doing in this recipe, here’s the gist:. it keeps the eggs fluffy and gives the base an airy lift.

Served with a tangy tomato sauce made with garlic, onion, cumin, and jalapeno that’s prepared while your casserole bakes in the oven, this winning dish is a fantastic option for breakfast or brunch. But feel free to serve it any time the mood strikes.

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Gather, Measure, and Prep Ingredients

Preheat the broiler, selecting “high” if your oven has multiple temperature options, and set one of the oven racks about 6 inches from the top coils.

Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil for easy cleanup. Get out a large cutting board and a chef’s knife.

Shred the Monterey Jack and cheddar with your box grater. For this recipe, we’ve opted to use these readily available cheeses rather than the classic cotija or queso Oaxaca typically used for the filling, since we prefer their melting quality in a casserole. Feel free to use pepper jack if you want to add a little extra spice.

Measure the milk, white wine vinegar, olive oil, and chicken stock. Vegetable stock can also be used if you wish to keep this recipe vegetarian.

Open the cans of tomatoes and set them aside, and set out your eggs.

In a medium mixing bowl, measure the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and the freshly ground black pepper. Whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside to use in the casserole.

Measure and then whisk to combine 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the chili powder blend in a small bowl. This will be used for the sauce.

Chop the onion and jalapeno and mince the garlic.

If more heat is what you’re after, add 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper along with the spices whisked into the flour.

If you prefer to keep the dish at a mild heat level, since chiles rellenos is not typically an incredibly spicy dish, you can also minimize the spiciness of the sauce by removing the jalapeno seeds and ribs.

Step 2 – Roast the Peppers

Arrange the poblanos on the baking sheets, fitting as many as you can in a single layer on each without overcrowding – placing them too close together will cause them to steam, rather than roasting.

Place the peppers under the broiler and turn on the oven light if your oven door has a window on so you can keep an eye on them. You could also keep the oven door open a crack instead. As soon as the tops become charred and blistered, use tongs to rotate each pepper.

Be careful while doing this! You’ll need an oven mitt to protect your hand as you hold the baking sheet steady.  If you are holding a pepper by the stem with the tongs, it may slide right out as the skins soften. Try to manipulate them from the center instead.

Continue flipping as needed until the skins are dark and blistered all over, for about 15 to 20 minutes total.

Remove the pans from the oven. Turn off the broiler and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Transfer the peppers directly into a large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside, allowing the peppers to steam for about 10 minutes. This will make it easier to remove the skins.

Step 3 – Mix the Dry and Wet Casserole Ingredients

While the peppers are steaming, lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or a 3-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray and make the egg mixture.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the milk, and whisk until frothy and well combined.

Add the flour and spice mixture to the egg mixture a little at a time, whisking between additions. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined with no lumps.

Step 4 – Prep the Peppers

Open the plastic carefully, being mindful of the steam that will be released. Get out a clean cutting board and chef’s knife, and a bowl to collect the discarded skins, stems, and seeds.

Working with one pepper at a time when they’re cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin. Using a clean dish towel or fork will help to loosen the skin before peeling.

Slice down the middle and use your knife to gently remove the stems and seeds. Repeat with the remaining peppers.

Slice the roasted poblanos into long strips. You should have about 3 cups total, and any extras can be saved in the refrigerator for another use.

If you prefer to skip roasting poblanos altogether, I can offer a little shortcut. You know those canned green roasted chilies? These are often actually poblanos or Anaheim peppers, a green mild type that’s already been prepped for you.

If you opt to make this substitution, I won’t tell if you don’t! Fire-roasted canned tomatoes can also be used in the sauce in place of regular to boost the smoky flavor of the finished dish.

Step 5 – Assemble and Bake the Casserole

Scatter half of the sliced peppers over the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and top with 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar. Repeat with another layer of each.

Pour the egg mixture over the top. Keep in mind that the eggs will puff a bit as they cook, so you don’t want to use a baking dish that’s so small it’s filled to the rim.

Place the casserole in the oven on the middle rack and bake until the eggs are cooked through, for about 45 minutes.

The edges will be golden-brown and puffy with a bit of browning on top as well, and the center of the casserole will be fully set.

Step 6 – Make the Sauce

While the casserole is baking, move on to the sauce. I think this homemade component is the key to the whole dish that really makes this meal something special, whether you’re enjoying it for breakfast during the week or brunch on a leisurely weekend morning at home.

If you’ve already done enough prep for the day and you’re ready to sneak in your first Lazy Sunday nap instead, you could serve this casserole with a citrusy pico de gallo and a dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema.

Then again, if the thought of tasty made-from-scratch pico has piqued your interest, we have a recipe for that too!

Add the oil to a medium saucepot over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon chili powder blend. Stir to coat the veggies in the spices. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, for about 30 seconds. Scraping to release any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, pour in the canned tomatoes and chicken stock, then turn the heat up to medium-high.

Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Either using a handheld immersion blender or transferring the mixture to a high-speed blender or food processor, puree until you have a smooth sauce.

Be sure to allow the sauce to cool a bit for safety before blending if you need to, and vent the top of countertop appliances by removing the lid plug or food pusher, placing a towel over the top to prevent splatters. We don’t want any steam burns here!

You can also loosely wrap a clean kitchen towel around the top of the pan when immersion blending to prevent splatters. Never use an immersion blender in a shallow pot, and make sure the blades are fully submerged in the liquid.

Return the sauce to the pan if you used a countertop blender or food processor. Bring the sauce back to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Whisk in the vinegar, and season the sauce to taste with additional salt if necessary. Cover the pot with a lid so it stays warm.

Step 7 – Plate and Serve

Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. This lets the ingredients set completely and helps to keep the eggs from deflating, which can happen if you slice into it too soon.

Chop the cilantro and green onion tops for the garnishes while you wait.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce on each plate and top with a slice of the casserole. Garnish each serving with cilantro and green onion tops and serve.