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If you like chile Rellenos, this easy-to-make chile relleno casserole is for you! This dish has all the flavor of a chile relleno without all the mess and fuss.
I grew up in SoCal, which meant that absolutely scrumptious Mexican food—the authentic kind—was always readily available. That was a treat, let me tell you. I was a lucky kid. We ate at great little Mexican food joints at least once a week.
My mom used to make this recipe and it was one of my favorite dishes. In fact, this recipe was perhaps the most requested one in her entire dinner rotation—I would have eaten it twice a week, every week.
My mom likes the casserole plain, without all the extra toppings. But now, I served it my own way. My family likes this easy recipe topped with a little enchilada sauce that we pass on the side and a generous dollop of sour cream with chopped green onions. Plus, of course, fresh cilantro!
I adore authentic chile relleno Mexicanos, but honestly, any decent chile relleno recipe is pretty difficult to make. Charring and peeling the peppers takes a huge chunk of time—and sometimes the batter doesn’t adhere well to the pepper. That creates its own host of problems. Then there’s the frying… UGH.
No matter how accomplished you are as a cook, no matter how many times you’ve fried something, there’s still a massive mess to clean up after frying in your own kitchen. I’m talking about a whole kitchen mess—floors, walls, dishes, etc. Plus, if the oil isn’t hot enough you end up with a greasy or soggy chile relleno batter. Let me tell ya…it ain’t a pretty picture!
This recipe avoids all that by making a delicious casserole dish similar to a baked chile relleno recipe.
I use readily available whole canned Ortega chilies, and layer them with a cheese filling. Yuuuum. Top that off with a fluffy soufflé-like egg batter for a perfectly textured dish. Order fried chile rellanos at a restaurant and make this simple casserole at home!
Looking for more Mexican-inspired dishes? Try my white chicken enchiladas, Mexican chicken casserole, Mexican tater tot casserole, and Dorito casserole!
Breakfast or Dinner?
Growing up my Mom always served this for dinner. It’s a light, yet hearty dinner. It’s meatless but even her meat-lovin’ family loved this and devoured it anyway.
That said, I realized this was great as a brunch or a breakfast dish. Thinking about chiles relleno, “breakfast casserole” is not what always immediately comes to mind. Yet when you consider the ingredients (eggs, milk, chiles, etc.), it’s not hard to see that the dish actually works pretty well served for breakfast.
So you decide when your family will enjoy this. My guess is they’ll request it at both. You’re gonna love this recipe!
Chile Relleno Casserole Ingredients
- Canned Whole Green Chiles
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Eggs
- Whole Milk
- All-purpose Flour
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Baking Powder
Optional Toppings:
- Pico de gallo or salsa
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Chopped Red, White, or Green Onions
- Cilantro
- Sour Cream or Mexican Crema
- Warmed Enchilada Sauce– Red or Green
Tips
- Chiles: Authentic chiles rellenos are made with either Anaheim or Poblano chiles. This recipe uses whole, canned Ortega chilies—those are Anaheim chilies. Conveniently, they come already charred and peeled in a can. Peeling and charring is one of the most time-consuming parts of a chile relleno dish, so having it pre-done is a real-time saver.
- Anaheim chilies are the mildest of the chilies; they have a wonderful, slightly sweet taste. All you need to do is remove them from the can, pat them dry with a paper towel, and split them in half lengthwise to remove the seeds. Then… enjoy!
- If you like things on the spicy side, feel free the leave the seeds in. My family likes sweet chiles without seeds, so that’s what I serve.
- Fresh vs. Canned: If you want to try this recipe with fresh chilies you absolutely can! You’ll just need to do that charring and peeling on your own. Traditionalists will insist on using fresh chilies in this recipe. But I just think using the Ortega chilies from a can yields a casserole that is just as delicious as one made with fresh chilies—and the canned chilies are way easier.
- If you want to go the fresh route, here’s the basic process:
-
- Place the chiles directly on an open flame, like a gas burner or a barbecue. You really need that open flame to correctly charr the chile. Turn the pepper every minute or so, never letting it sit too long on one side. The skin on the chile will begin to blacken and blister—you might occasionally hear a popping sound.
- When most of the skin is covered with black areas or blisters, place the chile in a plastic bag and seal it. As the peppers sit in the bag, the skin will steam and, after a few minutes, you can easily peel them. Using this method, you should generally only need your fingers for the peeling process.
- Once peeled, rinse the peppers under running water and pat them dry.
- Split the chilies in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (or leave them in for a spicier dish!)
How To Make Chile Relleno Casserole
- Remove chiles from the can, split in half, remove the seeds, and rinse. Pat dry.
- Mix eggs, milk, flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder in a bowl.
- Arrange a layer of chiles in a baking dish.
- Sprinkle cheese over the peppers. Repeat with two more layers.
- Pour egg mixture over chiles.
- Bake.
***See the full instructions below.
What To Serve With Chile Relleno Casserole
Oh, this wonderful casserole goes with so many delicious dishes! Here are my absolute favorites: Mexican rice, drunken beans, Southwest salad, jalapeno cornbread, and Mexican street corn casserole.
And for the adults only…how about a slushy pineapple margarita, or a pink margarita!
Dessert is always a hit with myAtlantic Beach pie, pineapple delight, classic pineapple upside down cake, non-alcoholic margarita cake. The bright citrus flavors that go marvelously with chile rellano flavors!
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Once cooked, this casserole will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just let it cool completely and cover tightly with wrap before sliding it into the fridge.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! Once completely cooled, hotel wrap first then aluminum foil to protect against freezer burn. Just slow thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. I like to freeze individual pieces that we can grab one at a time as desired. The smaller pieces can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
- Leftover casserole with eggs can last up to 2 months in the freezer.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can assemble this the day before you need it and put it in the fridge, unbaked overnight, then bake it the next day.
Variations
Make Mine Meaty: You can use ground beef, turkey, or chicken. Here’s how to make a meaty version of this casserole;
-
In a large frying pan, brown and crumble 1 pound of ground meat seasoned with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of both ground cumin and oregano. Once ground meat is thoroughly cooked, drain.
- Follow the recipe below through step #3
- Begin step #4 on the recipe below. After layering the single layer of chiles and sprinkling with cheese, layer 1/3 of the browned and drained ground meat. Then repeat with two more layers. Pour egg mixture over chiles.
- Bake as instructed.
More Mexican-Inspired Favorites
- Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Shredded Beef Enchiladas
- Carne Picada
- Taco Mac and Cheese
- Pozole Verde
- Taco Casserole
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! ❤️ Kathleen
Chile Relleno Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 (7 ounce) cans whole green chiles, drained
- 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Toppings:
- 1 cup enchilada sauce, warmed
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup green onions thinly sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Remove chiles from the can (4 cans), split in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and rinse. Lay on paper towels and pat to dry.
- Add eggs (5), milk (1 1/4 cups), flour (1/4 cup), salt (1/4 teaspoon), pepper (1/4 teaspoon), and baking powder (1/2 teaspoon) to a medium bowl and beat until smooth.
- Arrange a single layer of chiles in the prepared baking dish, cover the bottom completely. Sprinkle 1/3 of each cheese evenly over peppers. Repeat with two more layers. Pour egg mixture over chiles.
- Bake, uncovered, 30-40 minutes, or until center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- Chiles: Authentic chiles rellenos are made with either Anaheim or Poblano chiles. This recipe uses whole, canned Ortega chilies—those are Anaheim chilies. Conveniently, they come already charred and peeled in a can. Peeling and charring is one of the most time-consuming parts of a chile relleno dish, so having it pre-done is a real-time saver.
- Anaheim chilies are the mildest of the chilies; they have a wonderful, slightly sweet taste. All you need to do is remove them from the can, pat them dry with a paper towel, and split them in half lengthwise to remove the seeds. Then… enjoy!
- If you like things on the spicy side, feel free the leave the seeds in. My family likes sweet chiles without seeds, so that’s what I serve.
- Fresh vs. Canned: If you want to try this recipe with fresh chilies you absolutely can! You’ll just need to do that charring and peeling on your own. Traditionalists will insist on using fresh chilies in this recipe. But I just think using the Ortega chilies from a can yields just as delicious as a casserole as fresh chilies—and the canned chilies are way easier.
- If you want to go for the fresh route, here’s the basic process:
-
- Place the chiles directly on an open flame, like a gas burner or a barbecue. You really need that open flame to correctly charr the chile. Turn the pepper every minute or so, never letting it sit too long on one side. The skin on the chile will begin to blacken and blister—you might occasionally hear a popping sound.
- When most of the skin is covered with black areas or blisters, place the chile in a plastic bag and seal it. As the peppers sit in the bag, the skin will steam and, after a few minutes, you can easily peel them. Using this method, you should generally only need your fingers for the peeling process.
- Once peeled, rinse the peppers under running water and pat them dry.
- Split the chilies in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (or leave them in for a spicier dish!)
Nutrition
I added cooked and crumbled bacon to the egg mixture…..YUM!!
That’s super yummy!! Enjoy 🙂
Loved this easy but wonderful casserole.
Reduced it to four people and turned out great.
Will have leftovers later this week.
Yaaay, thank you! I’m glad it was a hit 🙂
I’ve made this dish 4x and everyone that I’ve made it for loved it including me. They all asked me for the recipe which I passed it on. Making it tomorrow for my vets office. Thank you very much.🥰
Wow, that’s incredible, Frank! Thank you for your positive feedback. I’m glad it was a hit! 🙂
At our house we LOVE hot and spicy food. Your recipe was fabulous but the chilies I purchased were so hot I couldn’t eat anything and that’s very unusual for me. I have looked for cans that say MILD Whole green chilies and in Wichita, Kansas I have only found large cans of extremely hot chilies. I was going to order the Ortega – Mild can from amazon but they wanted $9.00 a can and that’s just insane. I’m going to try the recipe again but with fresh mild peppers. there has just got to be a way to fix this without dying.
Holy Cow, my friend! I have to tell you if you can ever find the Ortega “mild’ chiles, you will find there is very little heat! I hate that Amazon is charging that absurd amount of money. It’s totally ridiculous!!! Have you checked at the online Walmart site???
Can believe what they wanted to charge her either. If any way possible I would be more then happy to mail to her for free,
You’re so right, my fam didn’t look for meat! We all love it!
See?! Hehe, thank you so much, Ivy! 🙂
Thanks so much! Very low-carb friendly, to me. Great dish, and a very user-friendly way to enjoy a full Chile relleno “bite.” P.S. I saw helpful subs on search, yet can’t find here.
Thank you, Lorraine! Glad you like this casserole 🙂
Can this be made ahead?
Yes, it can!
Loved them. We did spice them up a bit by adding chopped jalapenos to the garnish topping. Please add diced tomatoes to your ingredient list, as shown in the pictures of the topping.
So glad you love the recipe, Dave!
Wow. I will admit to being somewhat of a purist or food snob when it comes to cooking but this stuff is pretty good. I love a good chile relleno and I always use fresh poblanos, char them and peel, stuff, dip in the beaten egg and fry. That traditional way is so good but with the frying usually also comes some cussing. This is a no-cuss recipe for sure! I have now made it with both the Ortega canned chiles and with fresh poblanos, chared and peeled. With fresh it is best but with canned it becomes slap together easy. Thanks.
Hi Jim! 😀 So glad to hear you enjoyed the casserole.
I made this dish last night. Not only did it turn out beautiful it tasted great!! Sorry i forgot to take a pic. The only person that got seconds was my boyfriend. The last portion i had i was keeplng fotr myself for today but ended up giving it to a friend. I believe the next time i make it i’m going to have to double the recipe. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome, Brenda! ❤️ Glad to hear you liked it!
Made this and followed recipe, was very tasty, I do like Chili Rellenos at restaurants. Then I made this recipe a second time, used two (2) 27oz cans of Ortega Fire Roasted Mild peppers, as I love them. added in browned ground beef, drained well to remove fat/grease, chopped Cilantro, chopped green onions (4 to 6 depending on your preference), and chopped black olives. As I increased the recipe, I also used more of the cheeses, too. Baked at 350 in 9×13 casserole dish for maybe 45 min, checking to be sure egg and flour mixture had properly set. After cooling, I found the taste and texture to be extremely good.
Wow, Bill! Yours sound amazing! I can’t wait to make this your way. I’m happy that the basic recipe worked well for you and supported your incredible additions! 🙂
Bill did you increase the eggs and milk as well as the cheeses?
Hi Kathleen,
Your recipe looks amazing and I am so looking forward to trying it, however I have not been able to find the canned Chile’s and was wondering how many of the fresh Poblano Chile’s I would need for this recipe.
Thanks so much!
Gosh, Susan I’m not sure. Strange as it sounds, as often as I’ve made this, I’ve never noticed how many are in a can! I’m so sorry 🙁
I just made it. It seems like there are about 18 in a 27 oz can of o of Ortega Chiles. The store was out of the smaller cans. I find the large can covers each layer perfectly.
Wow! This looks so amazing. I can’t wait to try this tonight for my family! Have you thought to add jalepenos to this recipe? I’m trying to spice it up a bit more!
Hi. I made this tonight and it was great! Thank you! I did add a few shakes of chili powder and cumin to the mixture, but that’s it! I looked at several recipes and your picture of the end product sold me. While cooking it, I made sure to cook it until it looked similarly browned. I like how it cut easily into serving squares too. We didn’t even bother with toppings, it tasted so good. Thanks again.
Hi Len, I am happy that you chose this recipe and that you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this Chile Relleno Casserole and I hope you consider trying more of our recipes!
Love the recipe! Just making sure with egg mixture, do you pour over chilies on each layer or just top layer? Tia
Hi Corinne. I add them over the top. 🙂