Chile Relleno Casserole
This amazing Chile Relleno Casserole is mildly spicy, and has so much flavor! Layers of roasted poblano peppers, eggs, spices, roasted salsa, green chiles, and 5 different cheeses, are baked to fluffy and cheesy perfection. With more flavor than restaurant-style chile rellenos, this Mexican casserole recipe is one you will want to save and make again and again! This delicious casserole is keto, and can be made so many different ways, including very mild or spicy depending on your preference. A must try recipe!
The poblano peppers can be roasted, prepped, and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead, making this casserole quick to assemble when it’s time to bake. To learn how to make this amazing Mexican casserole recipe, see the printable recipe card below. Take a look at the recipe video, or get Step by Step Instructions for a more detailed explanation of this recipe. For other recipe variations including vegetarian, gluten-free, quick & easy, very mild, medium spicy, or extra spicy versions, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.
Sign up for a free subscription to our monthly newsletter and access to exclusive content.
To browse some of our favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and pantry items, visit our Recommended Products page.
RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
CHILE RELLENO CASSEROLE
Ingredients
Instructions
- Roast, peel skin, and remove the seeds from poblano peppers. Split them in half, and set aside (can be made ahead).
- Place oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10.5 x 7.5 inch baking dish (2.8 inch depth) with avocado oil cooking spray, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add flour, baking powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, chicken bouillon powder, and salt, and whisk to combine. Set aside flour mixture.
- In a medium bowl, add eggs, and half & half, and whisk until combined and a little frothy. While whisking, add ¼ of the flour mixture at a time to the egg mixture, until well combined. Transfer mixture to a large measuring cup (4-cup).
- Create an Assembly Line: baking dish, roasted poblano peppers, egg mixture, sliced pepper jack cheese, shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend, Herdez roasted salsa roja (medium), and diced green chiles.
- First Layer: In a single layer, lay out half of the roasted poblano peppers (flat & opened), in the prepared baking dish. Stir (or whisk) the egg mixture again, and pour half all over the peppers (about 1 cup). Then layer half of the pepper jack cheese (about 4-5 slices), and half of the shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend. Add half of the mild diced green chiles, then spoon all the Herdez roasted salsa roja, and evenly spread the salsa. Second Layer: Add remaining peppers and egg mixture. Then add remaining diced green chiles (mild), pepper jack cheese, and shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend.
- Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, or until melted, bubbly, puffy, and a little golden on the edges. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. While the casserole is cooling, heat Herdez roasted salsa roja (medium - optional garnish). Serve casserole, then spoon warm salsa around the casserole, and garnish with a sprig of cilantro (optional).
Notes
- If using medium sized poblano peppers, you will need about 8 (or even more if smaller). For details on how to roast peppers, visit my Tips & Tricks page and watch the video for TIP #27 - How to Roast Poblano Peppers.
- Gluten-Free Option: Replace all purpose flour with ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
- The chicken bouillon powder gives this dish a more authentic flavor. As a vegetarian option, substitute with vegetable bouillon powder.
- For a flavorful and medium spicy version of this casserole, I recommend using sliced Tillamook pepper jack cheese or Sargento sliced pepper jack cheese (you can also use shredded). Each slice of the Tillamook brand is 1 ounce, so you will use 10 ounces (or just spread out 8 slices over the casserole). Each slice of the Sargento brand is less than one ounce, so you will use an 8 ounce package. For a mild version, replace with 8 ounces sliced (or shredded) Monterey jack cheese.
- Makes 8 servings (or 6 generous servings).
Nutrition Facts
Calories
308.67Fat (grams)
21.6Sat. Fat (grams)
12.24Carbs (grams)
9.68Fiber (grams)
2.4Net carbs
7.27Sugar (grams)
3.34Protein (grams)
19.35Sodium (milligrams)
749.69Cholesterol (grams)
173.45Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Optional garnishes are not included in the nutritional calculations.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
STEP 1
Place oven rack in the top third of the oven, and set oven to broil. Place 7 large poblano peppers on a baking sheet, and broil to char the skin, turning every few minutes. Cool, peel, and remove the seeds. Split them in half, and set aside (can be made ahead - see Note below).
Note: If using medium sized poblano peppers, you will need about 8 (or even more if smaller). For details on how to roast peppers, visit my Tips & Tricks page and watch the video for TIP #28 - How to Roast Poblano Peppers (video coming soon). Or for the quick & easy variation, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.
STEP 2
Place oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10.5 x 7.5 inch baking dish (2.8 inch depth) with avocado oil cooking spray, and set aside.
STEP 1
In a small bowl, add ¼ cup all purpose flour (see Note below), ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder (see Note below), and 1 pinch kosher salt, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Note: For recipe variations, including gluten-free, vegetarian, quick & easy, very mild, medium spicy, or extra spicy variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.
STEP 4
In a medium bowl, add 5 large eggs, and ½ cup half & half, and whisk until combined and a little frothy. While whisking, add ¼ of the flour mixture at a time to the egg mixture, until well combined. Transfer mixture to a large measuring cup (4-cup).
STEP 5
Create an assembly line with all your ingredients: baking dish, roasted poblano peppers, egg mixture, 10 slices pepper jack cheese (8 ounces - see Note #3), 2 cups shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend (8 ounces), ½ cup Herdez roasted salsa roja (medium), and 4 ounces diced green chiles (mild - 1 can).
Note: For recipe variations, including gluten-free, vegetarian, quick & easy, very mild, medium spicy, or extra spicy variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.
STEP 6a - First Layer
Add half of the roasted poblano peppers (opened & laid out flat in a single layer) to the prepared baking dish. Stir (or whisk) the egg mixture again, and pour half all over the peppers (about 1 cup). Then layer on half of the pepper jack cheese (about 4-5 slices), and half of the shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend. Add half of the diced green chiles (mild), then spoon all the Herdez roasted salsa roja (medium), and evenly spread the salsa.
STEP 6b - Second Layer
Add remaining peppers and egg mixture. Then add remaining diced green chiles (mild), remaining pepper jack cheese, and remaining shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend.
STEP 7
Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, or until melted, bubbly, puffy, and a little golden on the edges.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
While the casserole is cooling, heat ½ cup Herdez roasted salsa roja (medium - optional) in a small microwave safe cup.
Serve casserole, then spoon warm salsa around the casserole, and garnish with a sprig of cilantro (optional).
VIDEO
How to Make this Amazing Chile Relleno Casserole!
(VIDEO COMING SOON)
Blog Comments & Tips
Even more flavorful than restaurant-style chile rellenos!
This amazing Chile Relleno Casserole is so incredibly delicious! It’s fluffy, cheesy, and a little spicy. Don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients. This recipe comes together very quickly. And, trust me…you will want to keep it on file and make it again and again.
I must admit that I usually find chile rellenos to be too bland and overly greasy. However, knowing that chile rellenos are fairly keto friendly, I set out to develop a delicious keto recipe that was really tasty even to those that aren’t on keto. After at least 5 attempts over the last year, I finally hit the right combination of flavors and technique to make this yummy recipe.
This Chile Relleno Casserole is not too heavy because it’s not fried like authentic Mexican restaurant chile rellenos. Believe it or not, it’s a lot more tasty! This recipe is very flexible and can easily be made gluten-free, vegetarian, quick & easy, very mild, medium spicy, or even extra spicy.
How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?
My 3 tips to making this delicious Chile Relleno Casserole:
For the best flavor, use fresh poblano peppers and roast them yourself. It takes a little more time, but it’s well worth the flavor. Poblano peppers are typically mildly spicy. Some are spicier than others, so if you are sensitive to spiciness, check out the Pimp My Recipe section below.
To save time, if you are roasting the fresh peppers yourself, make them up to 2 days ahead, and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the casserole.
Use great quality sliced cheese (shredded is fine if you can’t find pre-sliced). For a flavorful and medium spicy version of this casserole, I recommend using sliced Tillamook pepper jack cheese or Sargento sliced pepper jack cheese. Each slice of the Tillamook brand is 1 ounce, so you will use 10 ounces. Each slice of the Sargento brand is less than one ounce, so you will use only 8 ounces of this brand.
It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Medium Spicy: For a flavorful and medium spicy version of this casserole, I recommend using the following:
For a flavorful and medium spicy version of this casserole, I recommend using sliced Tillamook pepper jack cheese or Sargento sliced pepper jack cheese (you can also use shredded). Each slice of the Tillamook brand is 1 ounce, so you will use 10 ounces (or just spread out 8 slices over the casserole). Each slice of the Sargento brand is less than one ounce, so you will use an 8 ounce package.
Make it Extra Spicy: Replace the medium salsa roja with Herdez salsa casera (hot).
Make it Very Mild: To make this super mild, replace the following ingredients:
Instead of roasted fresh roasted poblano peppers, use mild whole green chiles (canned), which are made from mild Anaheim peppers.
Replace the pepper jack cheese with 8 ounces sliced (or shredded) Monterey jack cheese.
You can either omit the salsa in this recipe, or replace the medium salsa roja with Herdez salsa casera (mild).
Make it Vegetarian: The chicken bouillon powder gives this dish a more authentic flavor. As a vegetarian option, substitute with vegetable bouillon powder.
Make it Gluten Free: Replace all purpose flour with ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Make it Quick & Easy: Instead of roasting fresh roasted poblano peppers, use canned mild whole green chiles, as well as pre-sliced and already shredded cheeses, such as 8 ounces sliced (or shredded) Monterey jack cheese.
Make it Less Cheesy: Reduce the amount of sliced cheese to 8 slices (about 6-8 ounces, depending on the brand). Then reduce the amount of shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend to 1 or 1 ½ cups instead (about 4-6 ounces).
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Pimp My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to roast your fresh poblano peppers ahead of time, to make the assembly process much quicker and easier.
Adapted from two Chile Relleno Casserole recipes from yummyhealthyeasy.com and saltycocina.net. I made many changes to both the ingredients and the techniques in these two casserole recipes. I tested yummyhealthyeasy.com’s recipe to start, which I found too bland and very heavy (too much flour), but used it as a base recipe. I was then inspired by salty cocina’s recipe, which had more flavor (but still wasn’t enough). So I added my own spin to this recipe to make it my own and give it TONS of flavor and fluffy texture. I hope you will like my version as much as all my taste testers have - enjoy!
Every editorial product is independently selected. I may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you purchase products via these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
