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Easy Hatch Green Chile Relleno Casserole Recipe

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Talk about a delicious and easy casserole! This simple recipe is a spin on the traditional chile rellenos.


The traditional version of chile rellenos are poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped into an egg batter, and then deep fried. They are super delicious but can take a lot of time to make.

This recipe is basically putting a lot of chiles in a big pan, adding tons of gooey cheese, and adding an egg batter on top.

This is a great recipe for when you’re looking for fast and yummy!

Chili Relleno Casserole

There is a white round plate with a piece of egg, cheese, and green chilis casserole on it. There is red salsa and a dollop of sour cream on top of the casserole. There is a fork on the plate with some of the casserole on it. There is a white cloth napkin on the side of the plate. In the background the is a clear baking dish with casserole in it. All the items are on a black marble surface.

Why We Love This Chile Rellenos Casserole

  • It can be a side dish, a main meal dish, or even a delicious breakfast dish.
  • It’s a meatless casserole however you can add cooked ground beef to make it even heartier.
  • You can use different kinds of cheese – Monterey jack cheese, asadero cheese, cheddar cheeses, and even pepper jack cheese for a little heat.

Ingredients For Hatch Chile Relleno Casserole

There are nine bowls with ingredients in them. One has white shredded cheese, one with yellow shredded cheese, one with green chiles, one with milk, one with 4 brown eggs, one with flour, one with black pepper, one with garlic powder, and one with onion powder. All the bowls are on a white marble surface.

What You Will Need

  • Whole green chiles (see FAQ’s below)
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • All purpose flour
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Black pepper
  • Toppings (optional) – sour cream, salsa, sliced jalapeno peppers, and fresh chopped cilantro

Helpful Tools

  • 9 x13 inch casserole dish
  • Medium bowl
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Electric hand mixer or standing mixer
  • Aluminum foil
  • Paper towels
  • Egg separater
  • Whisk
  • Kitchen knife
  • Oven mitts

How To Make This Easy Chile Relleno Casserole

There is a gray cutting board with large green chili peppers cut open. Some have seeds in them. some do not. There is a large stainless steel knife laying on the cutting board. In the background there is a white square bowl with green peppers in it. Items are on a white marble surface.
  • Preheat oven.
  • Spray baking dish with non stick cooking spray.
  • Split open whole green chile peppers, remove seeds, and pat dry with a paper towel.
Large clear rectangular dish with a layer of cheese and green chilis in it. Dish is on a white marble surface.
  • Place half of the chile peppers on the bottom of the dish.
Large clear rectangular dish with a layer of cheese and green chilis underneath the cheese in it. Dish is on a white marble surface.
  • Sprinkle half of the cheese (both kinds) over the layer of chiles.
Large clear rectangular dish a with layer of green chili and cheese underneath in it. Dish is on a white marble surface.
  • Repeat step by layering the rest of the chiles on top of the cheese.
Large clear rectangular dish with 2 layers of cheese and green chili casserole in it. Dish is on a white marble surface.
  • Use the remaining cheese and cover the top layer of chiles.
White mixing bowl with fluffy whipped egg whites in it. The bowl is sitting on a white marble surface.
  • Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.
  • Beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
White mixing bowl with milk, flour, ground black pepper, and four egg yolks in it. There is a stainless steel whisk laying next to the bowl. Items are on a white marble surface.
  • Combine the milk, flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper with the egg yolks and whisk together.
Large white mixing bowl with white foamy liquid in it. The bowl is sitting on a white marble surface.
  • Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk and milk mixture.
Large clear rectangular dish with an unbaked egg, cheese, and green chili casserole in it. Dish is on a white marble surface.
  • Slowly pour the egg mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.
Large clear rectangular dish with a baked egg, cheese, and green chili casserole in it. Dish is on a white marble surface.
  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake.
  • Using oven mitts, remove the foil.
  • Bake another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.
There is a white round plate with a piece of egg, cheese, and green chilis casserole on it. There is a scoop of brown refried beans on the plate with diced white onions and green cilantro on top. There are 3 thin slices of green jalapeno peppers on the plate. In the background there are 2 small white bowls. One has red salsa in it the other has white sour cream in it. There is a clear glass baking dish with casserole behind the 2 small white bowls. There is a stemmed glass with yellow liquid in it sitting left of the plate. Items are sitting on a white surface.

Serve the casserole as the main dish with refried beans or Mexican rice as side dishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Hatch Green Chilis?

Hatch green chili is the generic name for chiles that come from one specific area of the county, Hatch Valley, New Mexico.

Hatch chiles are to Hatch, New Mexico what Vidalia onions are to Vidalia, Georgia.

When Is Hatch Chili Season?

Hatch season only comes around once a year and for a very short time.

The season starts at the beginning of August and is over by the end of September.

Can I Use Canned Chiles?

Yes, definitely. I used canned chiles for this recipe!

Fresh peppers are always the best but since the season for fresh hatch chiles is so short, it’s perfectly fine to use either canned or frozen hatch chiles.

How Do I Roast Peppers?

The method of roasting chiles is basically the same for all types of peppers.

Here is a great and easy recipe for roasting hatch chiles in the oven.

Raw hatch chiles have a harsh taste to them, roasting tones the harshness down and brings out their smoky flavor.

What Does Whisking Egg Whites Do?

Whisking or whipping egg whites with an electric mixer, incorporates air into the egg whites.

This technique is used to add height and lightness to recipes and baked goods.

There are 2 Empanadas, a small bowl of red salsa and a piece of an egg, cheese, and green chili casserole on a white round plate. There is a white cloth napkin next to the plate. The items are on a black marble surface.

If you’re serving the casserole as a side dish, empanadas or tacos are wonderful main dishes to have.

Other Easy Recipes From Join Me In The Kitchen:

Yield: 12 servings

Easy Hatch Green Chile Relleno Casserole Recipe

There is a white round plate with a piece of egg, cheese, and green chilis casserole on it. There is red salsa and a dollop of sour cream on top of the casserole. There is a fork on the plate with some of the casserole on it. There is a white cloth napkin on the side of the plate. In the background the is a clear baking dish with casserole in it. All the items are on a black marble surface.

This simple recipe is a spin on the traditional chile rellenos. It's basically putting a lot of chiles in a big pan, adding tons of gooey cheese, and adding an egg batter on top.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 27 ounce can of whole green chiles (see FAQ's)
  • 16 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese - found in the refrigerated section at your local grocery store.
  • 16 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend - found in the refrigerated section at your local grocery store.
  • 4 eggs - separated
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Toppings (optional) - sour cream, salsa, sliced jalapeno peppers, and fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray baking dish with non stick cooking spray.
  3. Split open whole green chile peppers, remove seeds, and pat dry with a paper towel.
  4. Place half of the chile peppers on the bottom of the dish in a single layer.
  5. Sprinkle half of the cheese (both kinds) over the layer of chiles.
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 by layering the remaining hatch chiles on top of the cheese making sure to cover all areas and use the remaining cheese and cover the top layer of chiles.
  7. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites having the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the whites in a separate medium size bowl.
  8. Beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  9. Add the milk, flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper to the egg yolks and whisk together.
  10. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk milk mixture. Completely blend.
  11. Slowly pour the egg mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.
  12. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.
  13. Using oven mitts, remove the dish from the oven and remove the foil.
  14. Return dish to the oven. Bake another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.
  15. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Helpful Tools

  • 9 x13 inch casserole dish
  • Medium bowl
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Electric hand mixer or standing mixer
  • Aluminum foil
  • Paper towels
  • Egg separater
  • Whisk
  • Kitchen knife
  • Oven mitts

Why We Love This Chile Rellenos Casserole

  • It can be a side dish, a main meal dish, or even a delicious breakfast dish.
  • It's a meatless casserole however you can add cooked ground beef to make it even heartier.
  • You can use different kinds of cheese - Monterey jack cheese, asadero cheese, cheddar cheeses, and even pepper jack cheese for a little heat.

Can I Use Canned Chiles?

Yes, definitely. I used canned chiles for this recipe.

Fresh peppers are always the best but since the season for fresh hatch chiles is so short, it's perfectly fine to use either canned or frozen hatch chiles.

What Does Whisking Egg Whites Do?

Although it isn't a tragedy if you skip this step however, whisking or whipping egg whites with an electric mixer, incorporates air into the egg whites.

This technique is used to add height and lightness to recipes and baked goods.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest


Pattie

Thursday 7th of March 2024

Made this tonight, used 1 lb ground beef in between the last layer of peppers and cheese. Unfortunately, there is no amount listed for the milk. I guessed and used about 1.5 cups. We thought it came out well and tasted ok

Laura @ Join me in the Kitchen

Thursday 7th of March 2024

Hi Pattie! Thank you so much for making the Chili Relleno Casserole. I totally had overlooked the milk quantity! Thank you for letting me know! I use 2 cups of milk, so 1.5 cups was a great estimate. I like the idea of adding ground beef to the dish. Sounds very tasty! Cheers! Laura

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