Guest Author - Martha McKinnon

This easy Mexican casserole is made for those who want the flavor of chiles rellenos with less time and fewer calories. You can find authentic Mexican chiles rellenos on the menu of all good Mexican restaurants. They are poblano chiles that are roasted, peeled, seeded and stuffed with cheese then dipped in an egg batter and deep fried before being topped with salsa and crema, Mexican sour cream. Although delicious, traditional chiles rellenos is something I don't routinely make at home since they take a fair amount of work and require deep fat frying.

That's where recipes for easy Mexican casseroles, like this Chiles Rellenos Casserole, come to the rescue. You get the flavors of chiles rellenos with less work. And since you bake the rellenos instead of frying them, you save calories too.

I like to serve Chiles Rellenos Casserole with a simple green salad and roasted tomato salsa. This easy Mexican casserole makes a great weekend breakfast or brunch dish too.

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Chiles Rellenos Casserole Recipe

Since this recipe for chiles rellenos casserole is meant to be easy, it calls for canned green chiles. For a more authentic result, feel free to substitute freshly roasted, skinned, stemmed, and seeded poblano chiles.

2 (4.25-ounce) cans whole green chiles, drained
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish by brushing it with oil or spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.

Cut a slit in each chile down one side lengthwise. In a small bowl combine the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Fill each chile with about 3 tablespoons of cheese and press the opening closed. Place the cheese stuffed chiles into the baking dish seam side down.

In a medium-size mixing bowl whisk the eggs, milk, flour and salt until well blended and frothy. Pour the egg mixture over the chiles in the baking dish. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until light golden brown.

This makes about 6 servings of Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Chiles Rellenos Casserole Variations

*For a little more spice, use pepper jack cheese in place of the Monterey Jack
*Vary the filling to suit your tastes. We sometimes use a mixture of refried beans and cheese or sauteed chopped zucchini and corn and cheese in our chile relleno casserole.