Chile Relleno Casserole

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This is the BEST chile relleno casserole! Made with fire-roasted green chiles, eggs, and a mix of savory melty cheese, it’s the ideal breakfast bake for Easter, Christmas and Sunday brunch. To make breakfast tacos, enjoy it with crispy air fryer bacon or sausage, and flour tortillas.

📌 Pin Chile Relleno Casserole

This easy breakfast bake was adapted from a recipe my sister Rachelle shared with me more than 20 years ago. It’s a recipe her friend Kathy had shared with her. Like this tater tot breakfast casserole, it’s a perfect make-ahead breakfast.

🛒 Ingredients

This easy breakfast casserole is assembled with common refrigerator and pantry staples. If you don’t have one or more of the listed ingredients, check the “ingredient swaps” section of this post before running to the market!

• Poblano Pepper: Gives this breakfast casserole a mild Mexican flavor. But feel free to use Hatch chiles or Anaheim chiles instead. And if you’d like to make this recipe faster, use 2 cans fire-roasted diced green chiles: one 4-oz can plus one 7-oz can, drained.
• White Onion: This is the type we use for this dish in Mexico. But feel free to use yellow onion or shallots instead.
• Olive Oil: We use this oil for sautéing the onion. But if you don’t have it on hand, use canola oil or vegetable oil instead.
• Large Eggs: Are essential for this breakfast casserole. They provide structure, texture and richness.
• All-purpose Flour: Thickens the mixture so the casserole is not runny.
• Baking Powder: Provides lift and and a fluffy texture.
• Sea Salt: This seasoning enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Freshly-ground Black Pepper: Adds depth of flavor and spice.
• Paprika: Adds a rustic smoky flavor to the dish.
• Cottage Cheese: Adds richness and creaminess to the breakfast bake. But if desired, you can use ricotta cheese instead.
• Pepper Jack Cheese: Or you can use Jack cheese or mozzarella instead. I recommended shredding cheese on grater at home. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating that prevents the pieces from sticking together. The coating also prevents the cheese from melting well.
• Medium Cheddar Cheese: A delicious cheese that melts well and contributes a delicious color to our chile relleno casserole. If you don’t have it on hand, use Colby Jack instead.
• Butter: Adds a buttery flavor and richness to the chile relleno casserole. It’s also used to butter the bottom and sides of the baking dish.
• Optional Garnishes: Cilantro and diced tomatoes.

How to Roast Poblano Peppers 2 Ways

For this authentic chile relleno casserole, we want the awesome flavor that comes from fresh fire-roasted green chiles. The taste and texture is more amazing than chiles from a store-bought can. Here are 2 easy methods for roasting poblano peppers at home.

Over an Open Flame

This is the authentic method for roasting chiles for Mexican recipes. It’s done on the gas stovetop over an open flame. The process is very quick! You can also roast several chiles at a time on a BBQ.

1. On the stovetop, work with one chile at a time. Rest the poblano pepper directly over the stovetop grate. Turn on the burner to medium-high.
2. Allow skin of the chile to blacken and blister, but not catch fire. With stainless-steel tongs, rotate the pepper over the flame so all sides are roasted. The skins will be dark green with patches of black. Depending on size, this takes about 2-3 minutes per chile.

Under the Oven Broiler

Using your oven broiler is an easy way to roast and blister the skins of green chiles for this chile relleno casserole. You can roast chiles in a toaster oven!

1. Adjust oven rack to a top position (either the first or second slot, depending on the height of the chiles). Preheat the broiler. On a baking tray, arrange poblano peppers in a single layer, leaving a bit of space between each.
2. Roast them under the broiler for 5-10 minutes, rotating them frequently with a long pair of kitchen tongs. They’re done when the green skins have bubbled up and blistered, with some blackened areas on all sides.

CHILE PEPPER IQ: The heat of a chile is concentrated in the veins and seeds. Once removed from poblano chiles, they become even more mild. The flavor of this green chili casserole is also mild and perfect for the whole family.

🔪 How to Remove the Skins from Poblano Chiles

1. Immediately place the steaming-hot blackened poblanos inside a large zip-top bag. Seal the bag and set it aside for 10 minutes. The steam inside the bag will help loosen up the skins.
2. Remove the peppers and transfer to a board. Use paper towels to rub off the charred skin, or use a knife to scrape it off.
3. Slice the stems off the chiles, and the ends at the bottom. Open them up. Scrape out the seeds and veins. The poblano peppers are now perfectly prepped for this chile relleno casserole recipe!

KITCHEN TIP: Poblano chiles are mild. But when handling chiles of any type, never touch your eyes. Afterwards, thoroughly clean your hands, nails, and work surface with soap and water.

📖 Recipe Steps

RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 350°F. With butter, grease bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 baking dish. If doubling this recipe, use a 9 x 13 baking dish or two 8 x 8 square bakers.

1. Add olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add onions to the pan with a pinch of salt and a few twists of freshly-ground pepper. Sauté until tender and fragrant, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
2. Crack eggs into a batter bowl and beat them well. Add flour, baking powder, salt and paprika to the bowl. Whisk until smooth with no lumps. Add onion, cottage cheese, melted butter. Mix briefly.
3. Add chiles and shredded cheeses to the bowl. With a rubber spatula, mix until incorporated.
4. Pour casserole mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for 45-48 minutes, or until it’s no longer jiggly. The breakfast casserole should be golden blonde on the top and edges, and well set in the middle. Allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing into squares.

🍽 Ways to Enjoy Chile Relleno Casserole

This dish is super versatile! I usually make 2 at a time in square bakers. I serve one then keep the other as a make-ahead breakfast casserole. Here’s how we enjoy this recipe at my house.

• Breakfast Tacos: Chile relleno casserole is perfect for making breakfast tacos! Scoop a spoonful into the middle of a warm corn tortilla along with your choice of breakfast meat: sausage links, sausage patties, crispy bacon, or thin pieces of pan-fried ham.
• Sunday Brunch: Serve cleanly-cut squares of this casserole with a variety of other offerings like bacon, breakfast potatoes, waffles and fresh fruit.
• Appetizers: Cut this green chili casserole into tiny squares and arrange them on a small platter. These bite-size appetizers are like crustless mini quiche! Perfect for dinner parties and all occasions.
• Dinner: Like an enchilada or a puffy fried chile relleno, squares of this breakfast bake can be served as an entree. For a Mexican meal, pair it up with rice and beans.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Grate cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is covered in a coating to keep it from clumping together. Because it doesn’t melt as smoothly as hand grated, breakfast casseroles can end up oily on the top and sides.
• More add-ins for this casserole. Chopped crispy bacon, cooked breakfast sausage, red bell peppers and mushrooms.
• Make-ahead breakfast casserole: There are 2 options. Assemble the chile relleno casserole. But instead of baking it, cover the dish tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. Or bake the casserole, and after it cools, cover it tightly with foil and refrigerate. Then reheat the whole dish, or rewarm individual portions.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Recipe FAQ

🍳 More Delicious Brunch Recipes

If you enjoyed this yummy breakfast bake, you’ll love these other recipes too. Save your favorites for later. Add them to your monthly meal plan. Put them on rotation.

• Sausage Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole
• Pumpkin Bread Pudding
• Tater To Breakfast Casserole
• Lemon Blueberry Crepes
• Sheet Pan Pancakes
• Funfetti Pancakes
• Air Fryer Egg Bites

Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flavor testers say this is the BEST chile relleno casserole! They love the light fluffy texture filled with savory flavors like cheese and poblano peppers. They all went back for seconds.

If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

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Chile Relleno Casserole 👉🏻 Join the Convo

Are you excited to make this savory chile relleno casserole? Will you serve it for Sunday brunch, or a special holiday like Easter or Christmas? Share your thoughts on this easy breakfast bake recipe in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.