This easy chile relleno casserole recipe is the perfect one-pan dish, with roasted poblanos, eggs, and cheese, great for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.
Chile Relleno Casserole Recipe
You've likely heard of chile relleno, basically "stuffed pepper", which usually refers to the iconic Mexican dish of roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, then lightly battered and fried.
What if you had it in a casserole format? What we've done here for this recipe is take all of those wonderful ingredients from chile relleno and we're turning it into a casserole dish.
Yes!
Behold, my friends - Chile Relleno Casserole. You're going to love this.
Why I Love This Recipe
What's great about Chile Relleno Casserole is that it's all cooked up in a single pan, making it a very easy meal to prepare and serve.
Everything is cooked and layered up, then baked. Just serve it right out of the pan. I also love that you can serve it as a breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
It's an anytime meal. You can have this done in WAY less than an hour, closer to 40 minutes or so, with a little prep.
Sometimes we like to toss in some Mexican chorizo or shredded chicken before baking it, and then serve it for a simple but satisfying dinner.
Just don't forget the hot sauce! I love this with a good dose of spicy hot sauce.
Let's talk about how to make chile relleno casserole, shall we?
Chile Relleno Casserole Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Poblano Peppers. For roasting. You can also use other stuffing peppers, or pre-roasted peppers, like Hatch chiles, or other green chiles.
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Jalapeno Peppers. For extra spicy heat.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Tomatoes. Fresh, chopped, or canned. Tomato sauce is good as well for a smoother casserole.
- Seasonings. Mexican oregano, paprika, ancho powder (or similar chili powder), cumin, salt and pepper.
- Eggs.
- Cheddar Cheese. Or use Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack, or a combination, or other melty cheese of your liking.
- For Garnish. Spicy chili flakes and fresh chopped herbs.
How to Make Chile Relleno Casserole - the Recipe Steps
The full recipe steps with measurements is listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
First you'll roast your peppers with your preferred roasting method, then peel them. Today I'm using poblano peppers and some jalapenos.
Learn more on how to roast poblano peppers or how to roast chili peppers in general for alternative methods.
You can also use pre-roasted peppers, like these Hatch chiles, which I use in the video below.
Slice the roasted peppers into strips and set them aside.
Next, cook down the jalapeno, onion, and garlic in a large pan, then add the tomatoes and spices.
Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low, until the tomatoes soften up and the mixture becomes saucy.
Layer up a baking dish (or you can use the same pan) with sauce, then roasted chilies.
Then layer in half the cheese, and repeat.
Pour in your beaten egg batter. Turn the pan to let egg mixture move into all the nooks and crannies.
Bake the casserole for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the egg sets and the cheeses are nice and melty. It should turn a nice golden brown.
Serve it with warmed tortillas. I enjoyed the leftovers the next day, just reheated, popped some onto warmed flour tortillas with hot sauce.
Hot sauce is a must!
Boom! That's it, my friends! Easy enough, right? As I said, everything in one pan. That's the great thing about casseroles. They're quite easy yet truly satisfying.
Just like a classic chile relleno. Only as a casserole!
Recipe Tips & Notes
The Peppers. I used poblano peppers here, as they are traditional for chiles rellenos, but you can use Hatch peppers, Anaheim peppers, any larger green peppers that can be roasted.
You can also make this with canned green chilies. If you're looking for a spicier version of this recipe, feel free to bring in a few serrano peppers or habanero peppers to up the heat level.
The Sauce. Try my Homemade enchilada sauce for your base as a time saver.
Or try this Quick and Easy Enchilada Sauce Recipe. It would also be quite tasty with Ranchero Sauce.
Additional Ingredients. Want to make this a fuller meal? Incorporate some shredded chicken, Mexican chorizo, or cooked ground beef or pork for a protein, or add refried beans to round it out.
You'll get a heartier meal this way.
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftover chile relleno casserole in the refrigerator in a sealed container or covered in plastic wrap or aluminum foil up to 5 days.
You can easily reheat it in the oven to enjoy again.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.
Chile Relleno Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 poblano peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 pound fresh tomatoes chopped (or use canned)
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ancho powder or use chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or use Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a combination
- FOR GARNISH: spicy chili flakes and fresh herbs
Instructions
- Set your oven to broil. Slice the poblano peppers in half lengthwise and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet, skin sides up. Broil the poblanos about 10 minutes, or until the skins char and blacken. They should puff up. Remove, cool slightly, then peel off the skins and discard them along with the seeds and stems.
- Slice the poblanos into strips (or rough chop them, if preferred) and set them aside.
- While the poblanos are roasting, heat a 10-inch oven proof skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the onion and jalapeno and cook them down about 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute, until you can smell the awesome garlic.
- Add the tomatoes, oregano, paprika, ancho powder, cumin and salt and pepper. Break apart the tomatoes and stir. Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low, until the tomatoes soften up and the mixture becomes saucy. You can simmer longer if you’d like. Scoop the sauce into a glass bowl.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the same 10-inch skillet (or you can use a baking dish or casserole dish), spoon half of the sauce into the bottom of the pan. Layer in half of the roasted poblano strips and half of the shredded cheese.
- Add the remaining sauce, then remaining poblano peppers, then most of the remaining cheese.
- Next, beat the eggs with the remaining cheese and pour the mixture over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the egg sets and the cheeses are nice and melty.
- Remove and garnish with spicy chili flakes and fresh herbs.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This post was updated on 10/21/22 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 12/2/19.
Lynn says
Mike, this was delish!! The sauce can be used for so many things! Going to try it in a Spanish omelette and maybe add some of my fresh roasted hatch chilies. Totally in chili pepper heaven :))
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Awesome! Thanks, Lynn! Very happy you enjoyed it. =)
Cam says
I love your recipes. And Chile Relleno's are a favorite of mine. Your' casserole is so good.
Years ago a Dallas restaurant owner opened a mini restaurant in our town and he had the best Chile Relleno recipe I had ever ate. He sold out eventually and I worked for several years to try to recapture that recipe. I finally got it by combining portions of 2 recipes I found in the Chile Pepper magazines. I would love to send that recipe to you and have you try it and tell me what you think. Is it possible?
Mike Hultquist says
Send me an email, Cam, and I can try to help.
Susan says
Will definitely try. Looks great
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Susan! Thanks!
Claire Gertz says
I just made this tonight - It was amazing! I added shredded chicken. It didn't feel like a heavy Mexican meal. Served it with fresh corn on the cob. My husband who grew up in Texas was amazed. He loved it. Called it a 'Home Run'. Your instructions and pictures made executing the recipe so easy. Thanks so much!
Mike Hultquist says
Great to hear, Claire! Very happy you both enjoyed it! Home Run! I love it. Thank you for sharing this.
Lynette says
This was a big hit for brunch, but it only served 2. The man with the hollow leg really liked it.
Easy to make and bake. I roasted 5 gifted Anaheim chilies and 6 poblanos plus a jalapeño.
I had to go to 3 stores to get the poblanos. My go to place only had 2 left. This recipe is worth the trips.
Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Lynette! Haha, he must have been hungry! Might need to double it next time!
Shannon says
My garden is full of all kinds of pepppers at the moment. In search of recipes, I stubbled upon your website and man I'm glad I did! I made this casserole for dinner, topped with pickled jalepenos and the pinapple habenero hot sauce. YUM! It's so flavorful! Plenty of left overs for lunch the next day. Can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Glad you found me, Shannon! I hope you find many recipes you enjoy. Cheers!
Aaron says
I have done a few recipes from Chilipeppermadness.com this was my favorite for many reasons. first, its easy to make, very low degree of difficulty. second, flavor is actually better than restaurant quality. third, one pan, easy clean up. I have made this 3x already. I do add chicken to it as suggested.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Aaron. I greatly appreciate you sharing your experience, and am very happy you're enjoying the recipes. =)
Chili says
Good idea.
Deconstructed Chile Relleno my favorite dish. I put my own spin on it, but Thanks for the idea.
Why didn't I ever think to do this?
Next time I'll try incorporating the chile relleno batter
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Let me know how it goes!
R. Berndt says
This recipe is amazing. I used fresh poblanos and jalapeño and canned tomatoes. Delicious. A bit labor intensive but worth the flavor that comes from the fresh poblanos. I am going to make it again 3 weeks later! Yummy!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome to hear! Glad you enjoyed it! I'll be right over, haha.
Keith says
A thumbs up on this recipe that you have provided to all of us. Easy to follow and not time consuming. I save the skins after I char the poblanos, let them dry, then dice and add to any salsa to add some smoky flavor.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Keith!
Mari says
Im on a roll! Great recipe! I roasted my poblanos the day before. The next day planned to finish but something came up but cooked a pound of burger and about 10 oz of chorizo together, drained. Finally the third day I put it all together using 5 eggs and a touch of water just to stretch since I added the meats. Ate for dinner, added a salad. Soooo good hubs liked it too. I wonder if it would freeze? Im thinking it would have to be baked cooled then frozen? How would eggs do? Or, put all together in cassarole dish, freeze, then thaw and pour on eggs? Um but frozen cheese?
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Mari. I have never frozen this, but I think it would do OK. It might get a little bit dense from freezing, but should still taste good. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
Kevin M says
This was absolutely delicious! We've loved every recipe we made from your site. This one just moved to the top of our list of favorites! Thank you for the great dishes!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Glad to hear it, Kevin! We love this recipe. YUM!
Sheila Craig says
Michael, you’ve done it again! This recipe was great! Took a chance and made this for the first time for brunch when we had out of town guests. I added browned and drained breakfast sausage for the meat loving gents. Served with warm tortillas. Everyone freaked out about it and asked for the recipe. I gave them all your website. Every single recipe I have gotten from you has been 5 stars. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next. Thanks so much for sharing your talent.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding! Glad to hear it, Sheila! I'm happy everyone enjoyed it, and I appreciate your comments. Cheers!!!