Chile Relleno Casserole

    This is for my grandma. She loves Mexican food (who doesn't), but I always think of her when chile relleno is on the menu, it's her absolute favorite Mexican dish and orders it every time we go out to a Mexican restaurant. And it happens to be my favorite too! It's VERY hard for me not to order it when it's on the menu as well. But the unfortunate thing when you become a chile relleno lover is that a lot of Mexican restaurants are a let down. The biggest disappointment is that they usually skimp on the chile, using some tiny little thing that they stuff with a pound of cheese. The other disappointment is the fluffy egg batter can get lost, the whole thing can get get drowned in sauce and it can look like a hot mess that you don't really know what you are eating.

  But when it's made right, YUMMMMM!!!

  I am typically against casseroles. I RARELY make them unless it's a lasagne. This is one of the few cases when my "chefy" snobbiness comes out. I think they are a bit of a "home cook" amateur type of dish. But when I see the magic words: chile relleno....I was intrigued.

 There are so many things I love about this dish. You get chile in EVERY bite, which I LOOOOOOVE (and again, my #1 pet peeve of most Mexican restaurants)! You get that fluffy egg layer that you would from the traditional egg battered relleno. It is baked, not fried which is great. It doesn't skimp on the cheese, yet it's not ooozing all over and taking over the dish. It feeds a small crowd. It's super easy to assemble. It reheats fabulously. And it tastes like a great, traditional chile relleno that you'll love. Enough reasons for you??? It really just hits on every level of chile relleno goodness. I promise. Let me know what you think! :)

Chile Relleno Casserole

Recipe Adapted by Winner Dinners

 Serves 6-8

1 27-oz. cans whole green chiles

16 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

16 oz. jack cheese, grated
4 eggs
1 13-oz. can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 oz. tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Wash the chiles, removing most seeds, and dry with paper towels. Lightly spray a 8x11 casserole dish (9x13 is too big) and lay half the chiles along the bottom of the dish.

  Grate the cheeses. Reserve 1/2 cup of each of the two cheeses, mixing them together in a small bowl. This will go on top of the casserole later, so you can place it in the refrigerator for now. Next layer all of the cheddar cheese, the remaining chiles, then all of the jack cheese. 

 Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks and add the evaporated milk, flour and salt, beating until frothy. Beat the whites separately for about a minute. 

Combine the two egg mixtures and beat for a few seconds longer so that they are well-mixed. Pour the egg mixture over the chiles and cheese.

 

 Bake at 300 for 1 hour. Then spread the tomato paste over the top. (sounds weird, but trust me, it magically works!

 

   Sprinkle with the reserved cheese you placed in the refrigerator. Bake an additional 25-30 min. 

      

    Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Mmmmmmm.....hello deliciousness....

Chile Relleno Casserole

Adapted by Winner Dinners
Serves 6-8

1 27-oz. cans whole green chiles

16 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
 16 oz. jack cheese, grated
4 eggs
1 13-oz. can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 oz. tomato paste

   Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Wash the chiles, removing most seeds, and dry with paper towels. Lightly spray a 8x11 casserole dish (9x13 is too big) and lay half the chiles along the bottom of the dish.

  Grate the cheeses. Reserve 1/2 cup of each of the two cheeses, mixing them together in a small bowl. This will go on top of the casserole later, so you can place it in the refrigerator for now. Next layer all of the cheddar cheese, the remaining chiles, then all of the jack cheese. 

 Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks and add the evaporated milk, flour and salt, beating until frothy. Beat the whites separately for about a minute. 

Combine the two egg mixtures and beat for a few seconds longer so that they are well-mixed. Pour the egg mixture over the chiles and cheese. Bake at 300 for 1 hour. Then spread the tomato paste over the top. (sounds weird, but trust me, it magically works! Sprinkle with the reserved cheese you placed in the refrigerator. Bake an additional 25-30 min. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!!