My favorite breakfast recipe EVER: Easy Chile Relleno Casserole. This beloved recipe has received a lot of feedback, good and bad, read below to see why!
This Chile Relleno Casserole can be served as a breakfast casserole or a savory dinner casserole. Brinner, if you will. It is made with eggs, two types of cheese, and mild green chiles; perfect for feeding a crowd.
What Is Chile Relleno Casserole?
There are a lot of haters out there too. It’s okay, I have thick skin. But if you are a hater, read on for my answers to your burning chile relleno casserole questions… the main one being that we are very aware this is not an authentic chile rellenos recipe.
This is a fairly common recipe and a take on true chile rellenos, which are chile peppers stuffed with cheese (and sometimes meat), battered and then fried. Most will use an egg batter, but where I grew up in Colorado, it was customary to use an egg roll wrapper.
We’ve been serving this recipe for years in our house on my maternal side. It was first prepared out of a Junior League cookbook. The chiles are still stuffed with cheese and then covered in eggs, but it is baked instead of fried and crispy. Deconstructed, if you will.
Past that, I can’t authenticate it. And I’ve never claimed it to be an authentic Mexican recipe or any other type of Mexican food.
What You’ll Need to Make a Chile Relleno Casserole
The ingredient list fairly short and simple.
- Mild green chiles- Grab whole green chiles and stuff them with long, thin pieces of cheese or get a few cans of diced chiles. You can also use fresh chiles, like Hatch green chiles, poblano peppers or Anaheim peppers, to roast and peel yourself over an open flame or the flame of your stove. There are instructions for both whole and diced in the recipe card.
- Cheese– When I say cheese, I mean CHEESE! Two pounds of cheese. I like pepper jack and colby jack, but any blend of these: sharp cheddar cheese or monterey jack cheese is delicious. For the best texture, use freshly shredded cheese.
- Eggs– Use 5-7 large eggs. This can also be an egg white casserole, just use 10-14 large egg whites.
- Flour– Is the flour necessary? No. But it does help give the eggs some lift and fluff up.
- Whole milk– Adds richness and liquid to the mixture and helps keep the eggs moist and soft. Heavy cream can also be used, as can reduced fat milks or nut milk, they just won’t have as much depth.
- Coarse kosher salt– Salt helps to bring out and balance natural flavors.
- Powdered dry mustard – I get a lot of questions about this ingredient. Adding acid to a recipe gives it more sophisticated flavor. My family always used dry mustard because that’s what was listed in the old cookbook, but you can leave it out or use an equal amount of yellow or Dijon mustard whisked in with the eggs.
How to Make Chile Relleno Casserole
Making this casserole is super easy, it can be made ahead of time and even frozen. See my notes below!
- Preheat the oven and coat a 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish with cooking spray.
- For Using Whole Chiles: Stuff each chile pepper with a stick of cheese or a generous handful of shredded cheese, placing more on top of each pepper. Put the peppers in the pan, evenly spaced.
For Using Diced Green Chilies: Evenly spread the green chiles in a baking dish. Top with half of the shredded pepper jack cheese and half of the colby jack cheese. Set it aside while you get the egg mixture ready.
- In a separate medium bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and dry powdered mustard until the clumps are gone (some may remain).
- The flour will clump if added straight to the eggs, so you’ll add them to a small amount of the eggs, making a paste. Spoon out 1/4 cup of eggs mixture to a small bowl and whisk with the flour, making a paste. Whisk the flour mixture back into the main egg mixture and it should blend well, if it doesn’t, don’t fret, it will bake out.
- Pour the egg mixture over the chiles and cheese. They will float and sink, this is normal.
- Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Add the remaining cheese to the top of the casserole and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the center has set and no longer jiggles. The cheese will have melted and the edges are golden brown.
- Let the casserole rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Eggs hold heat well, so it will stay hot for up to 20 minutes and if eaten sooner, will likely burn your mouth, so be careful!
- Slice and serve with your favorite condiments. I like using a dollop of sour cream.
Casserole Toppings
Anything that you would put on top of eggs or a chile relleno are also great for this spicy breakfast casserole.
- Sour cream
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Fresh avocado slices
- Guacamole
- Red enchilada sauce
- Chamoy Sauce
- Hot sauce
- Salsa
- Salsa verde
- Jalapeno slices
- Fresh cilantro
- Green enchilada sauce
- Cottage cheese
Variations of Chile Relleno Casserole Recipes
There are so many ways to make this chile relleno breakfast casserole your own. I like to keep mine vegetarian, but feel free to add meat.
- Add 1 cup browned ground beef, chicken or turkey.
- Add 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon.
- Add 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken, like a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.
- Like it hot? Swap mild green chiles for jalapenos or hot green chiles.
- Use a variation of cheese like monterey jack, pepper jack, habanero laced cheeses, colby jack, queso fresco or cotija cheese.
- Add 1 cup of cooked (or thawed) hash browns or breakfast potatoes to the eg mixture.
- Add 1 teaspoon of chile powder, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, cumin, coriander or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Fold 1 cup cauliflower rice or white rice to the egg mixture for more body and texture.
What Do You Serve With Chile Rellenos?
For breakfast, you can easily have some meat on the side. Bacon and Homemade Breakfast Sausage are good bets. Even just heat up some ham.
Toast, biscuits, English muffins or scones are great too. Even a cream cheese board with bagel tidbits is great. Make sure to get some fruit in with my favorite fruit salad.
Crispy home fries, sweet potato hash browns or potatoes o’brien are fantastic too!
For lunch or dinner, consider refried beans, warm corn tortillas tortilla chips or Mexican rice.
Is It Chile or Chili?
So before you throw stones, I didn’t name it either. All I know is that this make ahead breakfast casserole is delicious! And if you try it, you’ll probably agree.
And the last bashing it gets is if it is a chile rellenos or chili rellenos. Geez, the “i” or the “e”. Well, my friend who is an editor claims that the chile pepper is indeed with an “e” and the soup is with an “i”. Some folks even go a step further and call is chiles rellenos and pluralize both.
Call it a chili Relleno Casserole if you’d like. It still tastes the same!
Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing
How long is chile relleno casserole good for?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a warm oven or in the microwave. Be mindful that eggs always get a tad rubbery when reheated in the microwave.
Can you make a chile relleno casserole ahead of time?
You can make Chile Relleno Casserole the night before you intend to bake it. It might take a few more minutes in the oven to come to temperture seeing that it will be chilled instead of room temperature. About 10 minutes.
You can also prep the ingredients, mainly shredding the cheese and making the egg mixture, and just assemble it morning off. Or night, if you are making brinner.
Can you freeze a chile relleno casserole?
If you freeze this casserole, cook it, then freeze it in small batches with as little air as possible.
Wrap in aluminum foil or freezer paper, then in an airtight bag. It should be good for up to 3 months. Also see our guide to freezing food, or more specifically how to freeze a casserole!
Questions About Making This Casserole
I agree, it seems like a lot of cheese, but I can promise you that after it bakes, it won’t be a steaming dish of melted cheese (although I wouldn’t be opposed to that).
Read a few of the comments and the cheese, they have vouched for me. That said, if you want to reduce the cheese, be my guest!
You sure can. Shred all of the cheese and used diced chiles instead of whole. Bake in a muffin tin on 350°F for 12-15 minutes, or until the centers bounce back easily.
If you omit the flour, it is gluten free. I am not a registered nutritionist or expert, this is just my basic understanding.
More breakfast recipes for feeding a large group:
- Cheesy Vegetable Casserole
- Sausage Hashbrown Casserole
- Creamed Chipped Beef Toast
- Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- French Toast Casserole
Corned Beef Hash
Copycat Orange Julius Recipe
Dutch Honey Syrup (Vanilla Butter Syrup Recipe)
Eggs Benedict Casserole
Chile Relleno Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 30 ounces mild green chiles (whole or diced) , drained (2 large cans or 3 small cans)
- 1 pound pepper jack cheese , freshly shredded or cut into sticks and divided
- 1 pound cheddar colby jack cheese , freshly shredded or cut into sticks and divided
- 5-7 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon powdered dry mustard
- 1/4 cup flour
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- For Using Whole Chiles: Stuff each chile pepper with a stick of cheese or a generous handful of shredded cheese, placing more on top of each pepper. Put the peppers in the pan, evenly spaced. Only use half of your cheese, you'll need the rest for topping. For Using Diced Green Chiles: Evenly spread the chiles in a baking dish. Top with half of the shredded pepper jack cheese and half of the colby jack cheese. Set it aside while you get the egg mixture ready.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and dry powdered mustard until the clumps are gone (some may remain). Spoon out 1/4 cup of eggs mixture to a small bowl and whisk with the flour, making a paste. Whisk it back into the main egg mixture.
- Pour the egg mixture over the chiles and cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Add the remaining cheese to the top of the casserole and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the center has set and the cheese has melted.
- Remove and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- If you've tried this recipe, we want to hear about it! Come back and leave us a comment or star rating!
Have you tried to make this in a crock pot? If so about how long would you think cooking time would be?
Thank you
Hi Sandy,
I have not made it in a crockpot simply because it takes less time in the oven. I would suggest 5 hours on low to start, but since I’ve never done it, I can’t be sure. If you do try it, come back and let us know how it went!
This has become a family and friend favorite that’s often requested. Easy to make and delicious to eat day or night.
Yay! That is what I love to hear!
absolutely delicious!!
You are a saint to respond to some of these questions and comments!
This is not rocket science, it’s a great recipe that does not have to be followed “exactly”.. you can add or take away ingredients.. geesh..
Thanks for another great simply recipe! 🙂
Thank you , Jen! I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as we do. In fact, I’m making it later this week and literally thinking about it every morning with my “healthy” breakfast. LOL. So good and thank you for taking the time to stop by and drop a note. I’m a real person over here and love to hear feedback!
So darn good! We made this at our cabin over a long weekend with friends. Everyone requests it now.
Yay!!!! That is what I like to hear!!!!
Love the recipe; what modifications would baking in the air fryer require?
Hi Caryl, That is a GREAT question! I’ve never used an Air Fryer, so I am not quite sure. Let me ask around and get back to you.
How do I roast and skin the fresh Chile’s?
The easiest way is to:
Preheat broiler.
Quarter peppers lengthwise, discarding stems, seeds, and ribs. Put peppers, skin sides up, on rack of a broiler pan, rub with a little vegetable oil and broil about 2 inches from heat until skins are blistered and charred, 8 to 12 minutes.
Transfer peppers to an airtight plastic bag seal. Allow to steam for 10 minutes. Remove and skins should come off easily!
I got such a kick out of reading folks comments! Just try the recipe. It’s hard to go wrong with this casserole so just wing it if you don’t understand completely. Can’t go wrong with eggs and cheese! I’ve made something very similar with a layer of tomato sauce. Kind of tasted like pizza. Definitely going to try this now. You make deliciousness so easy!! Thank you!
P.S. Readers be nice!
Oh! Tomatoes would be good too! I’ve grown some thick skin 🙂
I live alone, but was raised on chilli rellinos. Not many recipes have them just stuffed with cheese. Now am trying to stay away from fried foods.. Is it possible to cut the recipe in half? Thanks so much.
You can surely cut it in half or freeze part of it!
How many does this casserole serve?
Hi Marissa! It really depends on how big of a slice. I would say 6-8 to be conservative, but you might have leftovers. You can also just add more eggs to feed more. The cooking time will increase. Just keep an eye on it.
Greetings…..lucky enough to live where green chile is abundant! I have made this before and it’s delish…I have also stepped it up a notch with a small amount enchilada sauce that is made in our town and wowza! Out of curiosity what do you serve with this?
Hi Deb! That sounds super tasty! I usually just serve it alone or with home fries. Generally people go back for seconds (or thirds) so it is a pretty filling meal on its own!
With downcast eyes, I have to admit I didn’t read all the comments to see if anhone had responded to thfe comment about the availability of canned whole green chiles.
I have ordered 27-oz. cans of Hatch green Chile’s from walmart.com. They were whole (no holes or tears), skinned, and seeded. Good flavor.
Some people can find them and others can’t- you can use either! I prefer the whole green chiles myself. Did you enjoy the recipe?
How many carbs are in a serving?
Hi Bonnie,
Since I don’t have a reliable way to measure nutritional value, I don’t provide that content. I don’t want to lead anyone with dietary restrictions incorrectly. You can use a tool like MyFitnessPal to calculate them on your own.
Jessica
I`m a Green Chili FREAK!! This recipe looks awesome. I would suggest to everyone to learn how to roast and peel fresh green chili`s for this and all other recipe`s using green chili`s. Especially if you like the flavor of hotter ones that you get from canned. Once you get the hang of it, the peel will come off quite easily. I leave a few seeds in them also when I scrape them out. That`s where most of the heat(spicy) comes from.
ALSO If you can’t find them in your area you can usually find them fresh frozen in the freezer department of your market…It comes under the name of Bueno. These are hatch green chilies…..Just as good as fresh roasted and canned cannot even compare. One problem though with these is that they are chopped. But don’t see WHY they could not be used in a pinch where whole ones are unavailable….YUMMM GREEN CHILIES!!!!!!
Oh my goodness…. I can’t understand why so many people are having trouble understanding the recipie… It was very easy to follow so, thank you! Mine is in the oven right now so…. I’ll be back to tell you how it turned out!
Hi Terri! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! I’m making one this weekend!
You forgot half the ingredients in the instructions so mine didn’t turn out as good. Make sure you pay closer attention to detail thank you.
I can assure you, all the ingredients are in the written recipe. I don’t include amounts in the videos.
i am making this for the second time and I love it. It is so good
Yay!!! I love hearing that! We love it at our house too, clearly, LOL.
Yeah I agree. When does one incorporate the flour into the recipe? And the milk? And the salt? I would think during step 4.
Hi there, step #4 states: “In a separate medium sized bowl combine eggs THROUGH mustard and whisk until most of the clumps are gone (some may remain).” This includes flour, milk and salt in the ingredient list.
I have made this recipe now a few times and LOVE it. Thanks for taking the time to write it out and make video.
Some notes: I use coconut flour (it’s lower carb) and we like the subtle taste. Also, I figured out to slice the Jack kinda diagonally instead of strips to fit down into the chiles better – EUREKA!
Thanks again.
Yay! That is what I love to hear!
Same amount of coconut flour! Usually you use less so I wanted to be sure. Thank you
Ok so the wife and I made this today. It is absolutely amazing! So good in fact that it gave me goosebumps. This recipe is going in the SAVE TO EAT EVERYDAY file. Thank you so very much for this foodgasm. 🙂
Thank YOU Michael! It is one of our family favorites too- I’m making it for Easter brunch and already SUPER excited!
Wow…my wife and I are going to make this today. After reading through the comments I am coming to realize that some people just don’t listen and aren’t capable of following instructions. Apparently many people that are having trouble with the instructions aren’t intelligent enough to put down their phone, get on their computer and come to the site. SMH Great thing technology is…makes people lazier. Rant over. In regards to the dish….many thanks for this recipe! It looks amazing and I cannot wait to taste it!
Sounds yummy to me. A carnivore could add meat if desired.
You sure can!
Yes, a good Spicy sausage or Bacon
Is there a substitute for flour if you want to go gluten free? Also, could this be made ahead of time and put in the fridge intil time to bake?
Michelle, you can just omit the flour. It just makes the eggs fluffier. You can make it ahead and bake when ready.