Chile Rellenos Casserole

This dish is one of my all time favorites and since it is a casserole instead of a breaded chili it is not only easier to make, it is much simpler to make gluten-free, which is a double plus in my book! We grow all kinds of peppers in our garden and have found that most all of them work pretty well in this recipe, as long as they are big enough to stuff and peel easily. It's also fun to use a variety of peppers, as I did tonight. You can also substitute canned peeled whole chilies in this recipe for a less smokey/spicy alternative. 

Chili Rellenos Casserole 
For a 9x9 dish ~ 4 Servings 
Ingredients: 
4 Anaheim or Pasilla Chili Peppers 

Batter: 4 eggs 
1/3 cup milk 
1/2 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (or regular)
 1/2 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp salt 
 1/3 lb Monterrey Jack Cheese, cut into thin chunks 
1/2 cup grated cheese (optional) 

Toppings:
Janet's Salsa or whatever you've got on hand 
Sour Cream 
Avocado 
Chives or green onion 


Directions: Preheat broiler. Place whole chilies in a 9x9 baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom.
Broil chilis until the skin blackens and bubbles (about 4 minutes on each side.) Remove to cooling rack, but do not let the chilis cool completely as they are much easier to peel when they are hot. Discard any water left in the baking dish and set aside for reuse. Turn oven down to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, mix the batter ingredients, being sure to get out all the lumps. Once cool enough to handle, carefully peel the peppers and destem/deseed them. Stuff sliced cheese into the chilis through the gap created when deseeding and place them in the casserole dish. Try to space them pretty evenly so that each bite will get a little pepper in it. Pour batter over them and cook at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with grated cheese and cook an additional 5 minutes (if not using grated cheese just cook a full 30 minutes.) Cool for a minute or two and serve with up with your toppings of choice. A side of black beans makes a nice accompaniment or maybe with a cup of Tortilla Soup and a glass of Malbec or maybe a Mojito - yum! ***I have to apologize for the picture quality on this entry...Earth Hour began right about when we were taking this out of the oven and since we wanted to participate in the celebration we had to rely on our flash, making the picture a little macabre! If you don't know about Earth Hour, I encourage you to check it out at www.myearthhour.org and mark your calender for next year so that you can be a part of the movement!

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