Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Why this recipe works: Traditional chiles rellenos may be delicious, but preparing them is no small task. First the chiles are roasted, next they�re stuffed with a cheesy beef filling, and finally they�re dipped into batter and fried until they�re golden and crisp�not to mention the step of making a spicy tomato sauce to serve with the peppers. Instead, we captured each of these elements in a casserole with a fraction of the fuss. We combined saut�ed chiles, beef, and piquant Ro-tel tomatoes and finished the dish off with a baked puffed egg white and cheese topping.

Category: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Ready in 45 minutes
by carolodom

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 onion chopped fine

2 pounds 90 percent lean ground beef

4 poblano chiles (or 6 Anaheim), stemmed, seeded, and chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/4 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel tomatoes drained

10 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded (2 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup skim milk

2 large egg whitesInstructions


Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef, breaking up meat into small pieces, and cook until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef mixture to paper towel?lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. 2. Add poblanos and cook over medium-high heat until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in beef mixture, garlic, cumin, ? teaspoon salt, oregano, ? teaspoon pepper, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until beef mixture is dry, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in 2 cups Monterey Jack. Scrape mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pressing into even layer. 3. Combine flour, remaining ? teaspoon salt, and remaining ? teaspoon pepper in bowl. Slowly whisk milk into flour mixture until smooth; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Whisk one-third whipped egg whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites, 1 scoop at a time, until combined. 4. Pour batter over beef mixture. Bake until topping is light golden and puffed, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ? cup cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve.

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