Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Chiles Rellenos are a favorite Mexican dish for my wife and I. We've done a lot of fine-tuning and have finally settled on this recipe that we both think is really good. We usually have this with Mexican-style rice, refried beans, and buttered warm flour tortillas. The refried beans are my responsibility - we don't like to buy them that way. Instead, I fry and mash up a can of pinto beans with chopped onions, garlic, and chiles with just a little oil in a big iron skillet. Good!

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CHILE RELLENOS CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

Canned whole green chile peppers, drained, about 20-24 oz., however the cans work out.

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded.

8 oz. Longhorn or Cheddar cheese, shredded.

3 eggs, beaten.

1 (8 oz.) can evaporated milk.

2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour.

1 (8 oz.) can enchilada sauce, or 1 can tomato sauce with chiles.


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Lay half of the chiles evenly in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with half the Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and cover with the remaining chiles. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, evaporated milk, and flour, and pour over the top of the chiles.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, pour enchilada sauce (or tomato sauce with chiles) evenly over the top, and continue baking another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining Jack and Cheddar cheeses and serve.

Note: Instead of canned chiles, you can use roasted, de-seeded and peeled fresh, mild, hot chiles from the garden or supermarket, but use caution. The heat level is much more uncertain with fresh chile peppers.

This recipe is a WHOLE lot easier than stuffing peppers in the traditional way for chiles rellenos, it works even if your chile peppers aren't the right size or shape for stuffing, and the result is very, very good.