Chile Rellenos Bake

This low-carb and vegetarian Chile Rellenos Bake is as good as Chile Rellenos from a restaurant; eat it as a casserole or as an appetizer! If you like roasted green chiles and cheese, you’ll make this over and over.

PIN Chile Rellenos Bake to try it later!

This recipe for Chile Rellenos Bake is a low-carb and vegetarian version of a famous Mexican dish, and my  version that’s layered in a casserole dish is healthier and easier to make than most versions of this well-known Mexican dish that are often battered and deep-fried.

This original recipe came from my former neighbor Brooke, who shared it with me after I tasted her version at a neighborhood block party. I changed the recipe slightly to make it a bit more carb-conscious, but essentially this idea of layered green chiles and cheese held together with a little egg came from Brooke’s recipe, so thanks Brooke!

And this is so perfect to make on the weekend and eat for breakfast during the week! I’m excited to remind you about this favorite as this week’s Friday Favorites pick; hope you enjoy trying it!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• Whole Roasted Green Chiles (affiliate link) (see notes)
• Four-Cheese Mexican blend cheese
• green onions (optional)
• eggs
• half and half
• ground cumin (affiliate link)
• Chili Powder (affiliate link)

What is Chile Rellenos?

Chile Rellenos is a famous Mexican dish of green chiles stuffed with meat or cheese, and often dipped in a batter and fried.

How do you eat the Chile Rellenos Bake?

I’ve enjoyed this Chile Rellenos Bake many times for a low-carb breakfast dish, and it’s also a perfect vegetarian recipe for dinner. But you can also cut it into small squares and serve with toothpicks for a holiday appetizer.

Where can you buy the big cans of roasted green chiles?

The hardest thing about this recipe might be finding the big cans of roasted green chiles. If you have a Mexican market near you, that’s the best place to get a good price on the 27 oz. cans. But you can get whole green chiles in a can at Amazon.com (affiliate link). Of course you can roast your own green chiles for the dish as well, and you could probably make a slightly different version of this using other types of roasted peppers.

How to make Chile Rellenos Bake:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Spray glass or crockery casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. (I used a 9″ X 13″ dish, but anything close will work.)
2. Drain the chiles well then split them open and remove any seeds. 
3. Lay chiles on paper towels and blot dry. 
4. I like to stack them up in two piles so I can make the layers even. 
5. Make half of the chiles into a layer in a casserole dish that’s about 9″x13″ or close to that size.
6. Top the green chiles with a generous amount of cheese and sprinkle on green onions if you’re using them.
7. Then make a second layer of chiles and cheese. 
8. Beat eggs, mix in the milk and spices, whisk together, and pour the egg mixture over the top.
9. Bake about 40 minutes (covered with foil for the first 15 minutes), or until the mixture is set and the top is lightly browned.

More Recipes with Roasted Green Chiles:

• Vegetarian Mexican Casserole
• Beefy Cheesy Green Chile Bake
• Green Chile and Cheese Egg Muffins
• Cheesy Sausage and Green Chile Breakfast Bake
• Bobbi’s Egg Casserole with Cheese and Green Chiles

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Chile Rellenos Bake

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

This low-carb vegetarian Chili Rellenos Bake is just as delicious as the Chile Rellenos you get in a restaurant!

Ingredients

• one 27 oz. can roasted and peeled green chiles (see notes)
• 4 cups grated Four-Cheese Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 cup very thinly sliced green onions (optional)
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup half and half (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder

Instructions

1. Put green chiles in a colander placed in the sink and let drain for about 15 minutes.
2. While chiles drain, preheat oven to 375F/190C.
3. Spray glass or crockery casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. (I used a 9″ X 13″ dish, but anything close to that size will work.)
4. When chiles are drained, use your thumb to split open each chile, scrape out seeds, and spread chiles out on a paper towel to drain more, pressing down with another towel to get them as dry as you can.  (I like to make 2 piles after I do this to get the layers even.)
5. Make a flat layer of chiles covering the bottom of the dish. (I alternated every other chile facing the opposite way because they’re slightly v-shaped.)
6. Top the layer of chiles with half the grated cheese, then sprinkle on green onions (if using).
7. Make another layer of flattened chiles, followed by the rest of the cheese.
8. Put eggs into a bowl and beat well, then add half and half, ground cumin, and chile powder, and stir until well combined.
9. Pour egg mixture over chiles and cheese, taking care to get it evenly distributed. (The egg mixture will not completely cover the casserole.)
10. Cover dish with foil for the first 15 minutes of baking time, then remove foil and continue to bake until mixture is bubbling and cheese on top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes total baking time.
11. You can cook it without the foil, but watch it carefully or the top will get too brown.  Cooking time without foil will be slightly less.
12. Serve hot, with sour cream and salsa if desired.
13. This will keep in the fridge for a few days, and reheats beautifully.

Notes

You can use about 24 freshly-roasted and peeled green chiles if you prefer. Use milk or heavy cream instead of half and half if you prefer.

When served as an appetizer, this makes about 32 small squares.

This recipe from Brooke with slight adaptations by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 139Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 5gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 139mgSodium 159mgCarbohydrates 4.8gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Chile Rellenos Bake would be great for any low-carb or Keto eating plan or any phase of the original South Beach Diet. South Beach would recommend low-fat dairy products while other low-carb eating plans would use full-fat dairy.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2008. It was last updated with more information in 2023.

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