Chile Rellenos Bake (Video)
This low-carb and vegetarian Chili 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.
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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.)
- 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.)
- Drain the chiles well then split them open and remove any seeds.
- Lay chiles on paper towels and blot dry.
- I like to stack them up in two piles so I can make the layers even.
- Make half of the chiles into a layer in a casserole dish that’s about 9″x13″ or close to that size.
- Top the green chiles with a generous amount of cheese and sprinkle on green onions if you’re using them.
- Then make a second layer of chiles and cheese.
- Beat eggs, mix in the milk and spices, whisk together, and pour the egg mixture over the top.
- 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!
Chile Rellenos Bake
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
- Put green chiles in a colander placed in the sink and let drain for about 15 minutes.
- While chiles drain, preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- 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.)
- 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.)
- 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.)
- Top the layer of chiles with half the grated cheese, then sprinkle on green onions (if using).
- Make another layer of flattened chiles, followed by the rest of the cheese.
- Put eggs into a bowl and beat well, then add half and half, ground cumin, and chile powder, and stir until well combined.
- Pour egg mixture over chiles and cheese, taking care to get it evenly distributed. (The egg mixture will not completely cover the casserole.)
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve hot, with sour cream and salsa if desired.
- 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:
8Serving Size:
1Amount 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.
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.
84 Comments on “Chile Rellenos Bake (Video)”
Hi , I am planning to make this for a party and one of the guests have egg allergy. So I was wondering ,is it okay to leave the eggs out of the recipe ?
Thanks
I don’t think it will work to make this without eggs; that’s what holds it together.
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I made this last night in a cast iron skillet inside the oven. It rose beautifully. (I subbed heavy cream for the milk just cause we like our cream). Thank you for an easy to make, delicious low-carb recipe. It was beautiful to look at and delicious to eat!
So glad you liked it, and I love the idea of making it in a cast iron pan!
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it!
I almost always order chili rellenos when I go to a Mexican restaurant. I really love this layered version in this recipe. I'm trying this soon. Great post, Kalyn!
Thanks Bill, hope you enjoy!
Kalyn! Hello 🙂
I have been following your recipes on facebook for a few months now. This is the first time I am leaving a comment, although I have tried quite a few of them. I am also in Northern Utah, so I can easily get the ingredients you write about. This bake came out delicious but does not look great because it is so flat…would adding another layer solve the problem? Mine is barely an inch…but tastes great !
You could add another layer and increase the cooking time a little. Or use a little smaller pan. Fun hearing from someone in Utah!
Wonderful Post, I highly appreciate those people who share some good information, because I like those people who actually share :).
Thanks Emily, glad you like it!
On 11/24/14 I was able to find both the Hatch Whole Green Chiles (1 lb.11 oz) for $4.99 and the Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (15 oz.) for $2.99 at the Albertson's in at 13401 Washington Blvd., Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 Tel: (310) 574-0606. I have looked all over for them and this is the only place I found recently that carries them.
Sandy, that's great news!
OMG. Kalyn this looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks Becca! (And it is, from a fellow cheese lover.)
I have familly staying with us this weekend and I plan on making this dish.
Thank you! 🙂
I have no idea if my neighbor has seen that cookbook, but I'll have to ask her. I'm guessing there are infinite variations of this type of dish.
Hi Kalyn, FYI this is an old recipe from Helen Corbett's Cookbook 1957. I grew up eating this in Dallas. I think before TexMex became what it is today, inventive Texans were trying to make their own spin on traditional Mexican food. I am just glad to see everyone liked your recipe.
Hatch–perfect!! The variety I got had more salt than I anticipated, but c'est la vie. My husband laughs– I only usually make a recipe once, regardless of whether or not we like it, but this one has managed to hang on. We both love the ingredients, and its simplicity cannot be beat.
I'm guessing that Hatch chiles would be great in this; glad you're enjoying it!
This is actually a recipe I've started making regularly! I love it. This time, I only found hatch chiles at the store, so we'll go with that. Egg, peppers and cheese on a blustery day… you can't beat that!
I am always open to hearing honest feedback about the recipes, so no worries at all about that. (What I don't like is when people don't make it the way I wrote the recipe and then complain that it didn't turn out. That happens every now and then, even though it's not what happened here.) I'm glad you liked it better the next day. I did eat it with salsa when I had it; wonder if that's one thing I liked about it?
I came back to share another opinion about the chile rellenos bake. While I mention yesterday I was disappointed in the dish which was true,however today I had some for lunch,and it was so much better. Not sure exactly why that is so,but I did feel I needed to come back and mention this. I did follow as directed,so not sure why I was disappointed,as I love chile rellenos. Hope too I didn't hurt anybodys feelings,but felt the need to review not just the things I love (of which there are many),but also those that I'm not. I've always found that helpful. Hope that's okay. rj
Anonymous, sorry to hear you did not like it. It's a favorite recipe of my neighbor, and I liked it (or I wouldn't post the recipe) but people do like different things. I'm surprised it would be bland with two layers of green chiles though?
This is the first disappointing recipe for me from Kalyn's kitchen. I followed the directions exactly. Considering the cost,and the amount of cheese I thought it would be delecious,but it was bland, & just ok. I would not make it again.
Liz, glad you liked it!