Easy Chile Relleno Casserole with Ground Beef

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Sneak Preview: This easy Chile Relleno Casserole with Ground Beef is for Chile Relleno lovers like me and maybe you, too. They are low-carb, in case you care.

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serving of Baked Chili Relleno Pie on a platePin

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Heads-up low-carb eaters. A serving of this layered Chile Relleno casserole contains only 11 carbs (an estimate), so you can enjoy this Tex-Mex specialty guilt-free.

If you love to order Chile Rellenos at your favorite Mexican restaurant as I do, you will appreciate enjoying the same flavors at home. So please invite me to dinner when you make these.

We recently returned from a 2-week vacation to Central Europe. The scenery was spectacular, the weather perfect, and the food delicious, even though it was mostly meat and potatoes.

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Not surprisingly, that made the men happy.  But anytime I leave home for more than a week, I start to crave Tex-Mex. This easy Chile Relleno Casserole with ground beef is a one-dish meal that qualifies as comfort food for a jet-lagged, homesick Texan.

Baked Chili Relleno PIePin

Chile Rellenos are my #1 favorite Mexican food. Whenever we try a new Mexican restaurant, we will likely return depending on their Rellenos.

I omitted the “stuff, batter, and-fry-each-individual-poblano-pepper” part to make these more manageable. It’s also easier to layer all the ingredients into a casserole dish. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients and substitutions:

GROUND BEEF: The ground beef of choice for this recipe would be an 85/15 mix. There’s enough fat to flavor the meat but not so much that you must drain a lot off.

POBLANO PEPPERS Fresh poblano peppers are cheap and easy to broil and peel. They give this dish the best flavor, making them my first choice.

However, if you lack the time or inclination, buy a can of whole green chiles and slice them lengthwise to lay flat. Or, use chopped green chiles if you can’t find the whole ones. It all gets mixed up anyway.

TACO SEASONING: Store-bought packets of taco seasoning are the most convenient option. Or, make it yourself. I love the recipe for Taco Seasoning on Perry’s Plate.

Leftovers make a savory filling for a burrito using a flour tortilla. I wonder how often I’ve said that about a recipe on this blog. It’s my #1 recycling trick.

HEAVY CREAM: Heavy cream adds richness to this recipe. I have not tried half and half or milk as a substitute.

CILANTRO-TOMATO SEASONING: Ever since a cashier at Kroger told me about this seasoning, I don’t need much of an excuse to use it.

Goya Sazon makes several flavors, but Con Cilantro Tomate is my favorite. These mysterious little packets pump up the flavor.

single serving of baked chili relleno piePin

FAQ about Easy Chile Relleno Casserole with Ground Beef

What can I substitute for the ground beef, or can I leave it out?

Substitute ground turkey or diced cooked chicken for the ground beef if you prefer. No meat is required, so making it without meat is OK.

Can I make this casserole ahead of time?

Yes, but I would try to serve it the day you make it.

Can I freeze it?

I don’t recommend freezing this entree ahead of time because of the heavy cream and raw eggs. However, leftover Chili Rellenos can be frozen.

What do I serve with this Chile Relleno casserole?

Serve with sour cream, cilantro, diced tomatoes, or avocado slices. We like refried beans served on the side. Fresh, hot tortillas are also good.

If you have questions or suggestions, email me privately for a quick answer: Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon! 

Chili Relleno PIePin

Easy Chile Relleno Casserole with Ground Beef

Paula Rhodes
A spicy Tex-Mex casserole mimicking the flavor of chili rellenos, but requiring a lot less time and trouble.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Beef
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 servings
Calories 647 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
  • 4 poblano chilies - broiled with charred skin peeled off and seeded or 8 ounces whole or chopped green chilies
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 6 ounce tomato paste
  • 1 packet cilantro-tomato seasoning SAZON - optional
  • 6 eggs - large
  • 2 cups pepper jack cheese - shredded
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese or Monterrey Jack - shredded

Instructions
 

  • Brown ground beef sprinkled with a pinch of salt and pepper, and drain off any excess fat. Stir in taco seasoning.
  • Broil fresh poblano chilies just until skin is charred. Place in a paper bag or covered bowl to steam for about 10 minutes. Carefully peel away blackened skin. Split open and remove seeds. OR, use canned whole green chilies and split lengthwise so you can open them up flat. You can also use chopped green chilies.
  • Whisk together heavy cream, tomato paste, Sazon seasoning, and eggs in a medium bowl.
  • In a 9-inch square dish or pan, layer half the ground beef, then half the green chilis, then 1 cup of pepper jack cheese.
  • Make a second layer using the remaining beef, chilies, and 1 cup of pepper jack cheese.
  • Pour cream mixture over the layers. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese on top.
  • Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until pie is set and a knife comes out clean.
  • Allow to set for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Essentials

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 325mg | Sodium: 691mg | Potassium: 770mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2028IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 499mg | Iron: 4mg
Keyword Chili Rellenos, ComfortFood, dinner, supper, TexMex
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8 Comments

  1. Sounds delicious. Cannot wait to make this. Glad it makes only a 9×9 size. I am having a hard time cutting recipes in half for our down size family. Thanks for sharing. By the way. I have made your oatmeal-sunflower bread recipe twice this week and also last week. Wonderful recipe.

    Reply

    1. Cutting recipes in half….I do it, too. In fact, I halve this recipe when it’s just my husband and I, and we still have leftovers.

      So happy to hear you are enjoying the bread!

      Reply
  2. Debbie Avino says:

    I cant Wait to try this recipe. I hope My store carries the sazon seasoning. Everything else will be easy to find.
    Thank you, Paula!

    Reply

    1. Even if you can’t find the seasoning, it will be delicious. No worries. That same seasoning is also fantastic to use when making Mexican rice.

      Reply
  3. Tere Brown says:

    This looks fantastic! I just discovered Chili Rellenos about 6 years or so ago. All that time wasted eating fajitas and tacos!
    I made them once (charred, peeled, stuffed, dipped and fried…. ) They were better than nothing but an awful lot of work so I’ve been watching for a decent casserole recipe since then. But they all looked like they’d be too eggy, and i wanted the Chile and cheese experience, not the egg.
    And then you made a “mistake” when posting your version of this…only 3 eggs!
    Pure Genius!!
    I’ve gotta try it like that! What have i got to lose? It’ll still be good, considering how easy out is, it’ll be at least as good as the 4 hour ordeal that turned out only so-so fried ones.
    If it fails at all i think the only problem might be that without enough eggs it may not hold together that well, but even then it’ll make great burritos!
    I’ll let you know hero it turns out.
    Gotta run now,go get a large can of chilies!
    Thanks again Paula for being such an inspiration too all of us.
    You know we love you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Tere,
      I’ve just been thinking about doing this recipe with only 3 eggs. Think I would add more cream/milk so it won’t be too dry. But otherwise, I think it should work. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out.

      Reply

  4. I, too, love chile rellenos (anything with roasted green chiles) but have rarely had an egg-battered one that was good. Then, we ate at Hacienda Colorado and they stuff their chiles with cheese and roll them in…wait for it…egg roll wrappers and deep fry them! They are absolutely amazing! No more soggy eggy-omelet texture. I’ve made them at home and just shallow pan-fried them with great success. Now, I live a ketogenic lifestyle and egg roll skins are out but your recipe will come to life soon in my keto kitchen! Yah!!! And Sazon is the best spice, I agree, and often forget about it. Co-worker of mine gave me a recipe for rice and olives and Sazon was the star. Thanks for reminding me to use it more often.

    Reply

    1. Hi Tracy,

      Can we just get together and sample all the chile rellenos in the world? Wouldn’t that be fun? Where is Hacienda, Colorado? I must go there sometime before I die. I can’t imagine the egg roll wrappers, but I sure would like to try them. The rice recipe also sounds good. I love Sazon!

      Reply