domessticated: Chile Relleno Casserole

You know by now that I can be a little bit lazy in the kitchen. Especially when it comes to the whole process of breading & frying. That’s one reason why I love this recipe for chile relleno casserole. It takes the traditionally breaded and fried chile rellano and both simplifies and “healthifies” it. Make it as simply as possible as suggested here - using canned whole green chiles - or take it up a notch by roasting your own garden fresh green chiles (it is truly excellent this way)! The canned chiles themselves in this dish are only very mildly spicy. You are welcome to control the spiciness by choosing whether or not to leave some of your chile ribs & seeds in there (if you’re roasting fresh) and by choosing the spiciness of the salsa you pour on top. I’ve even made it before with red or green enchilada sauce on top instead of the salsa (when my kids were really young and intolerant of any spiciness), but I’m presenting it here the way my family loves it best. This version is quick & easy to prepare, uses ingredients you more than likely have on hand (even if you’re overdue for a trip to the grocery store…like I was yesterday), and can be adapted to a variety of tastes.

(Vegetarian) Chile Relleno Casserole
4 (4-oz) cans whole green chiles, drained
shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
4 eggs, separated
3 T flour
1 (14-oz) can evaporated milk
salt & pepper, to taste
salsa

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9”x"9” square casserole with a single layer of green chiles.

Cover the chiles with a layer of cheese

Follow with second layer of chiles as well as another layer of cheese.

Make the egg “filling”, as follows: separate the eggs and beat the whites to form peaks.

While the whites are beating, beat the yolks together in a separate medium bowl and then beat in the milk, flour, salt, and pepper. Once the whites are done beating, gently (it is critical that you aren’t too rough with them; you want all those beautiful bubbles to stay intact!) fold them into the yolk mixture.

Once the whites mixture and yolks mixture are incorporated, pour the mixture on top of the layered chiles and cheese.

Cover the pan with foil and “tent” the foil as follows:

Tear a piece of foil several inches longer than needed to cover the casserole. Cover the pan loosely, then use your fingers to pinch up about an inch of the foil and fold it over.

Make “pleats” thusly in two or three places along the top of the casserole, then secure the foil tightly around the casserole edges as you would normally if you weren’t tenting the pan.

Now, just grab each pleat in the middle and gently pull up to lift the foil away from the egg mixture. The pulled pleats create “ribs” that give the foil extra structure to stand up away from the egg mixture as it rises, keeping it from sticking and causing the egg mixture to fall.

Bake, covered & tented, at 325 degrees for 1 hour, then remove the foil and pour salsa on top. Sprinkle with cheese and cook 30 additional minutes, uncovered.