Chili Relleno Casserole
Add Preferred SourceTraditional chiles rellenos are a stand-at-the-stove project, and this Chili Relleno Casserole gives you the same roasted-chile-and-melted-cheese payoff the lazy way. You layer everything into one dish, pour a simple egg batter over the top, and let the oven set it into squares you can cut and serve.
I make this on the kind of weeknight when I want something hot and filling without babysitting a fry pan, and canned whole green chilies are the shortcut I lean on to get there. One pound of ground beef, stretched with refried beans, feeds six, and the egg, flour, and milk batter bakes into a topping firm enough to hold clean squares.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No frying and nothing to stuff. You layer the chilies, beef, and cheese, and the oven does the setting.
- One 9×13 dish serves six, and the squares reheat well for lunches through the week.
- It leans on pantry staples, so there’s no special produce run to make.
- Refried beans stirred through the beef add body, so a single pound of meat covers everyone.
- You can build it the night before and bake it fresh, which makes it an easy option for a brunch or a potluck.
- The beef browns in one skillet and everything else bakes in one dish, so there isn’t much to wash.
Ingredients You’ll Need
A few of these are worth a word before you shop and layer.
Canned whole green chilies do the heavy lifting, and they keep this a pantry dish with no fresh peppers to roast or peel. Drain them and pat them dry before they go in, since the liquid they’re packed in is what loosens the topping. If you’d rather roast fresh poblanos, that’s the traditional route and worth the effort when you have the time.
Ground beef and refried beans work as a pair. Brown the beef and pour off the fat so the casserole isn’t greasy, then stir the beans through. The beans add volume and substance, which is how one pound of meat stretches to six servings.
Monterey jack melts smoothly and helps knit the layers together. Shred it off a block if you can, because pre-shredded cheese carries a starch coating that keeps it from melting as cleanly.
Corn tortilla chips are the base. They soften as the casserole bakes and give the layers something to sit on, a little like the tortillas in an enchilada bake.
Eggs, flour, and milk make the topping. Whisked with hot sauce, paprika, and onion powder, they bake into the soft layer that sets the whole dish.
How to Make Chili Relleno Casserole
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Heat the oven and grease the dish
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Grease it well, since that’s what lets the squares lift out cleanly.
Whisk the egg batter
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the flour, milk, hot sauce, paprika, onion powder, and a little salt. Set it aside, because it goes on last.
Brown the beef and onions
Cook the ground beef with the chopped onion over medium heat until the beef is browned and the onion is soft. Drain off the fat, then stir in the refried beans until they’re mixed through.
Layer the casserole
Spread half the tortilla chips in the dish, then half the beef, half the chilies laid open flat, and some of the cheese. Hold a handful of cheese back for the top. Repeat with the rest of the chips, beef, and chilies, laying the last chilies across the top.
Pour the batter and finish with cheese
Pour the egg batter evenly over everything so it settles down through the layers, then scatter the cheese you held back over the top.
Bake until the topping sets
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then take the foil off for the last 5 minutes so the top turns golden. It’s done when the egg topping is set rather than jiggly, which for an egg casserole means 160°F in the center. Let it rest a few minutes before slicing so it holds clean squares.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Drain in two places. Pat the chilies dry and pour off the beef fat. Those are the two spots extra moisture hides, and I dry the chilies every time because it’s what keeps the topping from weeping.
- Shred your own cheese. A block of Monterey jack melts more evenly than the bag.
- Rest before you cut. A few minutes out of the oven lets the egg layer firm up, so you get squares instead of a scoop.
- Season the beef if your chilies are mild. A pinch of cumin or garlic powder in the meat adds depth when the canned chilies are on the gentle side.
Recipe Variations
- Roasted poblanos instead of canned chilies. Char, steam, and peel fresh poblanos for a fuller, fresher chile flavor. It’s more work at the stove, and it’s a swap backed by the recipe’s own notes.
- Make it meatless. Drop the beef and double the refried beans, or fold in a pan of sautéed mushrooms. It works because the beans and egg topping still carry the structure without the meat.
- Leaner ground meat. Ground turkey or chicken browns the same way and trims the fat, though I haven’t tested those swaps here.
- Turn up the heat. Swap pepper jack for the Monterey jack, or stir chopped jalapenos into the beef. That changes the seasoning and not the bake, so it’s a safe change to make even though it isn’t tested as written.
How to Store Leftovers
Let the casserole cool just until it stops steaming, then cover it and refrigerate within two hours. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days, and reheat until they’re hot all the way through, to 165°F. To freeze, wrap the whole dish or single squares tightly and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. A square warms fast in the microwave, and the full dish reheats best covered in a 350°F oven.
To make it ahead, assemble the casserole without baking, cover it tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Bake it straight from the fridge the next day, adding a few minutes since it’s going in cold.
What to Serve With Chili Relleno Casserole
Between the cheese and the beef, this casserole is filling on its own, so the sides can stay light. A pot of Mexican rice or cilantro-lime rice rounds it into a full plate, and a crisp green salad with a squeeze of lime cuts through the cheese. For the table, set out pico de gallo, sliced avocado, or a spoon of sour cream so everyone can top their own square.
FAQs
Yes, and it’s the shortcut that makes this a weeknight dish. Drain them and pat them dry first so the casserole doesn’t turn watery.
Usually it’s chilies that went in wet or beef fat that wasn’t drained. Pour off both, and let the baked casserole rest before you slice it so the topping can set.
More Casserole Dinners Worth Baking
If this one earns a spot in your rotation, here are more one-dish dinners to try next:
- Beef Enchilada Casserole layers ground beef and beans with corn tortillas dipped in enchilada sauce, so you get the flavor without rolling a single enchilada.
- Taco Casserole bakes the corn tortillas into crisp chips first, which keeps the base sturdy under the beef and black beans.
- Easy Cowboy Casserole piles seasoned ground beef, corn, and tomatoes under a crown of tater tots and cheese.
- Tater Tot Casserole sets ground beef in a creamy sauce under a cheddar-and-tot topping with about ten minutes of hands-on work.
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole tucks shredded chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce between three sheets of puff pastry.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 green chilies whole, baked and peeled
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 cups Monterey jack shredded
- 2 cups corn tortilla chips
- 1 ½ cups refried beans
For the topping:
- 4 eggs beaten
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt to taste
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, milk, hot sauce, paprika, onion powder, and salt. Set aside.4 eggs, ¼ cup flour, 2 teaspoons hot sauce, ½ cup whole milk, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, Salt
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef and chopped onions until the meat is browned and the onions are soft. Stir in the refried beans and mix well.1 pound ground beef, 1 cup onion, 1 ½ cups refried beans
- Layer half of the tortilla chips in the prepared baking dish, followed by half of the meat mixture, half of the chilies (laid open), and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the layers, finishing with the chilies.8 green chilies, 2 cups corn tortilla chips, 2 cups Monterey jack
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil during the last 5 minutes to allow the cheese to brown slightly.
- Let the casserole cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Drain the canned green chilies well and pat them dry, and pour off the fat from the browned beef, so the topping sets instead of weeping.
- The casserole is done when the egg topping is set rather than jiggly, which for an egg casserole means 160°F in the center.
- Let it rest a few minutes before slicing so it holds clean squares.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days, and reheat until they’re hot all the way through, to 165°F.
