Chiles Rellenos Gratin

Submitted by Galley Wench

"Revised September 8, 2006. Just did a test run on this and it's SOOOO good! The recipe was originally from Cooking Light, however I've 'kicked it up a notch'. Unlike traditional chile rellanos, this dish is baked like a casserole, so much easier. Great vegetarian main dish!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 19
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 poblano chiles
• 1⁄2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 3⁄4 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1⁄3 cup chopped green onion
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1⁄4 cups crumbled cheese, divided (pepper jack or chipotle jack kicks it up a notch)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin (or to taste)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 chipotle chile, seeded and minced (canned)
• 1 teaspoon chipotle adobo sauce (optional)
• 2 cups 2% low-fat milk
• 1⁄2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• corn chips

directions

1. Preheat broiler (or gas grill).
2. I using broiler place chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet, broil 3 inches from heat 8 minutes or until blackened, turning after 4 minutes.
3. Place in zip-lock bag, seal.
4. Let stand for 15 minutes.
5. Peel and discard skins, cut a lengthwise slit in each chile, discarding seeds, leaving stems intact.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat.
8. Add bell pepper, cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add corn, onions, nuts and garlic, cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
9. Remove from heat, stir in 3/4 cup cheese, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
10. Place half of beans in a bowl and mash with a fork.
11. Add mashed beans and whole beans to the corn mixture.
12. Divide the bean mixture among the 4 chilis, folding sides of chile over filling.
13. Arrange stuffed chiles in casarole baking dish coated with cooking spray.
14. Set aside.
15. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat,add 1/3 teaspoon ground red pepper, cumin, and nutmeg and stir.
16. Cook 30 seconds stirring constantly.
17. Gradually add flour cook for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
18. Gradually add milk, stirring until blended. Adjust spices if necessary. Add 1/2 cup cheese and minced chipotle to cream sauce.
19. Increase heat to medium. Cook milk mixture until thick and cheese is melted. Remove from heat, stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour milk mixture over stuffed chiles.
20. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and breadcrumbs, sprinkle over milk mixture.
21. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.
22. To brown the top broil for 1 minute or until golden brown.
23. Serve over a bed of crushed corn chips.

Reviews

[I Cook Therefore I]

Awesome twist on a great dish thanks for sharing!

 

[Sauce Lover]

I made some changes to this recipe but it is good. I used about 12 chiles, roasted them over a hot BBQ then skinned them. I didn't stuff the peppers but rather opened them up and used them like you make lasagne, layered with the cheeses and the bean/cilantro/onion,garlic mixture. I used spicy pepper jack cheese and queso fresco. For the sauce, I used alot more cumin, more cayenne (no amount was given in recipe anyway) and I used about 5 minced chipotle chiles and about 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce. Easier than stuffing each chile and it makes a full 13x9x2 casserole.Made it again and I ended up using a whole can of chipotles in adobo sauce, about 3/4 of the for the filling and the remaining for the cheese sauce. Also, roasted the corn on the BBQ and that gave the corn a nice smoky flavor too.

 

[breezermom]

I am a big fan of poblano chiles, so I had to try this recipe. I made two of the peppers following this recipe, using the red bell pepper, corn, green onions, pine nuts, garlic, pepper jack cheese, and black beans for the stuffing. The addition of nutmeg was a welcome flavor in the cheese sauce. For the other two peppers I made a traditional ground beef and cheese mix for the stuffing. They both turned out awesome. Thanks for sharing such a tastey recipe. Made for ZWT 5.

 

[Kim127]

Oh, so very delicious! I've never made or eaten chiles rellenos but by the ingredients I knew it would be something I liked. The prep took me a little longer than stated, but again, I'd not made something like this, but really it was easy to do. I loved the stuffing and cheese sause. It baked up so bubbly! This had a really great heat to it. I served the corn chips on the side. Thanks for another wonderful recipe! Made for ZWT 5.

 

[Irish Rose]

This was out of this world! My husband and I both love chiles rellenos, but I hate the mess with cooking them. Your recipe solved that problem. A fair amount of prep time, but oh, so worth it. The only thing I did different than your recipe, was to use a chipotle chile in adobe sauce because I couldn't find just a chipotle pepper. Everything about this recipe was wonderful and I would rate it more than 5* if I could. My husband gave it a big thumbs up, with a definite 5 and said he wants it often. Thank you so much for giving us this recipe.