Name: Chiles Rellenos Casserole
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Mexican, Latin America & Caribbean
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 onion, chopped fine; 2 pounds 90 percent lean ground beef; 4 poblano chiles (or 6 Anaheim), stemmed, seeded, and chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 3/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained; 10 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 1/2 cups); 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup skim milk; 2 large egg whites

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Published on November 9, 2012

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 onion, chopped fine2 pounds 90 percent lean ground beef4 poblano chiles (or 6 Anaheim), stemmed, seeded, and chopped2 garlic cloves, minced2 teaspoons ground cumin1 ¼ teaspoons salt1 teaspoon dried oregano¾ teaspoon pepper¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained10 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 ½ cups)½ cup all-purpose flour¾ cup skim milk2 large egg whites

Before You Begin

If you can’t find Ro-Tel tomatoes, use 1 cup of drained diced tomatoes combined with 1 finely chopped, stemmed, and seeded jalapeño.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef, breaking up meat into small pieces, and cook until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef mixture to paper towel–lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.

Add poblanos and cook over medium-high heat until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in beef mixture, garlic, cumin, ¾ teaspoon salt, oregano, ½ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until beef mixture is dry, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in 2 cups Monterey Jack. Scrape mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pressing into even layer.

Combine flour, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Slowly whisk milk into flour mixture until smooth; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Whisk one-third whipped egg whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites, 1 scoop at a time, until combined.

Pour batter over beef mixture. Bake until topping is light golden and puffed, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve.