Chile Relleno Casserole

  We attended one of our 'Annual Christmas Party/Pot Luck and Gift Exchanges' this year and there was a food "theme" this year of: Cheese.  Twenty-five friends bringing appetizers, main dishes and desserts - all containing some sort of cheese/s.  In all our sampling throughout the day - the 'stand out' favorite was a dish brought by our friends John and Missy.  It was a Chile Rellenos Casserole and tasted JUST LIKE the fried chile rellenos that you get at a good Mexican restaurant.  I was so happy that Missy shared her recipe with us!  I made this the other day and it was a hit here too - I love that this recipe can be expanded or reduced depending on how many you need to feed. ~Enjoy! Diane 

Chile Relleno Casserole

Ingredients: 
up to 18 canned whole green chiles, split, seeded, rinsed, blotted dry (I usually have a few leftover) 
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or pepper-jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

Egg Mixture*
5 large eggs
1  cup. milk (I used 1/2 Cup heavy cream and 1/2 Cup milk) 
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 dash Tabasco sauce (or more to taste)

Directions:
Place the green chiles in a colander placed in the sink and let drain for about 15 minutes. While chiles drain, preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 8x8 casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. 
When chiles are drained, split open each chile, scrape out any lingering seeds, and cut into 4 strips each, then spread chiles out on a paper towel to drain more, pressing down with another towel to get them as dry as you can.  
Lay a flat layer of chiles covering the bottom of the baking dish.
Top the layer of chiles with cheese (you will have three layers total so, divide cheese into thirds.)  Lay down another layer of flattened chiles, followed by cheese - finishing up with a final layer of chiles on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese over the top.
Put the next five ingredients into a large bowl and whisk well to incorporate, Pour egg-milk mixture over chiles and cheese, taking care to get it evenly distributed.
Bake until mixture is bubbling and cheese on top is lightly browned, about 45 minutes total baking time. (watch it carefully or the top can get too brown.)  

Serve hot, with sour cream and salsa if desired. This will keep in the fridge for a few days, but you probably won't have any leftovers. 

Recipe Adapted from:  "Chile Relleno Jose"  by: Missy Gottl
Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home