Chiles Rellenos Bake

I have a confession to make.  Up until about a year ago, I had never eaten Chiles Rellenos.  Mexican food is one of my favorite food groups, but I had just never stepped away from enchiladas, tostados, and nachos.  Then one magical meal, my husband and I decided to split an order, and it was love at first bite.  Now actual fried Chile Poblanos is just not something I am going to try at home, I like to leave some things to the professionals, but when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I had to give it a go.  It really hits all the right bells and whistles and it is the perfect winter meal, so warm and gooey.

However, I just can't leave anything alone, so I added ground beef, more peppers, and cheese.  If you don't feel like making, or just don't care for, adobo sauce, you could easily swap out a can of enchilada sauce and carry on with the dish.

Also, as I've mentioned before in previous posts, you do really wanted to blacken the living daylights out of your peppers when you go to broil or grill them, it will make your life so much easier when you go to remove the skins and seeds.

• 8 Poblano Peppers
• 4 Egg Whites
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/3 Cup Flour
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 2 Cups Chihuahua Cheese, shredded (I also have used shredded sharp cheddar)
• 1 can Tomato Sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 2 tsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tsp  Ground Oregano
• 1 tsp. Salt 

Grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

Preheat your broiler, my oven currently only has one temp. for this (or maybe I just don't know how to use it properly),and put an oven rack on the highest shelf so that it is closer to the broiler unit.  Put your Poblanos on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven.  I usually rotate them around ever 5-6 minutes to make sure they are getting evenly blackened.  Once they are good, black, and roasted, remove them from the oven and put them in a plastic or paper bag, seal them up and let them sit for about 15 minutes.  Return the oven to a normal baking setting, and set it for 350 degrees.  

When they have had their time, remove the poblano skins, stems, and seeds.  Don't worry if they fall apart a little, and as you can see, some seeds ended up in there too.  

In a skillet cook the ground beef and onions until the ground beef is no longer pink, drain off fat and return the skillet to the stove.   Add the tomato sauce and spices to the cooked meat and stir to combine together.  

Whisk together the egg whites, milk, & flour together in a bowl.  Pour half of the mixture into the baking dish.

Arrange the half the poblanos in the pan, top with half of the meat mixture, and half of the shredded cheese.  

Add another layer of poblanos, the rest of the meat, pour over the remaining egg white mixture and then top with the remaining shredded cheese.  

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the egg mixture has set.  Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, it will be volcanic.  Serve with all our favorite Mexican food toppings, sour cream, salsa, etc.  

Blogging 101:  Take a picture before you eat it all!