I love Chile Rellenos, but the level of effort is just too high to make at home. This casserole, on the the other hand, is simple enough to serve occasionally. We’ve been making this for a few years now, but when I had to go digging through a box of loose recipes in order to make it for Christmas Eve the other night, I realized I’d better get it online.

After living in Arizona for 20 years or so, our Christmas Eve meal evolved to serving tamales. (No, I don’t make them by hand! Thank heavens for frozen packages at Walmart.) But not everybody loves the tamales, so I added other things to the lineup, including this casserole and Spanish Rice. But even though this was our third Christmas back in Idaho, the kids still insisted that we have our traditional meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 27-ounce can whole green chiles
  • 1 pound Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste

Directions

  1. Drain and wash chiles, removing any seeds and membranes, and dry on paper towels.
  2. Grate cheeses separately, reserving 1/2 cup of each. Mix reserved cheese and place in the refrigerator for later.
  3. In a 2 quart (7x11 inch) baking dish, layer half of the chiles, then all of the Cheddar cheese, then the remaining chiles, then all of the Monterey Jack cheese.
  4. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks, then add the evaporated milk, flour, and salt. Beat until frothy (30-60 seconds).
  5. Beat the egg whites separately for about 60 seconds, until they begin to stiffen. Combine both egg mixtures and beat just enough to combine well.
  6. Pour the egg mixture over the chilies and cheese.
  7. Bake at 300° for 60 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven, and spread tomato paste evenly over the top of casserole. Sprinkle with reserved cheese, and return to oven for an additional 30 minutes.
  9. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, then cut into portions (12-16) with a sharp knife for serving.