T. R. Stoddard's Writing Refuge: Chile Relleno Casserole

Good Chile Rellenos can be hard to find. With the exception of this little hole in the restaurant that my family has been going to for over thirty years, no one can come close to a Paco's chile relleno. One evening I was eating at a different Mexican place and their relleno was just no good. They left the tail on it and it was greasy and fried.

Pacos bakes theirs and gets rid of those inedible tails. I began brainstorming how to make a really good chile relleno and it hit me. It would lend itself perfectly to a casserole. I scoured Pinterest and found a few possibilities but they all included ingredients or methods I didn't want to use. Meat, condensed milk, and so on. So, the other night I decided to try it out and oh my gosh it was delicious. In taste, it was nearly identical to the original and the crispy cheese on top gave it a great texture.

Ingredients:

6 eggs, I use Egglands Best

Half + Half, but milk would work just fine

Cheese, cheddar or colby would be best...but it is very customizable

8-10 oz of whole green chiles, canned

Salt, Pepper, and Red Chile Flakes(Optional)

Preheat oven to 400

Arrange slightly damp chiles in the bottom of an 8x8 pan. If you don't dry them, it isn't necessary to grease the pan. The moisture from the eggs and chiles and the grease from the cheese will have you covered.

Sprinkle generously with cheese.

I added one extra egg, as I started out with five. Now is the time to add salt, pepper, and chile flakes to your preference. If you don't like spicy you can omit the flakes. Pour a splash of half and half or milk into the bowl.