Here is a recipe for the lightest most delectable and healthy chile rellenos you will ever have. I know I know, healthy and chile rellenos don’t usually go in the same sentence, but trust me here, these chile rellenos are amazingy delicious and healthy too!

Oh how I love chile rellenos!

Spicy poblano peppers stuffed with gooey cheese, then deep fried in egg batter and slathered in enchilada sauce – this Mexican entree is mouthwatering delicious 😋. I love the unexpected spiciness that the poblano pepper gives especially as I get closer to eating the cap of the pepper.  

Spicy and cheesy, whenever I see chile rellenos on a Mexican restaurant’s menu I have to order it. Sometimes however this delectable pepper can be a disappointment.

I have had chile rellenos occasionally with so much cheese inside and out that it is positively gross, other times the egg batter has been soggy, and sometimes even has a raw eggy flavor, yet I order this dish every time bcause chili rellenos require deep-frying, and I rarely fry at home.

 Then how is it that I actually considered making chile rellenos at home? I was watching Food Network channel one day when I saw a quick 1-minute ad for baked chili rellenos! I didn’t even consider this a possibility- to bake a delectable chile relleno? That ad got me motivated to make chile rellenos at home for the first time!

How does one find a recipe featured in an ad on TV?

I couldn’t, and turned to the Internet for a few ideas. Of all the web sites I checked, the recipe that looked easy and simple for baked chile rellenos was from an egg farm called Vital Farms Easy Poblano Chile Rellenos on Vital Farms.com.   

Made my own variation

Their recipe was for cheese stuffed chile rellenos, but as I mentioned I don’t like chile rellenos with too much cheese so I decided to make my chile rellenos with a variety of vegetables and used Vital Farms recipe as reference, the rest I created on my own.

About the recipe

I stuffed my peppers with sweet potatoes, corn, black beans, caramelized onions, and herbs. This stuffing is so delicious that my family pretty much finished the entire dish!

Folks, this has to be the best chile rellenos we have ever had! Once you try these it will be hard to go back to the plain old cheese stuffed chile rellenos.

The best part of having these chile rellenos is how light you will feel. The veggie combination really makes this a light and flavorful dish that as my daughter Sri put it “These are really good Mom! I don’t feel stuffed, and I like that it has lots of vegetables.“

A cooking zen zone recipe

Veggie stuffed chile rellenos isn’t a quick dish to prepare, however on a cold wintery day if you are looking to make something warm and comforting and therapeutic – you know, like getting into a “cooking Zen zone” –  then this dish is the one.  

It is a multi-step process but nothing is complicated. Just a few steps to bring it all together in a delicious stuffed chile relleno. All you do is roast, microwave, sauté, stuff, and bake.

Baked Veggie Stuffed Chile Rellenos
makes 10 overly stuffed chile rellenos

Ingredients:

• 10 poblano peppers
• 1 large sweet potato or 2 medium sweet potatoes. Make slits in sweet potato and cover with damp paper towel. Microwave for 3-5 minutes until tender. Peel and cut sweet potatoes and set aside.
• 1 medium onion finely cut
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 bag Southwest blend frozen veggies thawed – drain any excess water and set aside. OR 1 cup cooked corn and 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained.
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 pound queso fresca cheese crumbled about 2 cups or use Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups good cheddar cheese grated plus 1 more cup for topping.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp paprika
• Green chili enchilada sauce – I buy mine in a can from the grocery store. Any brand of your choice will work.
• Cook’s Notes: If you want to keep it vegan, skip the egg batter and the cheese and just stuff the poblano peppers with the veggie mix and bake in enchilada sauce for 30 minutes.

Directions:

Roast Poblano Peppers

• Set oven to broil setting and place rack 6 inches below the broiler.
• Rinse poblano peppers under cold running water, pat dry and lay on clean baking sheet.
• Broil peppers about 3-4 minutes on each side until skin starts to char and wrinkle, turning peppers to ensure even roasting.
• Remove peppers from oven and cover with aluminum wrap and let cool about 10-15 minutes.
• Once cool, carefully remove skins from peppers and remove the spicy seeds. Set aside.

Make the stuffing

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and sauté garlic and onions until onions are tender about 5 minutes. Add the cooked sweet potato and Southwest blend of veggies, salt, pepper, and herbs. Mix all together and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Next add all the cheese into the veggie mixture and mix together. Set aside. To keep it dairy free, skip adding the cheese.

Make the egg batter 

• Whisk eggs with milk, gradually adding the flour, and beat until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and paprika and mix thoroughly.

Stuff the peppers

• Set oven to 400 degrees and grease 9 x 13 baking dish with oil. Spread the bottom of the pan with enough enchilada sauce to coat the pan.
• Start stuffing the peppers. Peppers will be very soft, carefully stuff with veggie mixture and place in the baking pan. Its okay if the peppers fall apart just keeps it together until it goes in the pan. Place as many peppers as will fit.
• If need be use a second baking pan for the remainder of the peppers.

• Pour egg mixture into baking dish covering the stuffed chilies (reserve some for the second baking pan).  Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and paprika.

Bake the chile relleno

• Bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes. The egg mixture should get puffed and golden. When finished, take it out of the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

• Serve warm.

• Serve with flour totillas for the most delectable chile rellenos ever. Save the leftovers as a delicious brunch option.