beef mixture:

1 lb. ground beef (90/10)
1/2 onion, diced
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chile powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper

  • brown beef and onions
  • add spices and mix well
  • remove from pan with slotted spoon to drain grease

batter:

2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups milk

  • mix flour and salt, then beat in eggs and half the milk, breaking up any lumps
  • stir in remaining milk to thin the batter out

casserole:

6 poblano peppers
2 cups cheddar cheese

  • broil poblanos until blistered, then transfer to bowl and cover for 10 minutes
  • remove skins, seeds, and chop
  • mix poblanos, beef mixture, and cheese
  • grease a baking dish and line with beef/poblano mixture
  • pour batter over the casserole and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes

source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/chile-relleno-casserole/

01/04/2023: made this with a few changes (made two 5” pot-pie sized portions instead of a whole casserole, added more spices to the meat (chipotle powder and garlic powder). it was ok, but hard to eat (because of the large slab of poblano on the bottom) and less flavorful than i was hoping, with the batter overwhelming the meat, cheese, and peppers, making it more like a quiche. also, even the 5” pot-pie portions were too much.

next time:

  • make muffin-tin portions
  • dice all the peppers and mix them and the cheese into the meat
  • taste the filling and make sure it has enough salt and spice
  • go easy on the batter to keep them meatier

08/01/2025: made these this week, as mini casseroles in 6” pie dishes (a half batch made 4). they were just ok. and given that they are mostly taco meat and cheese, i was really hoping for better. i think i’m going to try straight-up chile relleno recipes instead.