My grandma made an awesome chili relleno, and when I made this one, I think I might have actually recreated hers. That’s a pretty big compliment coming from me because hers is the one I remember.

I used roasted green chiles from our local farmers market, but poblanos work perfectly too.

In the video, I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 pan. The recipe below is for a smaller 3-quart baking dish.

Watch Me Make It

Ingredients

• 6–8 large poblano peppers (enough to make 2 single layers in your baking dish)
• 2 cups freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 5 large eggs
• 1½ cups whole milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, and fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Arrange a single layer of roasted green chiles or prepared poblano peppers in the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish.
2. Top with a layer of the Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses.
3. Repeat with another layer of chiles and the remaining cheese.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
5. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the layers of chiles and cheese.
6. Bake according to the method shown in the video, until the center is set and the top is lightly golden.
7. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro, if you’d like.

Make It Your Own

Change the peppers: I used roasted green chiles from our local farmers market, but poblano peppers work great too. If you have access to freshly roasted Hatch or other green chiles, use them.

Change the cheese: Monterey Jack and cheddar are a great combination, but Pepper Jack would give it a little more kick.

Feed a crowd: Double the recipe like I did in the video and use a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Laura’s Tip

Freshly shredded cheese melts better than the pre-shredded stuff, so this is one of those times when I think it’s worth grabbing the grater.