Chile Relleno Bake

Grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

Preheat your broiler. My oven currently only has one temperature for this (or maybe I just don’t know how to use it properly). Put an oven rack on the highest shelf so that it is close to the broiler unit. Put your poblano peppers on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven on the top rack. Keep an eye on them while they broil. I usually rotate them around every 5-6 minutes to make sure they are getting evenly blackened on all sides. Once they are good, black and roasted, remove them from the oven and put them in a plastic or paper bag. Seal them up and let them sit for about 15 minutes. Set the oven to 350 F.

When the peppers have finished steaming, remove the skins, stems and seeds. Don’t worry if they fall apart a little or if some of the seeds remain.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef and onions until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off fat and return the skillet to the stove. Add the tomato sauce and spices (cumin through salt) to the cooked meat and stir to combine together.

Whisk together the egg whites, milk and flour in a bowl. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Arrange the half the poblanos in the dish, top with half of the meat mixture, and half of the shredded cheese. Add another layer of poblanos, the rest of the meat and the remaining egg white mixture. Then top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the egg mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Serve with all of your favorite Mexican food toppings, sour cream, salsa, etc.