Mexican night goes fully vegetarian with these crispy, flavorful, budget-friendly Chile Rellenos! The deep flavor from the poblano peppers is perfectly complimented by the subtly spicy homemade salsa, creamy cheese, and the super light fry batter. The natural flavors of each ingredient really come together to make this meal a showstopper. I’ll warn you, it’s not effortless! But the result is delicious and absolutely worth the extra effort.
These chile rellenos are roasted, peeled, and gently stuffed with creamy cheese before being dipped in an airy whipped egg batter and pan-fried until golden. I then serve these stuffed peppers with a rich, slightly spicy tomato salsa made from scratch. Believed to have originated in Puebla, Mexico, chile rellenos have long been a favorite for their rich flavors and the impressive hands-on care that goes into making them.
My recipe stays true to the spirit of the traditional dish while using ingredients that are a little more approachable for the home kitchen. And while you can make four servings at home for the price of one restaurant entrée, you’ve still gotta work for it! If nothing else, learning how to cook foods from other cultures deepens my appreciation for the kitchen staff at my favorite local restaurants even more—and it already runs deep.
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Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 400℉. (You’ll also need some all-purpose flour and vegetable oil, but I accidentally left them out of this photo!)
Sauté the onion: Add 1 diced onion to a sauté pan over medium heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp cumin. Sauté for about 4 minutes or until the onion softens.
Bake the peppers: While you sauté the onions, add 4 poblano peppers to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Don’t add any oil or seasonings to the peppers; we want to bake them as is.
Bake the peppers in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then, flip them and bake for another 10 minutes. While the peppers bake, you can start on the sauce (see below).
Once done, the peppers should be browned, and the skin should be wrinkled, as shown here.
Steam the peppers: Immediately transfer the baked peppers to a heat-safe bowl and cover them securely with plastic wrap. The residual heat will steam the peppers and loosen the skin even more. Let them steam for about 10 minutes.
Make the sauce: Pour 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, 1 10 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, and 5 cloves minced garlic to the pan with your sautéed onion. Stir and turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Blend the sauce (optional): Let the sauce cool for at least 5 minutes (you shouldn’t add hot sauces to a blender straight from the stove) and then pour it into a blender.
Blend the sauce until smooth, and then pour it back into your original sauté pan and simmer on low.
Prep the peppers: After the peppers have steamed for 10 minutes or so, gently peel them and cut a slit down the middle of each with a knife. They’ll be very tender and easy to slice through, so be careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. You want the pepper to function as a vessel for the cheese!
Gently remove the seeds with a spoon. It can be a little tricky (again, you don’t want to accidentally split the pepper beyond the slice we’ve already made), but it’s easy to do with a little patience and a spoon.
Stuff the peppers: Carefully tuck ¼ cup of shredded queso cheese inside each pepper, being careful not to tear them. If you can fit more cheese, then go for it! But don’t overstuff them. Each side of the cut should be able to overlap to close them once stuffed.
Make the batter: Separate 3 egg yolks into a small bowl and the whites into a medium mixing bowl.
Use a hand mixer to whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. When you lift the beaters, the peaks should stand straight up without drooping.
Now add one yolk at a time, whipping after each addition, until combined and fluffy.
Pour ½ cup flour into a shallow bowl and gently roll each stuffed pepper in the flour (be sure to hold the opening closed) and then into the egg mixture, making sure it’s lightly coated all over. Do this to all of them while ½ cup vegetable oil heats in a second pan. They will be kind of foamy-looking and very messy, but it makes the fry batter nice and light!
Fry the peppers: Place each pepper into the oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy. I recommend doing this in batches as they are very fragile.
Serve: Once they’re all fried, serve them immediately on top of the warm salsa. I garnished my chile relleno with 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro and additional cheese, as I had some extra to hand. Enjoy!
I lay each chile relleno on a warm bed of that homemade tomato salsa and like to sprinkle any extra cheese and fresh cilantro over the top—it’s simple, but it looks and tastes amazing. To round out the meal, I love serving these with a scoop of my Spanish rice on the side. If we’re making a night of it, I’ll throw together some air fryer tortilla chips for dipping in the sauce and maybe even blend up a round of avocado margaritas. They’re creamy, zesty, and the perfect match for the tangy spiciness of the peppers.
If you’ve got leftovers, I recommend storing the sauce and peppers in separate airtight containers in the fridge. They’ll stay good for up to 3–4 days. Reheat the sauce in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through. For the peppers, I like to reheat them in a skillet over medium heat or pop them in the oven at 350°F until heated through and crisped up. The microwave works, too, in a pinch, but the texture is best when you reheat them gently.
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