Chile Relleno Casserole

I really wanted to make Chile Rellenos but I decided to make a casserole instead because frankly, it's MUCH healthier. I took the long route & blackened my own chiles and peeled them. It's much more time consuming than using canned green chiles (which I LOVE) but the flavor seems so much more like authentic Chile Rellenos to me.

• 3-5 large Ancho or Anaheim chiles (or 3, 7 oz cans of whole green chiles)

Move oven rack to the top of oven and set to BROIL. Wash chiles and place on a tin foil covered baking pan. Place on top rack of oven, watch (and listen) closely. Chiles will crackle, pop & char. Once the entire pepper is charred evenly turn over with tongs. Char the other side of chiles completely. Remove from oven and wrap each pepper in a wet paper towel & place in a large gallon size ziploc bag. Seal the bag and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Remove from paper towel and peel the charred skin off completely. Cut the stem and remove the seeds & vein. Cut each pepper into half.

• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp non fat sour cream
• 1 3 oz can of sliced black olives
• 1 cup of low fat Mexican blend cheese (or more if you want)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 can red or green enchilada sauce
• Sour cream (garnish)
• Diced green onion (garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, flour, sour cream, olives, salt and pepper to taste then mix thoroughly. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Add a layer of the chiles, and then egg mixture, then cheese, then black beans; repeat layers until gone. Top with enchilada sauce and a bit more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Top with sour cream and diced green onion. I serve this meal with the Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing (see recipe here). Enjoy!

• Click here for printable recipe