Tex-Mex: Baked Chile Rellenos

If you are like Kelly and me, there is nothing in the world like good ol' Tex-Mex food. And certain dishes are harder than others to recreate in your own home. One of these is chili rellenos, a pepper stuffed with various ingredients (usually ground beef, onions, sometimes potatoes and cheese), breaded, and fried. YUM!

This is a little time consuming for everyday cooking, but I recently came across a baked chili rellenos recipe that comes pretty close to the real taste, but with the ease of everyday cooking. After some tweaking, here it is:

Baked Chili Rellenos

3 large poblano peppers
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
10 oz. Monterrey jack cheese (or more)
2 T butter, melted
5 eggs, well beaten
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t cumin

1. Rinse peppers and cut off stems. Remove seeds and dice. In a skillet saute peppers in about a tablespoon of olive oil until soft. (If you want to be more authentic, roast them over the grill before dicing.)

2. Brown meat and onions. Drain and set aside.

3. Spray an 8 in square casserole dish with oil. Then layer half of the peppers, half the meat, and half the cheese. Repeat.

4. In a small bowl, mix beaten eggs, butter, and spices. Pour over pepper mixture. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Serve with spanish rice, and your choice of veggie.