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Traditional Fresh Mexican Chile Rellenos

Traditional Fresh Mexican Chile Rellenos

Traditional fresh Mexican chile rellenos made with roasted sweet peppers, stuffed with cheese, dipped in an egg batter, and gently fried to golden perfection. Served on a bed of freshly roasted tomatoes, these chile rellenos are gluten free and one of my favorite treats during harvest time.

Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Mexican Food, rellenos
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

  • 4 sweet bell peppers any color, see note
  • 7 medium ripe tomatoes see note
  • coarse salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 eggs see note
  • oil, for frying see note
  • sour cream, sliced avocado, cilantro sprigs for serving, if desired

Instructions

  1. Preheat broiler. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

  2. Wash peppers and tomatoes. Place peppers on one half of foil-line baking sheet. Slice tomatoes in half, sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper, to taste. Place tomatoes, skin side up on other half of foil-lined baking sheet. 

  3. Place baking sheet under broiler for 3 to 5 minutes at a time, watching carefully so as to not overcook. Tomatoes are done when skins begin to pucker. Remove tomatoes from baking sheet when done and place on a cutting board to cool. Continue roasting peppers on all sides until skins blacken and start to char. 

  4. Once peppers are blackened on all sides, wrap them with a damp cloth or paper towels until cool enough to handle.

  5. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove skins. They should peel away easily. With a sharp knife, gently dice the tomatoes. Add additional salt and pepper, to taste and reheat in a saucepan until warm, if desired.

  6. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Place egg whites in a small bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until light and frothy. Set aside.

  7. Once peppers have cooled, dry them well with a cloth or paper towels. Cut the tops off and carefully peel off their skins and remove the seeds. Stuff them with a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

  8. Place ½-inch of oil in a large skillet or cast iron pan. Heat on medium heat until a drop of water sizzles.

  9. Gently fold in the egg yolks into the egg whites and stir just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix. This step is done best just before dipping peppers.

  10. When oil is hot enough, gently dip peppers in egg mixture, coating well on all sides. Fry in oil about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. When done, remove from oil and let drain on paper towels.

  11. Serve chile rellenos with diced tomatoes, garnished with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Recipe Notes

1. You can use any color of bell peppers, but my preference are the yellow bell peppers. Smaller peppers are a bit easier to work with. You can also use spicier peppers, i.e. poblano peppers.

2. My preference are garden vine-ripened tomatoes. 

3. When roasting tomatoes and peppers together, the peppers will take longer so you may want to place them closer to the heat source and the tomatoes can be further away.

4. Fresh eggs will work the best for getting nice, stiff egg whites.

5. I usually use either olive or canola oil for frying the peppers.