Baked Chile Relleno Cornbread Casserole
This family-friendly baked chile relleno casserole combines tofu-stuffed chile peppers with a cornbread batter, topped with a slightly spicy Mexican tomato sauce. Vegan cheese adds a delightful (although optional) touch, for a delicious meal that has you coming back for just one more bite, or picking little bites of cornbread from the skillet as you clean up. While not at all a traditional chile relleno, this is a great vegan and healthier version, and it’s just as delicious!
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About the Chile Relleno
I grew up in New England, where we are known for our rapidly changing weather, crisp apple cider, bad driving, revolutionary war history, and detesting the Yankees. One thing we’re really not know for is having good Mexican food, and for the first 18 or so years of my life my exposure to Mexican cuisine was pretty limited. The first time I actually had a chile relleno was one of the first times I ate with my boyfriend, about 5 years ago now in California. It wasn’t actually even a chile relleno- it was a chile relleno burrito. Your standard chile relleno is a poblano pepper, stuffed with cheese, battered, deep fried, and served with a tomato sauce. Completely delicious, and totally terrible for you. Plus deep frying in a home kitchen is always a bit of a mess. I made a healthier version, that sort of combines a chile relleno with cornbread- and it’s a great option for an at-home alternative.
Looking for Mexican-Inspired Food? Try one of these recipes!
- Flavor-Bomb Vegan Snacking Hominy Recipe
- Wild Oyster Mushroom Tacos with Purple Cabbage Slaw
- Hibiscus Flower and White Bean Vegan Tostadas
- Vegan Posole with Tempeh and Mushrooms
- Easy Air Fried Crispy Potato Tacos
Welcome to the COVID-19 Cooking!
If you’re reading this in the future, in March of 2020 in the United States we were hit with a global pandemic, in which “social distancing” was encouraged. Since I’m a blogger and work from home anyways, I can’t say my life is all that different, but since there is more time at home I do feel willing to spend more time creating dinners. This particular dish didn’t start off as a recipe, but as a long and drawn out cooking process. Beer in hand, I enjoy wandering off into the kitchen and opening fridge and pantry, imagining up different and creative meals. If you’re with me in the COVID-19 cooking era, I very much encourage this dish- I’ve been seeing plenty of beautiful poblano peppers in the stores, so what more of an excuse do you need to make baked chile relleno?
Making Baked Chile Relleno with Spicy Mexican Tomato Sauce
This meal all starts off with the peppers- ripe, dark green, mildly spicy poblano peppers, that will hold the entire dish together. In order to prepare them, they need to be roasted on a high heat to blister the skins, and then use that heat to steam them by covering them in a dish cloth. The skins should easily peel off after about 10 minutes, and then you can remove the stems and seeds and stuff with a tofu-based filling. The peppers are layered with a cornbread batter in a skillet, and cooked until golden. In the meantime, you can make a simple Mexican tomato sauce using cumin, Mexican oregano, and a spicy pepper (if you are spice sensitive, you can always leave the hot pepper out). Blend it up, and you’re good to go!
Baked Chile Relleno Cornbread Casserole with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 poblano peppers
- 1 14 oz. package of firm tofu
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 tsp. Mexican oregano, divided
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup shredded vegan cheese (optional)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 cup carbonated water (not sweetened or flavored)
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small chile pepper (such as a habanero), seeds removed and minced
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- Cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Prepare a baking sheet with a little oil, and place the poblano peppers on it. Roast for 25 minutes until the peppers are blackening, and then remove from the oven and wrap in a clean dish cloth. Allow to steam in the dish cloth for 10 minutes, and then peel away the skins, cut a slit down one side and discard the seeds and stems. Place aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet and set it aside.
- Make the tofu filling my draining the liquid from the tofu, and squeezing gently to remove some more of the moisture (you can also press the tofu if you prefer). Crumble the tofu into small pieces, and place in a large bowl along with the smoked paprika, 1 tsp. Mexican oregano, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste, and the vegan cheese if using. Mix well.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, and a pinch of salt, whisking together. Add the carbonated water, and stir to combine. Pour enough batter into the bottom of the skillet to cover it, using a spatula to disperse the batter. Stuff as much of the tofu mixture as fits inside each of the poblano peppers, and then place them in a single layer on top of the batter in the skillet. Top the stuffed peppers with the remaining batter, and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the batter on top is cooked and golden.
- While the poblanos cook, make the sauce. Heat some olive oil in a medium saucepan, and add the garlic, onions, and chile pepper and sauté until fragrant. Add the remaining tsp. Mexican oregano, ground cumin, and diced tomatoes (including the liquid in the can), and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Blend well, adding the apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste, and keep warm until the poblanos are ready.
- Serve the cooked poblano peppers with the skillet cornbread, the spicy tomato sauce, and topped with fresh cilantro.
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Val, you are a culinary genius! I’ve made this dish twice in rapid succession, since it was such a hit with my family. The cornbread portion is as light and fluffy as if I had folded in whipped egg whites. But, no! This is simply a delicious vegan entree. Thank you.
Thank you Joyce for the kind comment! I’m so glad you all loved it, and thanks so much for sharing that with me.