Vegan Chile Rellenos Casserole

One of my fans asked for Chile Rellenos recently, so I made this Vegan Chile Rellenos Casserole. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out - but this may be a new favorite!

Black beans combine with Rotel tomatoes, green chiles, and corn tortilla strips to make the 'meat' of this casserole. They are then folded into an egg-like tofu batter and then baked until golden brown, then topped with your favorite salsa and cheese sauce.

The tofu batter really surprised me how much it resembled the traditional egg batter of chile rellenos, espcially if you add a little Indian black salt (kala namak).

I been to many restaurants where their idea of chile rellenos is a plain poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and some flavorless tomato sauce on top.

Those are NOT the chile rellenos I remember from living in the American southwest for over 10 years! Not - even - close.

I'm used to Big Jim Hatch Chiles stuffed with among other things a rich and flavorful cheese sauce, and then dipped in an egg batter and fried to a golden brown. And of course they were topped with that amazing New Mexico red or green sauce too.

Mmmm. I can almost taste them now.

THIS vegan chile rellenos casserole reminds me of those wonderful flavors from back home, so I hope you give it a try.

How To Make Vegan Chile Rellenos Casserole

Step 1: Cheese

Since Chile Rellenos are all about the cheese, start there using whatever cheese sauce you like. There are some really good vegan cheese products in the store now or you can make my own Amazing Vegan Cheese Sauce recipe.

If you are in a pinch for time, the new Cheese Starter Pack from PlantPure is really good too and is so FAST & EASY. Because I was lazy, this is what I used and added an additional 4 oz can of chiles and ¼ cup of salsa.

Wow it was good and I have extra sauce leftover for my potatoes this week.

Step 2. Sauce

This casserole is good as is, but to kick it up a notch I reccomend topping it with your favorite Salsa, Salsa Verde, enchilada sauce, or even my own Red Chile Sauce.

Step 3: The Filling

To make the filling I used:

One 15oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained,
One 10oz can of Rotel Tomatoes, also drained,
Three 4oz cans of diced Hatch Green Chile.

Drain all of these really well, place them in a bowl, mix them well, and then drain them some more. You do not want any excess liquid.

Step 4: The Tortillas

Most store-bought corn tortillas are oil-free so simply take 2 of your favorite tortillas, cun them in half, and then into strips. Set aside.

Step 5: The Batter

The wet ingredients of the batter are simply a 14oz block of extra firm tofu and ¼ cup of unsweetened plant milk. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides if necessary.

To a bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and all the spices and mix well. Add the tofu and mix until a smooth batter is formed.

Step 6: The Casserole

Finally, fold in the bean filling and pour into a well-seasoned cast iron skillet and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Alternatively, a similar sized casserole dish could be used lined with parchment paper.

Once out of the oven, let it rest for at least 10 minutes before adding your cheese sauce and salsa. I used a tomatillo salsa verde and it was amazing.

Again, I hope you give it a try and if you do, let me know in the comments below.

Until next time...