Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Green Chiles, Grain-Free)

Stuffed Peppers

Summertime Stuffed Chiles

Summer is the perfect time to pull out a platter of hand-held appetizers to share with family and friends. Our summer stuffed chiles have just the right amount of heat, balanced with a creamy center and crisp bite. If you’re looking to dial down the heat, use small bell peppers or another mild pepper.

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Why We LOVE Stuffed Chiles!

Stuffed chiles are incredibly versatile, and can be the perfect way to serve leftover meat in a fun and exciting way. Cooking food in a vessel (ie: stuffing a vegetable with meat, cheese, and spices) allows the flavors to blend together. Stuffing foods can be an easy way to elevate flavors without having to add spices or increase the cooking time of your dish. Try using the stuffing in our Stuffed Chile recipe to fill portobello mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini boats, or another vegetable of your choice. Comment your favorite stuffed-vegetable recipe or share a photo in our Facebook group to share your recipe!

Looking for More Exciting Ways to Use Your Green Chiles?

We LOVE our green chiles – and we have a few ideas to use them up for a delicious meal. Check out our Green Chile Mayonnaise and Chile Cheese Fritters. Better yet? Serve these stuffed chiles with a side of green chile mayonnaise for dipping!

Chili Rellenos

Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Green Chiles, Grain-Free)

Chef Dawn Ludwig
Green Chile Season is still upon us! One of our favorite ways to use these spicy New Mexican treats is to simply stuff them and fry them. Remember, although we love to use Hatch Green Chiles, this recipe will work with any of your favorite peppers!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

Ingredients

  • 8 large green chiles, roasted, peeled, and seeded with stems left on
  • ¾ cup dry chickpea flour for coating with Rellenos before dipping in the batter
  • neutral tasting oil such as avocado oil, for cooking

Batter

  • cups chickpea flour
  • 1 egg
  • sparkling water or beer
  • 1 tsp salt

Stuffing

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef, turkey, or shredded chicken
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 6 ounces cheese, monterey jack or cheddar
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions
 

Batter

  • Beat egg with the sparkling water and salt. Then mix in chickpea flour with whisk or immersion blender.

Stuffing

  • Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute onion and garlic until translucent (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add meat and salt. Saute until meat is browned and fully cooked. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
  • Heat 1/2 to 3/4 inch avocado oil or other neutral-tasting oil like hi-oleic safflower oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Stuff each green chili with about ½ cup of meat and cheese mixture.

Coating in Batter

  • To better hold the seal, do your best to close the chile with the stuffing inside then coat in the dry flour and roll it in the wet batter until it is completely coated. The process can be a bit messy as you dip the chiles in the wet batter, but the end result is definitely worth it! Don’t worry if some of the stuffing falls out since the batter will ultimately hold it all together.

Cooking

  • Once the stuffed chile is rolled in dry chickpea flour, then dipped in batter to completely coat it, place it gently in the hot oil. Cook on medium heat until browned on one side, then turn and brown the other side.

Notes

Nutrition (Chile Peppers Only)

Fat: 16g
Carbohydrate: 20g
Protein: 25g
Calories: 330

Nutrition (Meal Plan Suggestion)

For each person: Serve 1 stuffed chile pepper topped with 1 tablespoon of Green Chile Mayonnaise. Serve with Refried Beans (Always Delicious pg. 225) and a side salad made with non-starchy vegetables, salad greens, a squeeze of lemon, one teaspoon of olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of feta (or other) cheese.
Fat: 38g (22%)
Carbohydrate: 51g (29%)
Protein: 37g (49%)
Calories: 680
Keyword Grain-Free

What to do with your left over batter?

Once you’ve made the 8 stuffed chiles, you’ll probably have about 1/4 of the wet batter and 1/4 cup of dry chickpea flour left over. I have trouble throwing food away, so I like to use the leftover batter to make something.  My favorite way to use the leftover is to make super simple Chile Cheese Fritters, or as I like to call them, “I’m too Busy to make Chile Rellenos – Fritters”! You can even use the beef filling to make this recipe without making the original stuffed chiles.

Chili Cheese Fritters

Chile Cheese Fritters (Grain-Free)

Chef Dawn Ludwig
These delicious grain-free fritters are made with the same batter as our Chiles Rellenos and are great for meals that need to get made quickly!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Southern
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 egg
  • cup sparkling water or beer
  • 1 tsp salt
  • cup chickpea flour
  • 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 4-8 ounces New Mexican Green Chile Peppers, roasted, peeled, and chopped
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil, for cooking

Instructions
 

  • Beat egg with the sparkling water and salt. Then mix in chickpea flour with whisk or immersion blender. Add the cheese and chiles.
  • Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet. Drop batter into oil to form small patties. Cook on medium heat until browned, and then flip the patties to brown the other side.

Notes

Nutrition (Fritters Only)

Fat: 22g
Carbohydrates: 25g
Protein: 16g
Calories: 360

Nutrition (Full Meal - Phase 1)

Serve with 1/2 to 1 full portion of Shredded Mexican Chicken or 3 to 5 ounces of your favorite protein served ontop of a salad of leafy greens, non-starchy vegetables, and 1/2 tablespoon dressing of choice. Top the fritters with fresh salsa.
For dessert, have about a half cup of mixed berries with a dollop of whipped cream. This meal puts you right in the Phase 1 ratios.
Fat: 35g (47%)
Carbohydrates: 41g (24%)
Protein: 50g (29%)
Calories: 670

Nutrition (Full Meal - Phase 2)

For Phase 2, substitute the side salad with 1/2 cup brown rice or quinoa. Omit the whipped cream in the dessert. 
Fat: 31g (28%)
Carbohydrates: 63g (34%)
Protein: 51g (38%)
Calories: 730

Variation Tip

You can even add the 1 to 2 pounds of cooked protein directly to the fritter batter for easy cooking! For example, add sautéed ground beef, leftover Shredded Mexican Chicken, or Crumbled Tempeh at the same time you add the cheese and chiles.
 
 
Keyword Grain-Free, Vegetarian
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