It’s New Mexican Green Chile season and the season is way too short in my opinion! One of my favorite things to make with green chiles is this Chile Cheese Casserole.
Almost every year I order a box of Hatch green chiles from New Mexico, fire up the BBQ and roast those suckers, then freeze what I don’t use right away for use throughout the year. I grew up eating this Chile Cheese Casserole with grilled steak. It also perfect wrapped in a tortilla for a yummy vegetarian meal. I love to serve this dish to a crowd at pot lucks because everyone likes it and it’s always gone! Which is a problem because there’s never any leftovers for the next day.
The amount of cheese and chile you use will depend on how much you want to make. Want a 9×13 dish, use more cheese and chiles. Want an 8×8 dish, you’ll use a little less cheese and chiles. There’s really no exact proportions, and there’s no exact way to layer it. It’s kind of like a lasagna with the chiles taking place of the noodles. Put a layer of chiles down, then layer all three of the cheeses, then repeat. Or, if you want more chiles, you can alternate layers chiles, cream cheese, chiles, monterey jack cheese, chiles, cheddar cheese, on and on for as many layers as you want! This way will use more chiles, which is great if you have a lot of them! Once it’s baked and all the cheese is ooey, gooey, and melty, just let it sit a few minutes to firm up a bit before serving.
Chile Cheese Casserole
Adjust the spiciness of this dish to your liking by using mild or hot chiles. And by all means, use canned green chiles if you don’t have fresh!
Ingredients
- 1 block cream cheese
- 1 block monterey jack cheese
- 1 block cheddar cheese
- 10–20 Fresh, roasted New Mexican green chiles (amount depends on how many layers you want) or 4 lg. cans whole green chiles (for 8x8 dish), drained and split open to lay flat.
Instructions
- Slice cream cheese, monterey jack cheese and cheddar cheese in slices (about 1/8-1/4 inch thick). Don’t use shredded cheese, it doesn’t work as well in this recipe. Layer casserole dish with chiles and cheeses. Repeat as many layers as you want.
- Bake 350 degrees until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit a bit to set up. Slice like lasagna and serve.