The amount of green chiles that sneak into Great-Grandma Mary’s recipes show her California ranching roots. I think they’re a necessity in a lot of western cooking and I absolutely love that they show up so frequently!

Great-Grandma Mary’s notes say this recipe serves 20…it is big, but easily cut in half. That’s where I started..too much cheese to use in such a big gamble. (I think I mentioned it before, but I consider every one of these recipes to be a gamble. If you lived in my house you’d understand why.)

This one can be made ahead and re-heated or served right out of the oven. Perfect for a potluck, brunch, or a side dish.

 

Chile Relleno Squares

3 small cans of chopped green chiles* (They come in mild, medium or hot so you gauge your audience.)

3/4 lb jack cheese, shredded

1/2 lb cheddar cheese, shredded

6 eggs

1/2 cup milk (scant)**

2 Tbsp flour

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Do not grease the pan. (Hopefully you read directions better than I did!)

Put Jack cheese in the bottom of a  13″x 9″ pan. Add the layer of green chiles and then the shredded cheddar cheese.

In a bowl beat the eggs, milk and flour together then pour over the cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve warm.

 

*My kids were the primary taste testers so we went for the mild option. If you’re dying to add even more kick you can use pepper jack instead of jack, or add a dash of hot sauce in with the eggs.

**”Scant” just means, a teensy bit less than the requested amount.

Layer the cheese, and the chiles, and the cheese.

Pour the egg mixture over the top. Don’t be strategic, just dump it in there and get it in the oven.

This guy makes all of the picture taking way easier. I mean waaaay easier.

Here it is! Serve it warm out of the oven, or reheat in time to serve.

Leftovers are great too!

Pass along any brunch type recipe requests and I’ll see if the Grandma’s have it in their stash!