June 6, 2021

Chile Relleno Cheese Dip

Name: Chile Relleno Cheese Dip
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 2 cans diced tomatoes, drained ((14 oz)); 1 medium onion, quartered; 1 8 ounce can diced green chilies; 3-4 cloves garlic; 3 tablespoon fresh cilantro; 5-6 large poblano peppers; 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded; 1 cup mozzarella, shredded ((can sub Monterey or pepper jack)); 10 ounces queso fresco, crumbled

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If you like chile rellenos, you are going to love this Chile Relleno Cheese Dip Recipe! This dish is basically the classic Mexican dish in a melty, cheesy poblano dip form that’s perfect for parties, BBQs, and celebrations.

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I’ve started ordering Chile Rellenos whenever we go out for Mexican food. I love to try different variations of this classic Mexican dish and indulge in the fried peppers with cheese. Since this dish is my new favorite, I’ve made a few versions of my own at home including my Baked Chile Rellenos and my Chile Relleno Enchiladas.

I wanted to share my baked version with my friends and I decided to come up with this Chile Relleno Cheese Dip so that everyone at our party could try some. Any excuse to have roasted peppers, cheese, and salsa in a homemade dip with tortilla chips is ok with me! You also get the flavors of a chile relleno without the frying, so really, this dip is better for you than the original dish.

What are Chile Rellenos?

Chile Rellenos translates to “stuffed peppers” in Spanish and originated in the city of Puebla, Mexico. Traditionally, they are roasted peppers stuffed with cheese and/or meat, dipped in an egg batter, and fried. They are usually served with red or green salsa or sauce. Traditional Chile Rellenos are REALLY delicious, but they also pack a lot of calories, especially the fried version.

Ingredients Needed to Make this Roasted Poblano Appetizer

From the Pantry

This recipe is great because you use a few staples from the pantry including canned diced tomatoes and canned diced green chiles. You could also use crushed tomatoes, which are already processed into a sauce-like consistency, but I like my salsa to be a little more chunky.

Fresh Produce

You will also need some fresh vegetables and herbs. Of course, you will need some fresh poblano peppers to roast. There is also onion, garlic, and cilantro in the salsa.

The Cheeses

And the best part of this dish, the cheese! I like to create a cheese blend for my chile rellenos and this dip. I use Queso Fresco which adds some texture and is saltier than the other cheeses. Shredded sharp cheddar and mozzarella are the other two kinds of cheese to add. You could use Monterey or pepper jack cheese as well since both melt well.

How to Make the Salsa

This salsa is fast and easy to put together. It’s heated on the stove so that all of the flavors have a chance to combine and it can go into the oven warm. First, add all of the salsa ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. As I mentioned, I like to leave my salsa a little chunky, but you can process to your desired consistency. Once blended, pour the salsa into a saucepan over medium heat and allow it to warm up. There is no need to boil it, just stir occasionally as you are preparing the rest of the dish.

How to Roast Poblano Peppers in the Oven

Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet lined with foil. Put the baking sheet on the highest rack in the oven and broil on high for 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes. Once roasted, remove the peppers from the oven and place them in a sealed plastic bag for 10 minutes to steam. After 10 minutes, remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off as much charred skin as you can. Remove the seeds and top stem.

poblano pepper on a baking sheet with tin foil for roasting — poblano peppers before roasting

roasted poblano peppers on a baking sheet with tin foil — poblano peppers before roasting

Tips on Making This Chile Relleno Cheese Dip Recipe

Poblano peppers aren’t always spicy, so if you want to add some more heat to this dish, add some fresh jalapenos or serrano peppers to the salsa.
Use an oven-safe deep dish. I used my Le Cruset Stoneware which is 12″ x 9″.
Before roasting the peppers, remove as much of the stem as you can so they don’t catch on fire under the broiler.
Try to remove as much of the charred skin as you can from the peppers. It has a bitter taste that will interfere with the rest of the dish. However, if you have a little left on the pepper, don’t worry. A small amount is fine.
Make sure you drain the tomatoes before adding to the salsa. You can also drain the salsa through a mesh strainer before warming on the oven to make sure it’s not too watery.
Serve this dish warm so that everyone can enjoy all of those melted cheeses.
When serving to a crowd, I would suggest having a serving spoon handy so that your guests can get all of the goodies in the dip on their plate.
Since this dip is hearty, use tortilla chips that are thick if you can. You can make your own homemade chips (baked or fried) or store-bought chips.

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