Chile Relleno Cheese Dip
Servings: 20 servings
Calories: 144kcal
A unique and delicious appetizer that creates a dip out of the classic Mexican dish. If you like Chile Rellenos, then you have to try this version as a cheese dip!
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Equipment
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
Salsa
- 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
Peppers and Cheese
- 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
Instructions
- Add all of the salsa ingredients to a food processor and pulse until blended but still a little chunky. Pour the salsa into a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- While the salsa is heating, place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet lined with foil. Place 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. Turn on the oven to 375°F.
- After 10 minutes, remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off as much charred skin as you can, but don't worry if there is a little still on the pepper. Cut a slit in the side, and remove the seeds and top stem. Repeat with all of the roasted peppers and then dice into ½" pieces.
- Shred and crumble the 3 kinds of cheese and mix them together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Pour the warm salsa into the bottom of the baking dish. Take half of the chopped roasted poblanos and spread them out over the salsa in a layer. Top the peppers with half of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layer with the rest of the poblanos and cheese.
- Bake the dip in the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes. Turn the broiler on high and brown the top of the dip for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, allow it to cool for a few minutes and then serve it immediately with your favorite tortilla chips!
Notes
- 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 a 12" x 9" size.
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.3g | Protein: 8.3g | Fat: 7.3g | Saturated Fat: 4.3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 432mg | Fiber: 4.6g | Sugar: 7.6g | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 1mg