Let me start off by saying that this dish is very near and dear to my heart. As far back as I can remember my grandmother in Monterrey Mexico would fix these up for us. When we weren’t in Mexico my mother back home in Louisiana would made these constantly. It was like our Mexican Comfort food.

The entire family would get so excited as soon as we would hear that fork clanking against a plate with any sense of repetition. We knew that sound meant mom was whipping the eggs and chile rellenos we not far behind.

The traditional Mexican Chile Relleno has a roasted poblano pepper that’s been stuffed with cheese, meat, or both. It’s then coated with flour, dipped into a whipped egg foam, and fried to golden perfection.

I have always wanted to introduce my version of Chile relleno as a freezer meal. The problem is that the poblano pepper releases too much moisture upon thawing and becomes a soggy mess. Trust me on this one.

I think that in order to make this a freezer meal the answer lies in the construction. This was my motivation to come up with what you see before you. A Mexican classic comfort food arranged in such a way that the freezing and thawing of this dish has no impact on it’s texture and flavor.

This dish was arranged like a casserole utilizing roasted poblano peppers inside the cheesy meat filling and topped with egg pillows.

Egg pillows!! Who would have known that these beautiful, crispy, airy delights would freeze and reheat so perfectly. They offer the perfect amount of crisp to a very flavorful, cheesy, meat filling.

One optional ingredient that you can use in this recipe is cream of tartar. It isn’t necessary but it will stabilize your egg foam so that it stays “foamy”. This comes in handy when you are making large batches like I do.

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment add the egg whites. Whisk on medium/high till you acheive firm peaks. Slowly start to add back in the egg yolks. Your egg foam should have a yellow tint, be a little glossy, and have firm peaks when finished.

To fry these “pillows” simply pour 1/2 cup of the egg foam in a cast iron skillet with oil that’s been preheated to 350-375F. I use a Thermapen to check my temps and I highly recommend one for every kitchen. Fry on each side for a few minutes till it’s golden brown. Set on a wire rack to drain any excess oil

I did not drain the fat (from the meat mixture) in this dish as I wanted a high fat content for my Keto customers, but if you want to drain the fat from the meat by all means go ahead or you can even use ground turkey for a leaner filling.

Enjoy the video and I hope you get a chance to make this amazing Easy Freezer Meal.

If you want to see the different things that we use in our kitchen be sure to check out our new Amazon Store.

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Mexican Deconstructed Chile Relleno (Keto)

A classic Mexican comfort food as an amazing freezer meal

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time1 hr 30 mins

Total Time2 hrs 15 mins

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 397kcal

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• 2.5 lbs beef 80/20 fat
• 12 oz onions diced
• 12 oz green bell peppers diced
• 12 oz roma tomatoes diced
• 1/2 oz cilantro finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 3 large poblano pepper roasted
• 1.25 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• .5 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon
• 1.5 tsp garlic salt
• 8 oz mozzarella grated
• 8 oz sharp cheddar grated
• 4 large eggs for the egg pancakes
• 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar optional

Instructions

• Start by roasting the chili poblanos. You can do this directly on an open flame or in your over at 425F. Remove the charred skin, wash clean, and slice into thin strips. Set to the side
• In a pot sautee the onions and the bell peppers till the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.
• Add the beef and all the seasonings. Cook till the meat has been browned.
• To the browned beef add the tomatoes and the cilantro and allow to simmer on a medium heat till most of the liquid has been cooked out. Remove from the heat and allow this mix to cool.
• Once cooled add all the cheese and the sliced roasted chili poblanos and mix well.

Cooking the egg pillows

• Start by separating the white (albumen) from the yolk. In a mixing bowl add the egg whites, add the cream of tartar if you plan on using this, with a whisk attachment begin to mix the egg whites on low for a few minutes then on med/high till you form firm peaks.
• After this happens reduce the speed to low and gently add the yolks in one at a time till they are fully incorporated.
• In a skillet with some veg. oil on a medium high heat begin to pour 1/2 cups of this egg foam onto the oil to form pancakes. Make as many as will fit in the skillet. Once they are browned on one side flip them over to allow them to brown on the other. Once finished place on a wire rack to drain.

How to assemble

• This can be assembled as a casserole. Add your meat/cheese mixture to a freezer friendly container. Next top the meat with your egg pancakes.
• To reheat just bake at 350F for 30 minutes or till the meat has been warmed through

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 791mg | Potassium: 455mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 763IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 2mg

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