Chile Relleno Casserole

Ingredients -- Ovo-Lacto Vegeterian with optional meat
This recipe is flexible. With only the Peppers and cheese, it already "suggests" a traditional Chile Relleno, but without the pain of breading and frying them. Chile Rellenos recipes vary a lot from family to family. Some contain meat and/or rice, and some do not, but they typically contain cheese.

4 egg whites
6 large Peppers (I often recommend 4 Bell Peppers plus 2 Ancho or Poblano peppers for flavor), roasted, skins removed, diced. You can also use canned/preserved Roasted Peppers, at least 3 jars worth.
1 small can (~ 5 oz) green chili peppers
1 can (~8 oz) Enchilada Sauce. You can make your own Enchilada sauce by mixing Red Salsa with Sour cream, crema, plain whipping cream, or milk -- according to your taste.
1/2 cup Keto acceptable flour, such as Almond flour, Oat flour, Quinoa flour, or Coconut flour. Optionally you might consider adding also 1 cup of Low-Carb Tortilla Chips as described in my Chilaquiles Recipe, for more crunch.
To mix into the flour: 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper and/or Garlic powder
16 oz. shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
1/2 cup crumbly Queso Fresco or Queso Cotija cheese
1 cup Evaporated Milk

Optional Meat Filling:

1/2 pound Ground beef (or Tofu for vegetarians)
1/2 onion (white or yellow)
2 cloves finely chopped or minced Garlic
Spices to taste: 1 tsp. Cumin, 1 tsp. Paprika, salt and freshly ground Black Pepper.
Recommended: scant 1/4 cup Raisins

Grease or spray a 2 quart casserole dish. In medium bowl, combine egg whites, and evaporated milk; beat until well blended. If you're using the homemade Low-Carb Tortilla Chips, line the greased dish with them at the bottom. If not, sprinkle a little of the Keto flour mixed with the Parmesan and black pepper, into the dish, shake and spread it around so that it forms a crust on the bottom. Mix the rest of the Keto flour mixture into the eggs. If you're not using the meat filling, then crumble the Mexican Queso Fresco or Queso Cotija cheese well, and beat it into the egg mix.

Roast the peppers, if you're not using canned roasted peppers. Typically this is done by placing them, dry, on tinfoil or a cookie sheet, on the top rack of an oven at 450 degrees F for about 20 minutes. (You could also put them in an Air Fryer at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning or rotating them for even cooking.) The idea is that most of the skin will be brown or black when you take them out. A little bit charred is OK. Using gloves, place these hot roasted peppers into a large glass bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap to trap moisture. (Some people prefer to place them in a paper bag instead.) Allow them to cool enough that they're comfortable to handle. Now peel off the blackened skin and discard it (although I think the skins, chopped, go great in scrambled eggs). For this recipe, you will be slicing all the peppers into small chips, maybe 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch or smaller.

If a meat/tofu filling is desired, chop the half onion fine and begin to sautée it. Add the ground beef, or chopped Tofu, and all the spices. Cook until the onion is very soft and/or the meat is fully cooked. Remove from heat, crumble the Mexican Queso Fresco or Queso Cotija well (if you didn't use it before), and mix the Mexican cheese into the meat filling.

Spread half your chopped chilies above the flour or tortilla chip crust. Cover with the meat filling, if used, and then pour half of the egg mixture over it. Spread 1/3 of the shredded cheese on top. Repeat the pepper layer and the egg mixture and shredded cheese, saving the last 1/3 of the cheese. Pour the Enchilada sauce on top of the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake an additional 5 minutes to melt this last cheese, and/or until casserole is bubbly.