chiles rellenos casserole

this is such a yummy recipe...not for the faint of heart and may cause some hair on your chest...but de-lish!!!! i think you could tone down the "heat" a little bit by using mild rotel, less cayenne, and monterey jack cheese instead of pepper jack!

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 pounds 90% lean ground beef (i used laura's 92% lean and it worked perfectly!)

4 poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (i highly recommend using gloves to avoid the stinging digits...trust me on this!!!!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (10 oz) can rotel tomatoes

10 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese (2 1/2 cups) (monterey jack cheese can also be used)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup skim milk

2 large egg whites

1. adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. stir in beef, breaking up meat into small pieces, and cook until no longer pink. using slotted spoon, transfer beef mixture to paper towel-lined plate. pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.

2. add poblanos and cook over medium-high heat until browned, 8-10 minutes. stir in beef mixture, garlic, cumin, 3/4 tsp salt, oregano, 1/2 tsp pepper, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add tomatoes and cook until beef mixture is dry, about 1 minute. off heat, stir in 2 cups cheese. scrape mixture into 9x13 inch baking dish, pressing into even layer.

3. combine flour, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp pepper in bowl. slowly whisk into flour mixture until smooth; set aside. using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites on medium low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. increase speed to medium high and whip until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. whisk 1/3 whipped egg whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites, 1 scoop at a time, until combined.

4. pour batter over beef mixture. bake until topping is light golden and puffed, about 15 minutes. (mine took a bit longer!) sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. let cool for about 10 minutes.

this would go great with a lemon oil salad and some chips and salsa!!! we will definitely be making this again...but probably need to tone it down a notch if we are going to share!!!!