Baked chiles rellenos are healthier than traditional chiles rellenos which are typically battered and fried. In this recipe, poblano peppers are blackened, stuffed with cheese, shrimp, and a creamy ancho chile sauce. These baked chiles rellenos are incredibly delicious and loaded with fresh, homemade ingredients that will leave you craving more!
Sometime last year, I had a taste for chiles rellenos. I told Tom about a memory I had of a Mexican restaurant in East Chicago that I used to go to with my dad. They had the best chiles rellenos…fried, cheesy deliciousness!!! I don’t think I ever ordered anything else.
I asked Tom to help me create a healthier version that was not fried. Friends, my hubby knocked it out of the park! The combination of flavors is phenomenal.
This has hands down become my favorite meal. These baked chiles rellenos taste so much better than the typical fried chiles rellenos that I have had in the past.
My only contribution was my homemade enchilada sauce. The rest was all a Tom creation. Instead of just using cheese he added shrimp and created a delicious ancho chile cream sauce.
This recipe is not like most of my quick weeknight recipes. It does have a few steps and takes some time to prep and cook. Pretty easy but a little time-consuming. Perfect for a weekend meal.
We always make enough to have leftovers during the week. Believe me, it’s definitely worth the effort!!!

Baked Chiles Rellenos With Shrimp
Poblano peppers are blackened, stuffed with shrimp, cheese, and a creamy ancho chile sauce. These baked chiles rellenos are incredibly delicious and loaded with fresh, homemade ingredients that will leave you craving more
Ingredients
Peppers
- 6 poblano peppers make sure they are large enough to stuff
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- soft Mexican cheese such as panela or oacaxa we use half of a 10 oz package
- 2 cups enchilada sauce about a cup will go in the bottom of your pan, you will need 2 tbsp for the ancho cream sauce, and a spoonful will go in the bottom of each chile.
Ancho Chile Cream Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable)
- 2 tbsp enchilada sauce
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 lb peeled and deveined medium shrimp
Instructions
Blacken the Peppers
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Preheat oven to broil setting.
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Coat peppers in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Place peppers on a baking sheet and blacken under broiler, 3 minutes on one side and then turn over for another 3 minutes.
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Place peppers in a paper bag and let cool. Once cool, peel outer skin and carefully slit peppers open on one side. Remove seeds, leaving stems attached. Set aside to fill later.
Make the Cream Sauce with Shrimp
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Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a heavy saucepan.
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Add tomatoes and onions to pan over medium to medium/high heat.
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Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer/reduce for about 15-20 minute until tomatoes are cooked all the way down.
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Stir in garlic, broth and enchilada sauce and allow to come to a slight boil.
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Add shrimp to sauce and cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side (it's ok if they're slightly under cooked, they will finish cooking in the oven later). Remove shrimp and set aside.
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Reduce heat and stir in the heavy cream a little at a time until reaching desired consistency.
Stuff the Chiles
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Place a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a baking dish or cast iron skillet, reserve the remaining sauce for the bottom of each chile. Arrange all of the peppers in the dish over the sauce.
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Open the slit on one of the peppers being careful not to rip the membrane and add a spoonful of enchilada sauce in bottom of pepper. Repeat with remaining peppers.
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Place a thin slice of cheese in the bottom of the pepper and stuff with shrimp. Top with a spoonful of the ancho chile cream sauce and another thin slice of cheese.
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Try to pull the sides of the peppers up to "close" them.
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Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted. If desired, place under broiler for the last few minutes.
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Garnish with cilantro, sliced avocado or other favorite toppings and serve.
Recipe Notes
We recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible.
Looking for some easy weeknight meals? Try some of my favorite slow cooker meals!
Authentic Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Simple Healthy Slow Cooker Chili
Easy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Laura Noelle says
Such a great recipe — looks so tasty!
smallgesturesmatter@gmail.com says
Thanks Laura! 🙂
Melissa says
Oh my goodness, this looks so good! Definitely going to make it here soon for my mom, Chile rellenos are her favorite.
smallgesturesmatter@gmail.com says
Awesome! I hope she loves them as much as I do! xoxo
Molly says
Putting this on our menu soon! Looks delish and healthy double win for me!!
smallgesturesmatter@gmail.com says
Hope you like it Molly! Let me know how it turns out! xoxo
Howard Pulker says
Easy, and delightful. My wife loved this, The heat level was perfect with the cream sauce. Thank you.
smallgesturesmatter@gmail.com says
Hi Howard! So glad you liked it. It’s one of our family favorites! Thanks for letting me know. Happy New Year!