Chile Relleno Puffs are one of the more decadent holiday appetizers! Flakey pastry filled with roasted green chiles, cheese and taco beef. I made some vegetarian also – just leave out the beef! I took these to a Christmas party last night, and my son (by far my harshest critic) proclaimed these as the best appetizer there. Ideally, you’ll want to reheat right before serving so the cheese is nice and gooey.
These take a bit more work than many appetizers, but it’s worth it!
I just used a medium hot Big Jim chile. These are great with mild, medium or hot – just a matter of preference. I also tried making them in a sealed rectangle, but I found they split and just weren’t as attractive.
Chile Relleno Puffs
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A decadent appetizer ideal for the holidays, flakey pastry stuffed with chiles, cheese, and seasoned beef.
Author: Anita Edge
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Southwestern
Serves: 24
Ingredients
- 2 sheets of puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm 17.3 oz Puff Pastry)
- 6 green chiles or ¾ cup diced green chiles
- 8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese (or Pepper Jack)
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ tsp taco seasoning
- ½ cup salsa, divided
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- optional: pimentos, roasted red bell pepper, cut in shapes or strips, or pimento-stuffed olives (sliced) for garnish
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry (usually takes at least an hour). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
- Brown the beef with the onion, adding the taco seasoning and ¼ cup salsa for flavor. Drain and set aside.
- Cut the cheese into ¼' thick squares or rectangles, about 1½ inch wide. It doesn't need to be exact as it melts. You can also use 1 tbsp grated cheese for each pastry.
- Cut each chile open and lay flat, remove seeds, and cut into squares about 1½ inches wide. If using diced chiles, use about ½ tbsp (or 1 heaping tsp) for each pastry.
- Roll out 1 sheet of the puff pastry at a time, expanding the sheet, expanding it by about 2 inches on each side. Cut the sheet into squares roughly 4" x 4" (doesn't have to be exact). Easiest way to do it is to use a ruler and mark a halfway point, then the halfway point for each half. You'll end up with strips about 4 inches wide, and then use the same technique to get roughly equal squares.
- To assemble each pastry, lay out a pastry square on the cookie sheet, place a square of green chile (or the heaping teaspoon of green chile, spread out to cover about 1½ inches square right in the middle). Then add about 2 tsp of the meat mixture, add about ½ tsp salsa, and top with a piece of cheese (or 1 tbsp grated cheese).
- Fold the corners of the pastry over so they meet in the middle. Pinch them together so they stay.
- Mix the egg with 1 tbsp water and brush on top of each pastry.
- Decorate with pimentos, red pepper strips, or olive slices as desired.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until turning golden brown.
- Serve hot with salsa or green chili sauce on the side (if desired). You can reheat in a microwave for 1 minute right before serving.
This is great as a family activity – allow about 2 hours and decorate with sliced green olives stuffed with pimentos or chop up roasted red bell peppers for decoration. This can be a lot of fun!
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