Green Chili Egg Casserole is a fluffy, cheesy egg bake with a mild southwestern kick: ten eggs whisked with cottage cheese, diced green chiles and a little flour and baking powder, then folded with a pound of shredded colby jack. It bakes in one 9×13-inch dish in 45 minutes and cuts into 12 squares, and you can mix it the night before.
How to make it: Pour half of the melted butter into the dish. Mix the eggs, chiles, cottage cheese, flour, baking powder and salt until smooth, fold in the cheese, and pour it into the dish. Drizzle with the rest of the butter and bake uncovered at 350°F for 45 minutes, until golden on top and set in the middle.
Why You’ll Love It
- Eight ingredients, one bowl: no browning, no chopping.
- Light and fluffy: cottage cheese, flour and baking powder give the eggs some rise.
- Feeds 12: good for holiday mornings, brunch or breakfast for dinner.
- Make-ahead friendly: mix it the night before, or bake it ahead and reheat.
Ingredient Notes
Eggs: Ten large eggs are the base.
Small curd cottage cheese: A 24-ounce carton. It bakes into the casserole, and its texture is hardly noticeable, even to people who do not usually like cottage cheese.
Flour and baking powder: Half a cup of flour and a teaspoon of baking powder give the eggs a little rise and structure. It is a small amount, so the casserole stays an egg bake, not a pancake.
Diced green chiles: One 7-ounce can, or two small cans. Use more or fewer depending on how much heat you like.
Colby jack cheese: Sixteen ounces, shredded. Cheddar works in its place.
Butter and salt: A quarter cup of melted butter, split between the dish and the top, and half a teaspoon of salt.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and divided
- 10 large eggs
- 1 can (7 ounces) diced green chiles
- 24 ounces small curd cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 16 ounces shredded colby jack cheese (or cheddar)
How to Make Green Chile Egg Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour half of the melted butter into a 9×13-inch baking dish and reserve the other half.
2. Mix the eggs. Add the eggs, green chiles, cottage cheese, flour, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix by hand or with a hand mixer until fully incorporated.
3. Fold in the cheese. Add the shredded cheese and fold it in until fully combined with the egg mixture.
4. Fill the dish. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish and smooth it out to the edges. Drizzle the remaining melted butter evenly over the top.
5. Bake. Bake uncovered on the center rack for 45 minutes, until the top is slightly golden and the eggs are fully set and reach 160°F in the center. When you shake the pan lightly, the eggs should jiggle but not slosh.
How to Tell When an Egg Casserole Is Set
An egg bake that comes out too soon is still liquid in the middle. Check these signs from about the 35-minute mark.
The top and edges. The top turns slightly golden and the edges brown first. That alone does not mean the middle is done.
The jiggle test. Give the pan a gentle shake. A set casserole jiggles as one piece, like a firm custard. If the center moves in waves or sloshes, it needs more time.
The knife test. Slide a knife into the center. It should come out clean, with no liquid egg on it, and the center should reach the temperature in step 5.
The rest. Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing into squares. It sets up a little more as it rests.
Tips for Success
- Bake it uncovered: no foil or lid.
- Beat the eggs well: a hand mixer or stand mixer makes quick work of blending the eggs, cottage cheese and flour.
- Fold the cheese in last: add the shredded cheese after everything else is blended, and fold it through.
- Butter top and bottom: half the butter goes in the dish before the eggs, the rest over the top.
Make It Ahead
Overnight: mix the casserole, pour it into the dish, cover and refrigerate it the night before, then bake it in the morning. Starting cold, it takes longer. One method puts the cold dish into a cool oven, heats the oven to 325°F, and bakes for 55 to 60 minutes, until the eggs are set.
Bake ahead: bake it completely, then reheat it until warm. For quick breakfasts, slice the baked casserole and freeze the squares individually.
Variations
- Add meat: stir in bacon or cooked, crumbled sausage.
- Change the cheese: mozzarella, or a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack.
- Fresh chiles: use 1/2 cup of fresh roasted green chiles in place of the canned.
- Without cottage cheese: whisk 2 tablespoons of flour with 1/2 cup of milk, then 8 eggs and a little salt and pepper. Mix 6 ounces of grated Monterey Jack with 8 ounces of grated sharp cheddar, scatter about two-thirds in the dish, dot with the green chiles, pour the eggs over, top with the rest of the cheese, and bake at 350°F for 25 to 35 minutes, until set in the middle.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat squares to 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a fruit salad or a platter of sliced fruit. For more egg bakes, try homestyle bacon and cheese quiche, bacon, egg and hash brown casserole, breakfast casserole with tater tots and sausage, sausage, egg and cream cheese hash brown casserole or bacon, egg and cheese biscuit casserole. For grab-and-go mornings, there are easy sausage breakfast muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do egg casseroles need to be covered or uncovered when baking?
Uncovered. This one bakes uncovered until the top is slightly golden.
What are the ingredients for an old fashioned green chili casserole?
Eggs, cottage cheese, canned diced green chiles, shredded cheese, a little flour and baking powder, salt and melted butter.
Can I taste the cottage cheese?
Not really. It bakes into the eggs, and its texture is hardly noticeable.
Is it spicy?
It is mild with one can of green chiles. Add more chiles for more heat, or fewer for less.
Final Notes
Mix, fold in the cheese, and bake uncovered until it jiggles but does not slosh. If you make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Green Chili Egg Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter melted, divided
- 10 large eggs
- 1 can diced green chiles 7 ounces
- 24 ounces small curd cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 16 ounces colby jack cheese shredded, or cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour half of the melted butter into a 9x13-inch baking dish and reserve the other half.
- Add the eggs, green chiles, cottage cheese, flour, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix by hand or with a hand mixer until fully incorporated.
- Add the shredded cheese and fold it in until fully combined with the egg mixture.
- Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish and smooth it out to the edges. Drizzle the remaining melted butter evenly over the top.
- Bake uncovered on the center rack for 45 minutes, until the top is slightly golden and the eggs are fully set and reach 160°F in the center. When you shake the pan lightly, the eggs should jiggle but not slosh.
