Gluten-Free Hatch Chile Cornbread Casserole is rich, hearty and packed with smoky flavors. It's perfect for brunch or alongside a chili or a salad for dinner.
I'm having a Hatch Chile Festival.
In my kitchen, that is.
Hatch Chile Festival
This is not to be confused with the enormous Hatch Chile festival going on in New Mexico. My kitchen is a bit smaller than New Mexico.
Truth is, all of my beautiful Hatch chiles from Melissa's have indeed been contributing to a festive atmosphere at my house!
Some red, some green, some hot, some mild, and all delicious and each one with a slightly different shape.
Read all about them here.
And roasting them is part of the fun! I always find these chiles so pretty -- raw, roasted, sliced, diced.
Any which way, they're lovely!
Hatch Chile Roastings
And you know what is so cool? During Hatch Chile season, markets all over the U.S. are roasting them for you! You choose your chiles, as many as you want, and the stores will roast them for free.
This way not only can it save you some time, but you can freeze them roasted, and use them all year long! Brilliant.
Courtesy of Melissa's Produce, here is the list of all of the store locations where they will roast them for you.
I love this casserole because the layering process is so pretty. This is definitely a recipe where making it is as much fun as eating it.
Can you make Hatch Chile Cornbread Casserole ahead?
Yes, you can make it a day ahead of time, so it's the perfect dish to bring to a potluck brunch, or to prepare early for a party at your house.
This is an amazing brunch dish that will wow your guests, for sure.
Hatch Chiles are so delicious with so many wonderful ingredients -- chicken and corn, shrimp and onions, grilled vegetables, and the list goes on.
I would definitely put hatch chiles in the category of "fun food." They're fun to cook with and certainly never fail to create a fun dish!
This Roasted Hatch Chile Cornbread Casserole is a comfort food that's perfect alongside a bowl of hot chili or a hearty salad.
(What is exactly is a comfort food? Read this article to find out!)
And it also makes for a super delicious breakfast or brunch, served with a dab of sweet butter.
Check out the list below in case you want many more ideas for cooking with Hatch Chiles.
A few more of my favorite Hatch Chile recipes . . .
- Roasted Hatch Chile White Peach Salsa
- Mahi Mahi Stuffed Hatch Chilies with Tomato Lime Sauce
- Hatch Chile Pepper Jack Bacon and Eggs
- Hatch Chile Shrimp Sauté
- Hatch Chile Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut
- Hatch Chile Tequila Chicken Tostada
Gluten-Free Hatch Chile Cornbread Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 roasted & peeled Hatch chiles (Click here for How to Roast & Peel Peppers)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups thinly sliced red onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears of corn)
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups corn meal
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons sea salt
- 1¾ cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Prep the chiles. Roast and peel the Hatch Chiles -- here's How to Roast and Peel Peppers. Cut the stem end off of each one and carefully, use a small paring knife or your fingers, to make a slit in each of the peppers to open them and remove the seeds.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cook the onion and garlic with corn and paprika. Coat a large sauté pan with the olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the corn and paprika to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes or so, just to blend the flavors. Set aside.
- Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, baking soda, sugar and salt. Make a small well in the middle and add the buttermilk and eggs. Mix until the batter is smooth. Fold in the melted butter and the onion-corn mixture.
- Layer the components. Place 6 of the peppers, smooth side down, in a nonstick, 9 X 13 X 3-inch baking pan. (If your pan is not nonstick, drizzle the bottom lightly with olive oil.) Set the remaining 6 peppers aside. Pour about 2 cups of the batter evenly over the peppers and sprinkle with ¾ cup of the cheese. Gently add a layer of the remaining 6 peppers, smooth side down, on top of the cheese. Pour the remaining batter (about 2½ cups) over the peppers, and sprinkle with the remaining 1¼ cup of the cheese.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated 375°F oven until it begins to brown on top and the batter is set, about 25 minutes. If the casserole is finished, but the top is not as brown as you'd like, place it under the broiler for about 30 seconds.
- Cool and serve. Let the casserole cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before serving.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Colette @ JFF
Oh
my
GOD
that looks delicious!
valentina
Colette, you are so sweet - thank you! (must say, it is very delicious!) Enjoy!
sippitysup
Love it when the Hatch come to town. GREG
Laura @ Family Spice
Jealous of the hatch love going on up there in LA! This looks amazing! Save me a piece! LOL!
valentina
Sending you some Hatch love, Laura!
Lori Martin
I made this last night for dinner. Delicious! Just what I was looking for. Thank you
valentina
This makes me so happy, Lori! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Ben Myhre
Our garden is in full bloom and producing peppers like a madman. You definitely have given me some inspiration for my next casserole. Thank you. This is beautiful.
valentina
Thank you Ben! Lucky you to have a garden full of peppers! 🙂 Enjoy!
Darlene @ Dip Recipe Creations
I love when hatch green chile season happens! I really like the idea of adding roasted ones to a cornbread casserole. Yum!
valentina
Thanks, Darlene. They're delicious against the sweet corn.
Anna
I am so curious about hatch chilies - I've never cooked with them but this cornbread casserole recipe looks so delicious. My family would absolutely love it! Great tips on where to get hatch chilies too.
valentina
Thanks, Anna! Hope you find some near you and give the recipe a try. 🙂
Natalie
Looks absolutely delicious and so comforting! I love the fluffy texture of the cornbread - looks amazing.
valentina
Thank you, Natalie! Hope you try it! 🙂
Danielle
Oh that looks good! I am thinking of all the things I can dip in it now.
valentina
Love it! 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This looks absolutely incredible, my kind of casserole. What a great way to use hatch chiles!
valentina
Thank you! Enjoy. 🙂
Cathy
I am not usually a casserole person, but you won me over with this recipe.
valentina
That makes me happy. Thank you! XO
Colette
This looks amazing! I'm going to serve it up this w/end for a long and lazy brunch! xo
valentina
Yay! Colette, it doesn't get much better than a long and lazy brunch! My favorite way to spend a weekend morning! 🙂 Thank you.
David
Well, now I know how I will be using some of the Hatch chiles I bought last week! They are already roasted and frozen in perfect serving sizes! I love that you have a chile festival every year… They definitely are something to celebrate!
valentina
Hi David! I hope you and Mark love this one as much as I do! The last time I made this (a few days ago), I used very hot Hatch and oh my was it good -- the heat is balanced with the sweetness of the corn and melting cheese. 🙂 Enjoy!
Deb|EastofEdenCooking
What a fabulous GF recipe, taking traditional cornbread to a whole new level of scrumptious! Hatch chile season is a wonderful thing and I'm so pleased they are now widely distributed.
valentina
Thanks so much, Deb. True, Hatch chiles seem to be everywhere during their season.Yay! Enjoy!
Karly
Oh yeah! This looks amazing!
valentina
Thanks so much, Karly! 🙂
Wendie
Oh my heck! This is a delicious recipe. I ended up chopping up my Hatch Green Chile and it worked just fine. I substituted 1 cup frozen chopped yellow onion for the red onion and I substituted canned corn for the fresh corn. It's all what I had on hand. Add a squeeze of honey to your last bite - delicious!
valentina
Thanks so much for this lovely comment, Wendie! Your substitutions sound perfect and I"m so happy you enjoyed it. The touch of honey sounds divine. 🙂 ~Valentina
valentina
Ha! 🙂