Texas Torte

A Southern Living favorite, Texas torte is utterly easy and effortless to make—and equally crowd pleasing. The unique dish tastes like a thin and cheesy quiche—or, as another Test Kitchen pro said, the slightly browned and chewy cheese on a pizza.

The sides of a Texas torte get crispy for a delicious texture, and the whole dish turns gorgeously brown after baking. Canned chiles and pepper Jack cheese add the perfect amount of heat to cut through the richness of this cheesy dish.

Learn how to make Texas torte, and prepare for rave reviews—and requests for seconds!

Ingredients for Texas Torte

To make a Texas Torte, you will need just a few easy-to-find ingredients from the grocery store (or, likely, already in your fridge right now):

• Eggs: The texture of a Texas torte is a bit like a thin, pancake-style quiche. The eggs contribute some of that and help hold the whole dish together.
• Whole milk: To thin out the eggs and adds richness.
• All-purpose flour: Adds a bit of chew and texture.
• Sharp Cheddar cheese: For the best results, shred your own cheese. The extra tang from sharp Cheddar is welcome here, but you could use another variety.
• Pepper Jack cheese: Heat from pepper Jack cheese cuts through the richness of the eggs, milk, and Cheddar.
• Canned chopped mild green chiles: These aren't hot chiles, but the will provide plenty of tantalizing warmth.

How To Make Texas Torte

Make a Texas Torte easily with just about 15 minutes of active cook time and five simple steps. This is a brief outline of the steps, and the full recipe is further below:

• Step 1. Prepare the baking dish: Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray, and line it with parchment paper, leaving a two-inch overhang on two sides. This will help you lift the torte out of the pan more easily after baking.
• Step 2. Make egg mixture: Whisk together the eggs, milk, and flour in a large bowl until well combined. Then fold in the cheeses and chiles. Don't drain the chiles. The little bit of liquid helps make the egg mixture easier to spread.
• Step 3. Add mixture to pan: Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking pan, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
• Step 4. Bake: Bake it in a preheated oven until it is set and light brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let it stand until cool enough to handle.
• Step 5. Cut and serve: Remove from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares or rectangles for serving.

How To Store and Reheat Texas Torte

Store this dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. (Allow the dish to cool completely to room temperature before storing.) When you’re ready to reheat it, pop in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or for about 10 minutes.

Texas Torte Recipe Variations

If you're interested in making this dish a little more personal, consider one of these ideas from the Test Kitchen:

• Spice things up: Try adding spices like garlic powder or crushed red pepper to your tastes.
• Add a topping: Consider topping this recipe with fresh chives for a pop of color and freshness.
• Change cheese: Swap out the sharp Cheddar and pepper Jack for your favorite cheeses, like Monterey or white cheddar.
• Sprinkle on some sauce: If you want to amp up the heat even more, top each slice with the hot sauce of your choosing.

Do You Have To Shred Your Own Cheese?

Shredding your own cheese for Texas torte is an important step: It ensures that the cheese melts more uniformly. That’s because there are no coatings or additives interfering with the process when you’ve shredded the cheese yourself.

Pre-shredded cheese, on the other hand, has a coating used to prevent clumping. This coating can create a barrier around the cheese, causing it to melt unevenly, which consequently causes the cheese to burn faster compared to freshly shredded cheese. For a better result, DIY it.

More Cheesy Tex-Mex Casseroles 

If you're a fan of cheese dishes, don't miss these favorites:

• Breakfast Chilaquiles Casserole
• Cowboy Casserole
• Easy Squash Casserole
• Chicken Tortilla Casserole
• Mexican Lasagna
• Easy Taco Casserole

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.