- 10
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 9 ounces fresh spinach
- 1-2 tablespoons chicken broth or water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded (about 1 cup)
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded (about 1 cup)
- 10 corn tortillas
- Sour cream, avocado, chopped tomatoes for serving, if desired
Preparation
Step 1
Even though they are baked, these spinach and cheese enchiladas are light and refreshing enough to enjoy year round. No heavy Mexican food sitting in your belly all evening. Packed with layers of flavor (the simple sauce alone is delicious enough to be deemed drinkable), they definitely make it into the running as one of my
favorite enchilada variations
Makes 10 enchiladas
Spinach Mixture:
Spice Mixture:
Directions
For the spinach mixture, in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add the spinach, broth and salt and pepper (start with about 1/4 teaspoon each and add more to taste). Cover the skillet and cook 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Scrape the mixture to a plate and return the skillet to medium heat.
For the spice mixture, heat the 1 1/2 tablespoons oil until hot. Add the flour, chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic powder and whisk to combine. The mixture will be crumbly. Continue stirring and moving it about the skillet for 1-2 minutes until it is fragrant.
Slowly add one cup of the broth whisking vigorously to avoid clumps. Once the first cup of broth has been incorporated, whisk in the last of the broth gradually. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubbling, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan.
Spread half of the sauce in the prepared pan. Place a damp paper towel on a microwave-safe plate, stack 3-4 tortillas on the plate and cover with another damp paper towel. Microwave for 30-40 seconds until the tortillas are hot and pliable. (You'll repeat this process while filling the tortillas.)
Place about some of the spinach mixture (scoop just the spinach, leaving excess liquid on the plate) and cheese in each tortilla and roll up - right around 1/4 cup of each give or take. Place seam side down in the baking dish.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbling. Let the enchiladas rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
This is one of my favorite things to order at Mexican restaurants! Now I can make my own–yay!
In sauces like this I like to use between 2/3 and 3/4 (whichever measurement is more convenient) of the amount the recipe calls for of rice flour. I have used brown and white rice flours with equal success. If you are accustomed to gluten-containing rouxs, be prepared for a very different consistency before adding the liquid.
yum! I wanna make a paleo/healthy/trim healthy mama version of this DELISH right now. New blog post maybe coming up soon???? I love your meals!
What do you think about adding some chicken, Mel? Would it ruin the deliciousness of the cheese and spinach??
As a follow up, I went ahead and lived on the edge…I made this tonight and added the chicken. It was AWESOME! Just what I needed after dealing with a ridiculously crabby 2 year old. Super quick to whip together – pretty sure I had it in the oven before half of Sesame Street was over. Thanks, Mel… You give me inspiration, motivation, and a smile on my face every night I make one of your meals! You never let me down…
Wow! Mel, these are delicious. I saw your post and was completely inspired to make them for dinner. Too bad I decided a little late and didn’t actually get them made in time for the whole family to enjoy. But more for me! YUM!
And for the GF readers, I made the sauce replacing 1:1 with GF flour mixture and it worked perfectly.
Hi Mel, we made your funfetti vanilla cake in a coffee mug via the microwave last night and it was a huge hit. The kids wanted to make it again tonight and were talking about how they could make it for their grandparents when we all vacation in a few weeks. Thanks for the great recipes!!
Made these last night everyone liked them although my husband likes a meat for dinner after a hard days work, I grilled chicken and added it in, made it that much better. My father loved it to!!
I added sliced mushrooms. Very good recipe.
These sound wonderful! They’re absolutely on my to-make list. My partner loves Mexican food so any excuse to make healthier versions of our favorite dishes is always an opportunity I jump for. I wonder how these would work with Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortillas?
Could I make these up a day ahead?
That is gorgeous. Happy to have discovered your site. This will be on my menu soon. I’m thinking black beans would be a nice addition too.
Great recipe! This is very similar to mine. In our traditional family, corn tortillas are always used for enchiladas, never flour. If flour are used with enchilada sauce, it is called a wet burrito. We don’t add spinach to ours, hubby would have a fit if I deviated from his mom’s recipe. Little does he know I have tweaked it to be my own. But, I would love this using spinach or kale in my portion as well as some raw diced onion! Yum!
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I'm Mel; I make family-friendly food from scratch that speaks to my soul (and that doesn't take all day to make). And then I share it with you!