Home » Lent, Light, Mexican and Southwestern, Reviews, Special Occasions, Vegetarian or Vegan » Spinach, Poblano and Cheese Enchiladas

Spinach, Poblano and Cheese Enchiladas

February 16, 2010 Filled under Lent, Light, Mexican and Southwestern, Reviews, Special Occasions, Vegetarian or Vegan
17 Comments
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For almost the entire time that I was away, I had a horrible craving for Mexican food. So I wasted no time when I got home and made these enchiladas right away! I was kind of tired of beef and pork, and I don’t care for chicken enchiladas, so I decided to go with a vegetarian option. Shawn recently ordered spinach and cheese enchiladas at a restaurant, so I used those as my inspiration. They don’t taste overly spinach-y, but the vegetables add bulk to the filling so that you can use less cheese and keep the calorie and fat count down (don’t worry, there’s still plenty of ooey, gooey cheese!).
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I attempted to find a recipe for spinach and cheese enchiladas online, but none of them looked very good – they all had weird ingredients like ricotta cheese! Nothing that I found was even close to what i was looking for, so I made my recipe up as I went along. I shredded the cheese for my filling and mixed it with the spinach so that you wouldn’t end up with big clumps of either. I also added a poblano pepper and a chili pepper to add a little bit of heat. The poblano gave the whole dish a nice, authentic Mexican flavor and I’ll definitely use them again the next time I make these.
I used Good Food Mexican red sauce, which I liked a lot, on these enchiladas. It caught my eye at the store because it had fewer ingredients than the enchilada sauces an the ingredients were recognizable. It also had significantly less calories and sodium than the other sauce options. The fact the the sauce was made by Good Housekeeping had me a little worried, but I shouldn’t have been. It was great! I liked that it had a little bit of a kick to it, and the smell was incredible. I can’t wait to try the other flavors.


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Spinach, Poblano and Cheese Enchiladas

1 poblano pepper, diced
1 chili pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
10 ounces frozen spinach
12 ounces queso quesadilla, or other mild melting cheese, shredded
12 6-inch corn tortillas
1 jar Good Food Mexican red sauce or enchilada sauce

Add the peppers and garlic to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the peppers begin to slightly soften. Remove from heat. Combine peppers, spinach, and cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Spoon a little bit of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a baking dish – just enough sauce to create a very thin coating.

To form the enchiladas: Place a small hand full of the spinach and cheese mixture onto each tortilla. Fold up the ends, then fold over one of the sides. Use your fingers to press any filling that needs it back into place, then roll the whole thing over itself so that you have a neat little package. Place in the baking pan and repeat with other tortillas. Cover with the rest of the sauce, and top with a light sprinkle of cheese if you didn’t need it all for the filling.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serves 6. Approx. 325 calories, 14.5 grams fat, 6.5 gras fiber, 16 grams protein

*****

Can you believe that it’s Ash Wednesday already? I can’t! If you’re looking for dinner ideas for Friday, this recipe would be perfect. You can also find tons of other Lent-friendly recipes HERE.

    17 Responses to Spinach, Poblano and Cheese Enchiladas

    1. Weighting AroundFebruary 16, 2010 at 8:57 pm

      Wow! I am sure going to try this one. Being a vegetarian, this is perfect! Thanks.

      Reply
    2. jennFebruary 16, 2010 at 10:44 pm

      Mmmmm…I love a good enchilada. This is a good alternative for those who want a veggie option.

      Reply
    3. 5 Star FoodieFebruary 16, 2010 at 10:46 pm

      Fantastic enchiladas! I love the poblanos here!

      Reply
    4. JoanneFebruary 16, 2010 at 11:19 pm

      These enchiladas look fantastic! Isn’t it funny how cravings can just appear out of nowhere?

      Reply
    5. SarahFebruary 16, 2010 at 11:22 pm

      I love any Mexican recipe so this one is a must make for me! Great pictures as well!

      Reply
    6. Albany JaneFebruary 17, 2010 at 9:20 am

      SHIT YEAH ENCHILADAS!!!

      I think I’m going to switch from making my own corn tortillas to just buying them – yours look like they held up *way* better. And hey, makes it a little easier for me!

      Reply
    7. MoFebruary 17, 2010 at 12:22 pm

      that looks awesome!

      Reply
    8. ValleyWriterFebruary 17, 2010 at 4:10 pm

      Oh wow – these look amazing! A great meat-free option!

      Reply
    9. Light Delight with TouTouFebruary 17, 2010 at 7:29 pm

      I am so into cheese these days!!! that color looks awesome :-D

      Reply
    10. Mardi @eatlivetravelwriteFebruary 18, 2010 at 8:37 pm

      Mmmm – I have seen so many enchiladas on blogs lately – makes ME want one too. Love this veggie option!

      Reply
    11. EricaFebruary 18, 2010 at 8:44 pm

      OK- SO bookmarking this right now! Josh and I love this combination of flavors. Looks amazing, great make!

      Reply
    12. ReeniFebruary 18, 2010 at 9:19 pm

      I am the opposite – I don’t like beef or pork ones. But I like these! Now I’m craving Mexican!

      Reply
    13. rebecca subbiahFebruary 19, 2010 at 3:03 pm

      oh wow looks yummy, great idea to go veggie

      Reply
    14. BeatriceFebruary 21, 2010 at 11:13 pm

      These do sound healthy and delicious! I love that you use frozen spinach.

      Reply
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      I have just sent this to my friends who also share the same views on this.

      Reply
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