Veggie Enchiladas Verdes Recipe

On those hectic days when you know everyone will walk in the door hungry, there's nothing better than having dinner assembled and waiting to pop right into the oven. This veggie enchiladas verdes recipe fits the bill, offering up a nutritious and delicious dinnertime option with some real make-ahead potential. This recipe swaps the traditional shredded chicken enchilada filling with a vegetable medley that's just as hearty, one featuring zucchini, sliced mushrooms, sweet corn, and smoky poblano peppers. Store-bought salsa verde (or your favorite homemade version) keeps things nice and simple and provides just the right bright, zippy flavor to take these veggie enchiladas to the next level.

Unlike many enchilada recipes, this one really highlights a plethora of veggies in all their savory goodness, and without a heavy topping of cheese to weigh it all down. Instead, a simple sprinkling of queso fresco adds a cheesy final touch, making for one well-rounded enchilada dish that is sure to make your hectic weeknight a little easier to manage.

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up poblano peppers, a yellow onion, mushrooms, zucchini, corn, and garlic. If you can't find poblano peppers, Anaheim peppers work well here too. Before you leave the produce area, consider buying cilantro and green onions for topping.

You'll need some jarred salsa verde or tomatillo salsa along with corn tortillas and queso fresco. Other cheese options that would work well include crumbly cotija and feta. Finally, check your pantry for olive oil, ground cumin, salt, and pepper.

Preheat the oven to broil on low.

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Place the poblanos on a baking sheet.

Broil the poblanos, turning occasionally, until the skins are blackened and blistered on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes.

While the poblanos are roasting, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid and the pan looks dry again, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the corn and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes

When the poblanos are done broiling, transfer to a bowl, cover, and let them steam for 10 minutes.

After steaming, peel away the poblanos' charred skins and remove the stems and seeds.

Chop the poblanos.

Stir in the chopped poblanos, cumin, salt, pepper, and ½ cup of the salsa to the pan with the vegetables. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Wrap the stack of tortillas in foil and put it in the oven while it preheats.

Spread ½ cup of the salsa verde over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Spoon about ⅓ cup of the veggie filling down the center of a tortilla, roll it up, and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas/filling, until the pan has a full single layer of enchiladas.

Pour the remaining salsa verde over the enchiladas, making sure the tortillas are fully coated.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Uncover the enchiladas and top with crumbled queso fresco. Optionally top the enchiladas with chopped cilantro and green onions before serving.

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Corn tortillas can be brittle and don't always roll up super smoothly. There are a few tips and precautions to keep in mind to prevent cracking as you make the enchiladas. To start, use fresh tortillas and ones that have as few as ingredients as possible, ideally just corn and water. You can always make your own tortillas, which will work beautifully in this recipe. 

Cold tortillas don't roll well, so warming them up is key. The foil method listed in the recipe steps works well, but you can also use your microwave in a pinch. Just wrap a stack of tortillas in a paper towel and microwave for about 1 minute. If you don't mind adding oil to the recipe, a traditional method is to warm the tortillas up in an oiled skillet for about 5 seconds per side. Another option is to heat up some of the salsa verde, and coat each tortilla with the salsa before rolling.

You could use flour tortillas instead of corn ones, but there are a few things to note. These tortillas are much more forgiving to roll, and they won't need warming first. They do get softer once coated in sauce and can be a little doughy, so your finished enchiladas will have a slightly different texture. 

The veggie filling in this recipe is super delicious and incredibly versatile, meaning that you can extend its use far beyond enchiladas. Naturally, the filling would work very well in other types of Mexican food. Try it in hard or soft taco shells, topped with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes for simple veggie tacos. Or, add a layer of the veggies to a tortilla with plenty of cheese to make a quesadilla. Use it as a burrito filling and serve with rice and refried beans. The veggie filling would also work great as a topping for nachos, or in a deluxe burrito bowl with cooked rice, black beans, fresh avocado, and a blended cilantro cream sauce. Stuff it into red or green bell pepper halves to make stuffed peppers, or add it to tortilla soup for extra fiber and flavor.

The veggie filling can be used in breakfast dishes, too. Try adding it to scrambled eggs or in a cheese omelet for some extra heartiness. Use it as a base for breakfast tacos or mixed into a breakfast burrito. You could also add it to a tofu scramble for a vegan breakfast option (just skip the queso fresco garnish in this case).

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