Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
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Is football getting in the way of your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier? Well lament no more, because these enchiladas are absolutely deeeelicious and they are loaded with healthy veggies.
Joseph first made these enchiladas for me a year and half ago after one of my knee surgeries and afterwards I only vaguely remembered some yummy thing with sweet potatoes. When he made it again and I wasn’t hopped up on painkillers, I begged him to make it again and again and again. I adore roasted veggies and am especially in love with sweet potatoes and poblano chilies together. If you’re not familiar with poblanos, they’re the mild peppers typically used to make chilis rellenos.
The caramelized sweetness of the roasted sweet potato with the subtle heat and snap of the poblano is intoxicating, made even more harmonious with some smokey ancho chili powder (made from dried poblanos!), smoked paprika, and chipotle powder. Loads of other roasted veggies pack these enchiladas not just with tons of nutrients, but also lots of great flavors. Frankly, I start drooling at the mere mention of roasted vegetables and this recipe has a particularly great medley.
We made this over the holidays and both my mom and sister were begging for the recipe after just one bite. In my opinion this dish stands perfectly on its own, but if you wanted to add some meat, some shredded chicken or pork would work well. The enchiladas are quite easy to throw together, especially since they’re stacked enchiladas so they’re assembled more like a lasagna rather than the more time consumed rolled enchiladas. Just leave some prep time for slicing and roasting the veggies and you’ll be all set.
Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
Adapted from The Roasted Vegetable by Andrea Chesman via Perry's Plate
It's ok if you don't have ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, or chipotle powder - just substitue with regular chili powder. We really love this combo of spices and use it for just about every southwestern/Tex-Mex dish that we make, but we know that not everyone stocks their kitchen with these spices.
We kept the cheese level on the lower side to keep this dish healthier - feel free to amp it up if you want.
Ingredients
- 1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium onion, halved and slivered
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cups homemade or store bought salsa/pico de gallo
- 4 ounces baby spinach leaves
- 12 corn tortillas, halved
- 2 cups shredded cheese (such as cheddar and/or Monterey Jack)
- 2 scallions, green parts thinly sliced
- Sour cream, if desired
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, corn, and garlic. Add oil and cumin, ancho powder, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper and mix well to coat veggies. Spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots, stirring the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/2 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a couple of handfuls of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese. Top with with a layer of tortillas, salsa, vegetables, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with a sprinkle of sliced scallions, and sour cream if desired.