Vegetarian Enchiladas
This is a terrific recipe from Scramble fan Nachama Wilker. Scramble recipe tester Debbie Firestone reports, “My husband balked at first, but by the end of the dinner he was asking to take the leftovers to work for lunch!! My 9-year-old exclaimed that they were ‘yummy,’ my 2-year-old finished off every last bite, and my teenager asked me to save the recipe.”
Ingredients
- 15 oz. mild or spicy enchilada sauce
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced, about 1 tsp.
- 1/2 red or yellow onion diced
- 2 zucchini cut lengthwise into 4 strips, and diced, or use 4 carrots or one small sweet potato
- 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt optional
- 10 - 12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese or use Cheddar or Monterey Jack
- 1 cup low fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (or use any variety) optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread about 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce in the dish.
- In a heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds, and then add the onions and zucchini. Season them with cumin, chili powder, and salt (optional).
- Sauté the mixture, stirring it occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.
- Wrap the tortillas in a moist clean cloth or paper towel and heat them in the microwave oven for about 1 minute or until they are pliable. (Or warm each tortilla over medium heat in a nonstick skillet for 20 seconds per side, or until soft.)
- On a plate, fill a tortilla with about 2 Tbsp. of the vegetable mixture, and about 1 Tbsp. of cheese. Roll it and place it in the baking dish, seam side down.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas until all the filling is used.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly on top of the tortillas, and top them with any remaining cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 - 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbly. Serve them immediately, topped with the sour cream, if desired, refrigerate them for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Slow Cooker Directions
- There's no need to pre-cook the vegetables. Spread 1/4 of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, combine the garlic, onions, zucchini, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and the spices. Fill and roll the tortillas as directed, layering them in the slow cooker, seam side down, covering each layer with a thin layer of enchilada sauce. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top, then top with the remaining cheese. Cook on high for 2 - 3 hours. These may also be cooked for 6 - 8 hours on low, but note that the tortillas in the middle start to get mushy while the ones touching the sides of the cooker get crispy. (Still tasty, though.) (Slow cooker cooking times may vary—Get to know your slow cooker and, if necessary, adjust cooking times accordingly.)
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Peel the garlic, dice the onion and the zucchini, combine the spices, shred the cheese if necessary and refrigerate, make the vegetable filling and refrigerate, or fully prepare and refrigerate or freeze the dish.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Use spicy enchilada sauce and increase the cumin and chili powder to 1 tsp. each.
Tip: Pay close attention to the ingredients listed on the back of dry spice jars. Recently I was shopping for chili powder and I spotted a spice mix called Chili Garlic Powder. I was tempted to buy it until I realized that the first ingredient listed was salt!
Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values): Calories 290, Total Fat: 14g, 22%; Saturated Fat: 8g, 40%; Cholesterol: 35mg, 12%; Sodium: 750mg, 31%; Total Carbohydrate: 28g, 9%; Dietary Fiber: 3g, 12%; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 12g
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