Easy Spinach Enchiladas

This easy vegetarian enchilada verde recipe is made with a delicious fresh spinach and cheese filling and dipped in a green enchilada sauce.

My daughter often orders spinach enchiladas at our local Mexican restaurant. I always order chicken enchiladas but in an effort to eat healthier, I decided to try making some vegetarian style enchiladas with whole wheat tortillas.

One thing I like to do when making any kind of enchiladas is to pour a little of the sauce into the bottom of the pan to keep the enchiladas from sticking.

This recipe uses fresh spinach. Can you use frozen? Of course, but I really think fresh tastes better in this recipe, especially because it is the main ingredient.

Spinach is one of those superfood vegetables with tons of nutrients like calcium, iron, and magnesium to name a few. And, I really love the flavor.

A truly vegetarian dish, however, it does have quite a bit of cheese. I don't know if I can ever rid my diet of cheese.

Dipping the tortillas (I used whole wheat) in the sauce will also keep them from drying out in the oven.

More cheese! I like to cover the dish with foil for most of the cooking so that the top doesn't burn. However, after they are cooked you can set the dish uncovered under the broiler to toast the cheese.

Spinach Enchiladas Extras

There are so many yummy toppings you can set out for the family to add to the enchiladas. Here are some of our favorites:

• guacamole or just chopped avocado
• pico de gallo
• salsa of all kinds
• cilantro or Italian parsley if you're a cilantro hater
• chopped tomatoes
• chopped romaine lettuce
• chopped green onions
• sour cream
• chopped black olives
• chopped fresh, grilled, or pickled jalapenos or other peppers

Options and Substitutions

Tortillas: Corn tortillas are more authentic to traditional Mexican cuisine and you are welcome to use them. I find that they are smaller and of course, have a different taste to flour tortillas. I like the size of flour tortillas and I used whole wheat tortillas because they have more fiber but you can use regular flour tortillas too.

Cheese: I used a ready-made Mexican cheese blend as that is a go-to in our house. However, you could certainly stick to just cheddar or a mix of cheddar and something lighter such as Monterey Jack cheese. Use pepper jack for a little extra spice or try out an authentic Mexican cheese such as cotija or fresco.

Sauce: I love red enchilada sauce but for this recipe, I used green enchilada sauce which is made with mainly cooked green chilis. However, you could also use a jar of salsa verde which is made from uncooked tomatillos and chile peppers. It has a yummy fresh tangy flavor.

Though we enjoy eating Mexican out quite often, it's also nice (and easy) to make some delicious dishes at home.