Quinoa and spinach tomatillo enchiladas


This one is an easy and flexible one for all my lovely friends who have dietary restrictions or maybe just want to eat better.  Even better yet, you can easily make this into a non-vegan enchilada recipe (for my cheese fiends out there) and also into a non-vegetarian enchilada recipe.  It's a crowd pleaser, particularly for those of you who like a little heat.  Who knows, you may even trick your family into eating more vegetables than they're used to.

Quinoa and spinach tomatillo enchiladas
(Adapted from Centered Chef)

Quinoa ingredients:
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of quinoa (uncooked)

Enchilada filling ingredients:
Cooked quinoa (see above)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup onions (chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
12 oz chopped spinach (frozen)
12 oz canned beans (drained and rinsed)
12 corn tortillas
Tomatillo salsa (see below)
Mexican blend cheese (exclude for a vegan recipe)

Tomatillo salsa ingredients:
28 oz can of tomatillos
3 serrano chiles (seeded and chopped)
1 small onion
Handful of fresh cilantro
dash salt
pinch sugar

Note: This recipe will make extra enchilada filling which you can turn into another meal by either repeating the recipe again or being creative and doing your own thing. It also freezes very well.

Wash and rinse quinoa well using a strainer and a bowl. Drain well. Bring water to boil in a small saucepan, add salt, add quinoa, turn off heat, cover. Allow quinoa to cook in hot water for about 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Here I used multi-coloured quinoa which has a different water to quinoa ratio so make sure to adjust for whatever type you end up using.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Heat oil in a skillet, add onions and a pinch of salt. Cook stirring until onions become translucent. Stir in minced garlic and cook just until very lightly browned and fragrant. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in beans (I used black beans here but you can pick your preference of bean) and cooked quinoa. Combine everything and stir together until heated thoroughly. Remove from heat.

Pour a thin layer of tomatillo salsa on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Heat tortillas on a skillet until soft and pliable. If you want to cheat like I did, buy the super soft tortillas and you can skip this step. Fill each tortilla one at a time with a spoonful of quinoa mixture, roll up tightly and stack seam side down. If you are adding cheese, add your desired amount of cheese into the enchilada with the quinoa mixture. Bake until tortillas become crispy and harden. Pour tomatillo salsa and bake a few minutes more until salsa thickens, about 20 minutes. 

If you're impatient like me, you will pour the tomatillo salsa on before baking the tortillas and then sprinkle an abundance of Mexican cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is all melty and bubbly. Now dig in!

To make the salsa: Drain the tomatillos from the can and add to food processor with the rest of the salsa ingredients. Feel free to add more / take away serrano chiles based on your heat tolerance. Blend together well.

Comments

  1. This looks amazing! We got a lot of tomatillos, serranos, and jalapenos in our CSA delivery last week and I was stumped as to what to do with them. This recipe is perfect!

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  2. This looks and sounds awesome. I'm always trying to incorporate quinoa a little more creatively into my dinners. I'm not a big fan of it on its own, so this is perfect.

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  3. It looks delicious! I will try this without onions! :) Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Have never made tomatillo, and this looks yummo, Rooth! You can never go wrong with quinoa.

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  5. delicious! i love quinoa. love adding it to my salads as well!

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  6. Bookmarked! Also, on a similar note, have you ever tried to cook quinoa in a rice cooker? I'm scratching my head trying to figure out if that is even doable.

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  7. I only started eating quinoa within the last year or so and I am hooked. HOOKED I tell you. And a mexican spin? Well don't mind if I do. (Also, I could never be a full vegan. Mama needs her cheese.) xo

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  8. ohh goddd i am drooling! i have got quinoa for my current healthy eating regime but never know how to use and cook them. this recipe is gonna be brilliant for me, ta!

    The Young Bridget Jones

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  9. um yummy. it's gluten free!! this looks so delicious i am going to have to put this on the dinner menu (like i have one of those haha). but i do love making a big batch of enchiladas and then freezing one portion, two dinners in one. i also love heat and cheese, as do my kids, so i will be going that route. thanks!!

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  10. Ah man, beans and cheese wrapped
    all wrapped up <3 Thanks for this
    comfort food-ish recipe c; Xx

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  11. Looks delishious! :-)


    http://tinajoathome.com/

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  12. That looks tasty. I've never tried quinoa or tomatillos. This looks like a great way to change that (with cheese and very easy on the cilantro).

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  13. Oooh, looks (and sounds) oh-so tasty!

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  14. Woot! Woot! Will try this one. Seems good~

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