I enjoyed this recipe, only changed a few things to make it a little healthier/lower fat. I used red onion in place of the green ones and sauteed them in olive oil instead of butter. I also used 1% milkfat cottage cheese in place of the ricotta. This turned out very creamy and tasted very good. I skipped covering the top of the enchiladas with cheese, so I only used 1 cup in the filling. Didn't miss it! I also used fresh spinach cooked down instead of frozen simply b/c I had it on hand and needed to cook it. I will absolutely make this again.
I am reviewing my revised recipe, because I had a feeling this would be bland if made as is. Here were my changes- sautéed one diced poblano, half of a jalapeno, half of a red bell pepper, three cloves of garlic, one yellow onion, and one 4oz can of green chilies to add to spinach mixture- I also doubled the spinach. Added cumin, chili powder, parsley, and cayenne to the filling. Made “10 minute enchilada sauce” from this site to put on top. It was really, really good. The pepper combo made it much heartier. My meat loving husband even liked it!
This is a wonderful spinach enchilada recipe. I followed the filling part exactly - only changing the store-bought red enchilada sauce to a homemade creamy white garlic sauce, as I prefer a white sauce with spinach. I simply sauted minced garlic in a small amount of butter - and added my thickener, flour in this case, to make a typical Roux, before adding half and half to the mixture until I reached the correct consitency. Used only salt and white pepper for flavor.
The filling is brought together with the Ricotta - don't leave that out. It lends a smooth and rich taste to the finished product.
This filling could be made in advance and assembled before cooking.
Very good recipe.
I really liked these, but, like another reviewer, I added seasonings to the spinach / cheese filling, like onion powder, garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and pepper. This was a huge hit!
Ohhhhhh MY GOOODNESS!!! i got this in my email, and made it as soon as i got it! perfect, should be a 10 - for perfection! MMM. Note - i have been making green chili enchiladas for 20 years -- same fail safe recipe, always GREAT - but this recipe was intriguing - using the spinach and italian cheese --- wow! It also came our very smooth and silky, the whole house smells like i'm in mexico! I made a few modifications based on my enchilada recipes - first i always use flour tortillas. I mixed green chili enchilada sauce with sour cream, some fresh cilantro and 1/2 a cup of salsa to make the outside sauce, put it on the bottom of pan and over the enchiladas. I like mine wet and soft - also, cooked at 350 for closer to 40 minutes, just cook till it is bubbling and you've got it. What a great thing to be able to visit all recipes and expand your cooking peramaters! THANK YOU!!! this will be in my permanent rotation.
Everyone I have made these for loves them except for two of my sons who don't like even the thought of eating spinach and I have served them to a lot of people. I have never made them with ricotta cheese--I use cottage cheese instead because we like it better and it is cheaper. I also use cheddar or mozzarella cheese because that is what I have on hand, and fresh spinach cooked, drained and well chopped. I have used both corn and flour tortillas(we prefer flour) and both work great --the corn you do have to soften or they will crack when you roll them. Finally, green enchilada sauce is wonderful on them, but so is the red enchilada sauce from this site.
I printed this recipe knowing it would be good. I decided to add a little more of a mexican touch to it. Try this and you'll love them too. I took the sour cream and blended it with a roasted california chile, 1 roasted jalapeño, 1 roasted green tomato, 1 cube of chicken boullion, a 1/2 cup of half and half and a dash of salt and pepper. Continue with the recipe instructions and you'll be loved by your guests!
I love the enchiladas de espinaca at the local mexican restaurant and tried to copy them at home. To add color and flavor use tomatoes, add them part way through cooking the garlic and onions. I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta (I like the texture and flavor better) as well as fresh spinach that I steam. I use cheddar to top it off and sour cream when serving.
I thought these were just terrific. I did sub a medium sweet onion for the green and added some seasonings to the spinach/cheese mix like cumin, salt, chili powder and hot pepper flakes. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Except for the enchilada sauce and the tortillas there wasn't anything remotely "Mexican" about this recipe and nothing comparable to the stuffing of a mexican enchilada. This has an Italian calaloni filling; why not just call it a "Mexicanish Canaloni"??;=
