Mushroom, Spinach, and Caramelized Onion Enchiladas

Can you believe that I hadn’t ever made enchiladas before this effort? For some reason my Mexican-based entrees always tended towards fajitas, quesadillas, and tacos. Yet, somehow, no enchiladas! I decided to amend this travesty by diving in with these vegetable-heavy treats. They’re also healthy, of course, with just a light bit of cheese and homemade tortillas. By making them from scratch I can control the level of salt (none) that goes in and ensure that they’re 100% corn flour, providing some helpful whole grains to my diet.

I made two big dishes of these since we were having guests over and had plenty of leftovers to take to lunch the next week. The recipe below will make just one 9x13 dish, but you can easily scale this up or down as needed. And, if you are in a pinch, you can always buy corn tortillas instead but I recommend going this route! Things always taste better when you’ve made them from scratch – amazing how some sweat equity adds to the flavor.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 1 hr 15 min



Mushroom, Spinach, and Caramelized Onion Enchiladas
Ingredients:
2.5 c masa harina
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium Vidalia onion (sweet onion), thinly sliced
2 tsp brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
10 oz fresh spinach
2 c fresh salsa, low salt
1 c reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese

First, you’ll need to make the tortillas. Mix together 2.5 c masa harina and 2 c water. Stir until fully combined. Add more water, very slowly, as needed to get to a dough. Knead for 2-3 minutes until pliable and not sticky. Form into a ball and set aside for 30 minutes.

In the meantime you can begin to make the filling for the enchiladas. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of olive oil, swirling to coat. Add the onions. Saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring to keep from burning. Sprinkle on the brown sugar. Continue to sauté, stirring as needed, for 10-12 minutes. The onions should be lightly browned. Put in a bowl.

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining tsp of olive oil. Swirl to coat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the mushrooms and spinach. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked and the spinach wilted. You’ll need to stir often to cook the food evenly. Add to the onions.

At this point turn back to the tortillas if the dough has rested for 30 minutes. Also get your oven pre-heating to 450 degrees and return the pan to a burner, turning to medium-high heat.

Take a couple tablespoons of dough (you’ll need to experiment to get exactly the right amount) and form into a ball. Place in the middle of a tortilla press covered with heavy duty wax paper sprayed with no-stick spray. Press down with the tortilla press to form about a 6” in diameter tortilla. Put the tortilla in the pan and cook for 30 seconds on each side or until done. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Coat a 9x13 glass dish with cooking spray. Spread a very thin layer of salsa in the bottom of the dish. Take each tortilla, place some vegetable filling inside, roll up, and place in the dish. Repeat, tucking the tortillas tightly against each other. Pour the rest of the salsa evenly over the top. Sprinkle the cheese evenly on top of that.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is hot and melted. Enjoy!

Servings: 6
Serving size: 2-3 tortillas
Nutrition: calories 302; carbs 50g; fat 8g; protein 14g; sodium 199g; iron 12mg