Creamy Calabacita Enchiladas: Pretty good way to use zucchini!

[jjdbike]

Hello all,

I bumped into a recipe on the gram that looked good. This is my rendition. It's a good way to get some veggies in, and use up some of your zucchinis from your garden, or your generous neighbor's garden : ).

CREAMEY CALABACITAS SKILLET ENCHILADAS
Ingredients Enchilada Filling

• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow squash
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• Kernels from 1 ear of fresh corn
• ¼ cup diced Hatch green chilis – heat level of your choice.
• 2 cups shredded melting cheese
• Avocado oil
• Adobo seasoning & Ancho chili powder
• Standard taco size corn tortillas
• The authentic Mexican recipe included diced plum tomatoes – I didn’t have any so I added more tomato bouillon

Ingredients Creamy Green Enchilada Sauce

• ½ cup diced Hatch chilis
• ½ onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato bouillon
• Adobo seasoning and Ancho chili powder

Instructions for Enchilada Mixture

• Wash, prep, cut vegetables, cut corn off cob, shred melting cheese, and gather all ingredients
• warm skillet, add oil
• sweat diced onion in skillet
• add minced garlic to skillet
• add chopped zucchini and yellow squash to skillet
• salt & pepper to taste
• add corn kernels to skillet & toss
• add diced hatch chilis & mix to incorporate
• add adobo & Acho
• Its’s not how this recipe was done, but I sautéed each vegetable separately in the skillet so I could get a little roasted char instead of steaming them in a crowded skillet. I under cooked the veggies because I didn’t want them to get mushy or soggy.
• add shredded melting cheese & cover skillet to melt cheese and soften squash
• remove lid to reduce liquid

Make creamy green enchilada sauce

• in a blender, add ½ cup diced hatch chilis
• diced onion & garlic
• softened cream cheese
• heavy whipping cream
• chicken stock
• tomato bouillon
• adobo seasoning & ancho chili powder
• blend until smooth

Assemble

• In clean skillet, add avocado oil and warm
• Dip corn tortillas one at a time to skillet to fry – soften, drain on paper towels
• Add vegetable and melted cheese mixture to tortillas and roll enchiladas
• Continue filling and rolling enchiladas until all filling is used
• In a large warm skillet, add some of the creamy enchilada sauce to the skillet and roll it around to cover the bottom
• Add all enchiladas to the skillet in the sauce
• Cover enchiladas with remainder of sauce
• Top with shredded cheese
• Cover skillet to heal everything through and melt cheese
• Garnish with parsley, cilantro, chives or green onions
• Serve and enjoy

My wife and I enjoyed them. If wasn't for my wife being sensitive to spice, I would have used hot hatch chilis.

Cheers!

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for this recipe, jjdbike . I'm in the same boat--husband does not like spicy foods, while I love them. I dance the dance somewhere between mild and spicy, satisfying neither of us. So I usually make it mild and add a spice to mine at the table, but it's not the same as cooked-in heat.

If you were to add a non-dairy protein to this, would it be pulled pork? That's where my mind goes. But perhaps I should just keep the protein on the side.

Kathryn

[Michael_in_TX]

I've been meaning to do some calabacita recipes this summer. For those who have access to them, I've enjoyed experimenting in the past with Mexican squashes, which we get fairly easily down here. Calabaza and chayote are quite good.

I've generally found them to be interchangeable with zucchini and yellow squash in these types of recipes, just be mindful to replace the zucchini and/or yellow squash with equal amounts of the replacement squash.

[SheilaAnn]

Loves me some Mexican squash!

[jjdbike]

Thanks for this recipe, jjdbike . I'm in the same boat--husband does not like spicy foods, while I love them. I dance the dance somewhere between mild and spicy, satisfying neither of us. So I usually make it mild and add a spice to mine at the table, but it's not the same as cooked-in heat.

If you were to add a non-dairy protein to this, would it be pulled pork? That's where my mind goes. But perhaps I should just keep the protein on the side.

Kathryn

Hello fzxdoc,

Yes, these were good. If I were to do them again, I'd a couple roasted plumb tomatoes and hot hatches.

As for protein, I don't these these enchiladas need anything else.

As for protein, I'd go for a solid piece of meat, as these are soft. Smoked pork steak or seared rib eye? Smoked or grilled chicken thighs would be really great with these!
Cheers!
Jim D

[fzxdoc]

I like your idea of having a solid protein served with these enchiladas, treating them as a tasty side dish. A meal like that would tick all the boxes for my family.

K.