This post is dedicated to all my green chile lovin’ readers. You know who you are! 😉 And don’t forget this is “spring cleaning” month on Como Water. Why, pray tell, am I posting an ooey gooey enchiladas casserole? Because as I mentioned in previous posts, cleansing your body is about starting from your baseline. So, throughout the month, I wanted to highlight dishes that reflect different folks’ baselines. If you eat a lot of fruits and veggies, then perhaps a cleanse for you is to eat raw for a week or to shop exclusively from the produce section for a specified amount of time. But if you are like so many of the rest of us, and you are looking for ways to sneak veggies into your diet without sacrificing sabor, then this casserole may be ‘cleansing’ for you.

Beneath that top layer of cheese is a cornucopia of veggies–poblanos, onions, mushrooms, spinach. So you get the best of both worlds with this dish–healthy veggies that you can feel good eating and a little bit of gooey decadence on top (rather than cheese on every layer, or cheese filled enchiladas). Also, this apple-avocado salsa adds freshness, crunch, and creaminess–the perfect compliment! Oh, and this dish can be made vegan or vegetarian depending on what type of cheese/sour cream you use. I hope you enjoy!!! 🙂

Green Enchiladas Casserole with Apple-Avocado Salsa

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 6 oz bag baby spinach

1 8 oz container white mushrooms–sliced

1/2 red onion–diced

1/2 red pepper–diced

1/2 jalapeño–minced

1 16 oz can vegetarian refried beans

1 12 oz jar salsa verde (I used TJ’s, or make your own!)

1 16 oz can green enchiladas sauce (I used Hatch, or you can make your own!)

1 16 oz can sliced black olives

1 package whole wheat tortillas (~10-12)

olive oil

cheese

salt

pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

dash cayenne

fresh cilantro

sour cream (optional)

Method:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

*Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Add spinach, dash salt, a few grinds of pepper. Saute until wilted. Set aside. Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms. Saute until soft. Add dash salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, and jalapeño. Saute until soft. Add dash salt and pepper. Set aside. Add refried beans and 1/2 cup salsa verde to saute pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until beans are just heated through (over medium low heat). Mix completely and set aside.

*Assemble! Place 1/3 cup enchiladas sauce on the bottom of a 8 x 8 glass dish. Add one layer of tortillas. Spread beans and olives (reserving a few olives for garnish) onto tortillas. Add another layer of tortillas, 1/4 cup enchiladas sauce, spinach and mushrooms. Add another layer of tortillas, 1/4 cup enchiladas sauce and onion mixture. Add final tortillas layer and remaining enchiladas sauce.

*Cover with foil. Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove foil. Top with light sprinkling of cheese. Turn oven off. Let sit in oven 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with olive slices, cilantro, sour cream, additional salsa verde, and apple-avocado salsa (all optional).

Apple-Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

1 ripe tomato–diced

1 ripe champagne mango–diced

1 ripe avocado–chopped

1 small honey crisp apple–chopped

1 orange–segments and juice

2-3 tablespoons cilantro–chopped

salt

pepper

cayenne

Method:

*Mix. Adjust seasoning. Serve!