Green Chile and Cheese Enchiladas
This recipe dates back a decade, to a time that I was akin to a chemist in her laboratory, experimenting with combinations of all sorts of flavors. That’s how I first struck on a rich filling of cream cheese, sour cream, green chiles, mozzarella cheese, and black olives. However, after serving this dish at a gathering, I got some feedback that these enchiladas were overly rich. So, I drew inspiration from my Green Chile and Cheese Pastry Poppers and swapped out the cheddar for mozzarella cheese, thinning out the filling with my Salsa Verde. The result was the most delicious green cheese enchiladas, which are very easy to assemble and will be the hit of any party!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 1 T. Lucerne Whipped Chive Cream Cheese Spread or any chive/onion cream cheese
- ¼ cup full fat sour cream
- 8 ½ T. shredded medium cheddar cheese
- 2 T. shredded, low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 3 T. sliced black olives
- 3 T. fire-roasted green chiles
- ½ cup + 3 T. Salsa Verde (see my homemade recipe under Central American) or use Herdez’s store-bought Salsa Verde.
- 6 quality corn tortillas, preferably La Tortilla Factory’s 5-inch Hand Made Yellow Corn & Wheat Tortillas, found online or at grocery stores like Safeway.
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 °F if you are baking the enchiladas within three quarters of an hour.
- Step 2 Then, combine the cream cheese and sour cream in a small mixing bowl and set aside. Second, open the can of chiles and empty the contents into a fine-meshed sieve, draining off all liquid. Third, spoon 1 T. of the chiles into the bowl with the cream cheese filling. Set the rest of the chiles aside in their own bowl. Fourth, open the can of olives and empty it into a fine-meshed sieve, draining off all liquid. Fifth, add 1 T. of olives to the cream cheese filling and set the other olives aside in their own bowl. Sixth, shred 8 ½ T. of cheddar cheese if it comes in a block and add 1 T. of cheese to the filling. Set the rest of the cheese aside in a small mixing bowl. Seventh, thin out the filling with 2 T. of salsa verde (see recipe under Central American for my homemade version).
- Step 3 Now, to assemble the enchiladas, spread ¼ cup + 2 T. of salsa verde on the bottom of a 9 x 13” Pyrex or baking pan, so the tortillas don’t stick. Then, microwave 1 tortilla separately for 15 seconds or so until the tortilla is pliable. Next, spread 1 T. + 1 t. of the cream cheese filling down the center of the tortilla. Top with 1 t. of green chiles, 1 t. of olives, and 1 t. of cheddar cheese. Then, take the right-hand corn of the tortilla and fold it over the center. Next, take the left-hand corner of the tortilla and fold it over the right-hand corner. This will make a folded tortilla in the shape of a cigar. Next, flip the tortilla upside down so the seam faces the bottom of the pan. Repeat this process for assembling all 5 remaining tortillas, fitting them snug down the length of the pan.
- Step 4 Finally, coat the top of the enchiladas with ¼ cup + 1 T. of salsa verde. Then, sprinkle with ¼ cup + 1 T. of shredded cheddar cheese and 2 T. of shredded mozzarella cheese. Refrigerate if you are not baking the enchiladas right away. If you intend on serving it soon, bake this dish for 25-30 minutes or until the top cheese is melted and the filling is hot. Serve and enjoy!
- Step 5 Note: this dish can be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Simply take out the dish and bake the enchiladas half an hour before your guests arrive.
This mouth-watering dish is one of my favorites to date with the winning combination of fire-roasted green chiles, mildly sweet corn tortillas, and melted cheddar cheese. Yet the secret ingredients are the creamy chive cream cheese, tempered by sour cream, and the earthy black olives.
Nutritional Information: serving size: 1 enchilada, servings per recipe: 6, calories: 280, total fat: 17.3 g., saturated fat: 10.7 g., cholesterol: 48 mg., sodium: 792 mg., total carbohydrate: 18.1 g., dietary fiber: 1.6 g., total sugars: 2.3 g., protein: 12 g., calcium: 238 mg., iron: 0 mg., potassium: 43 mg., vitamin D: 0 mcg