I had been wanting to make these for quite some time and early in January I finally did!

If you have read any of my other posts you probably know I like to make meals from scratch when I can, so I didn't want to buy canned enchilada sauce in the store. I decided to make this green Chile enchilada sauce per this recipe (thanks Mel!) so that we could enjoy some tasty enchiladas at home.

This is how I prepared the sauce:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, finely minced (I used extra garlic, the original recipe called for 1-2)
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup canned diced green chiles, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium jalapeno, finely diced

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic and cover. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring once or twice to make sure the garlic and onions aren't sticking (adjust the heat if they are). Cook until the onions are soft but not browned.
Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. It's ok if the flour clumps around the onions, just keep stirring to let the flour get golden and toasty.
Gradually add the broth, whisking quickly and constantly to smooth out any lumps.
Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be silky and thickened - able to coat a spoon but still drip off. Add more broth to thin out if needed

Once I got the sauce going, I put some chicken on to simmer so I could shred it later, making chicken enchiladas for James.

I then used this recipe to make the enchiladas, using the fresh enchilada sauce I made instead of the 2 cans called out in the recipe. Half were spinach enchiladas for me and half I added the shredded chicken to the filling for James. It may look like a lot of cheese going on these enchiladas but I promise it was just the right amount!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
10 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground chili powder
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 cans (10 oz each) Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (we substituted with the homemade green Chile enchilada sauce!)
8 Old El Paso Flour Tortillas (Burrito size)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and cook until they are wilted and shrinks down. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, green chiles, cumin, and chile powder. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

2. To assemble, spread about some enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the spinach mixture. In a medium bowl, combine both kinds of shredded cheese. Sprinkle cheese over spinach mixture, about 3 tablespoons per enchilada. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. When all enchiladas have been rolled and placed in the pan, top with the rest of the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top of enchiladas. Bake 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted, and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

I topped my enchiladas with avocado :)

After they cooked, we pulled them out of the oven and they looked great! They were crispy and tasty with some cilantro rice I made. :)

I really love meals like this! These were really filling and tasty. We were happily eating leftovers for a few days. :)

Homemade Enchiladas