Greens and Chayote Enchiladas With Salsa Verde
- Total Time
- About 2 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 1pound Swiss or rainbow chard, or a combination
- 2medium-size chayote or summer squash (about 1¼ pounds), cut in small dice (4 cups diced)
- 1pound fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 2jalapeño or 2 to 3 serrano chiles, stemmed
- ½white onion, coarsely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 4large peeled garlic cloves; 2 whole and 2 minced
- 12cilantro sprigs, plus chopped cilantro for garnish
- 1tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil, plus ⅓ cup for frying
- 2½cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1teaspoon Mexican oregano
- Black pepper
- 18corn tortillas
- About ½ cup crumbled queso fresco or feta
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
343 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 778 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Strip chard leaves from stems and wash in 2 changes of water. Rinse stems and cut in small dice if wide, or, if thin, slice crosswise ¼ inch thick. Set aside stems with chayote in one bowl and leaves in another.
- Step 2
Make the salsa verde: Combine tomatillos, jalapeños and onion in a medium saucepan; cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, until tomatillos have gone from pale green to olive and have softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tomatillos, onion and one of the jalapeños to a blender. Do not drain water from pot. Let vegetables cool in blender while you blanch greens and chayote.
- Step 3
Add more water to the pot so it is about ⅔ full. Return to a boil, salt generously, and add leaves. Blanch until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer leaves to a bowl of cold water to quickly shock, then drain and dry. Chop coarsely and set aside.
- Step 4
Return water to a simmer and add chayote and chard stems. Simmer 5 minutes, or until just tender. Drain through a colander and again on paper towels.
- Step 5
Add whole garlic cloves and cilantro sprigs to ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Taste for heat and add remaining jalapeño if desired.
- Step 6
Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add tomatillo purée and partly cover to protect from splattering. Cook, stirring often, until it thickens and begins to stick to the pan, about 5 minutes.
- Step 7
Stir in stock, add salt to taste, and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring often, until sauce is thick and coats the front and back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Step 8
Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat and add minced garlic. When fragrant, after about 30 seconds, stir in oregano, blanched leaves, stems and chayote. Cook, stirring for about 3 minutes, until tender, fragrant and coated with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup salsa verde and set aside.
- Step 9
Prepare the tortillas: Heat ⅓ cup canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, until oil bubbles around the edges of a tortilla when you dip it into the pan. Place a platter covered with paper towels next to pan. Using tongs, slide tortillas, one at a time, into hot oil. As soon as tortilla begins to puff, about 10 to 15 seconds, flip over and leave another 10 to 15 seconds. Immediately remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Step 10
One by one, quickly dip tortillas into the remaining warm salsa verde, lay on serving platter, and top with about ¼ cup filling. Roll up tortilla and place seam side down on platter. When all tortillas have been filled, pour remaining salsa verde on top, sprinkle with cilantro and queso fresco and serve.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Deborah VC
Wonderful recipe. Light, with lots of spices and tang to make them interesting. This recipe takes a long time to pull together (the salsa takes a lot longer to thicken than indicated) so it's much easier to prep earlier in the day (which I did). At dinner time, I simply charred the corn tortillas in a dry skillet, filled them, and topped with cheese. I gave them a final zap in the microwave to make sure they were heated through and to melt the cheese.
Crystal
Wonderful, but the recipe instructions are chaotic and make cooking needlessly time-consuming. The instructions can be simplified like so: -Make the sauce: Blanche tomatillos and onion. Put in blender with garlic and peppers. Pour it in a pot and heat it up. Add some chicken broth. -Make the filling: Blanche some greens and squash. Chop up. Sauté with garlic and oregano. Add some of the sauce in at the end. -Make the enchiladas: Heat up the tortillas. Dip them in sauce. Roll up with filling.
Judy
I used black beans instead of chayote, and did not dip the tortillas in salsa before I filled them. I think frying them in oil is absolutely necessary, though, so they don't sponge up the sauce.
This is the best enchilada dish I have made.
Laura G.
Delish, great for using CSA zucchini (or chayote), AND can be made quicker! 1) Use a jar of tomatillo salsa, warmed, no chix stock; 2) don't blanch leaves, just chop fine; 3) sauté stems, onion, jalapeño till soft, then add leaves and sauté till wilted; 3) heat tortillas on well oiled griddle or pan, turning once, until soft; 4)coat bottom of serving dish with warm salsa; 5) fill & roll tortillas, place seam side down; top with remaining salsa, crumbled cheese. 3-4 tortillas per person.
Stephanie Knottingham
These were excellent--very light with good flavor--but I would halve the recipe next time (except for the tomatillo sauce--which I would have liked more of) unless you are feeding 6-8 people. I lost interest after frying 12 tortillas and that was more than plenty for the two of us. I reheated them for lunch today but the tortillas were soggy. I think it took me almost three hours from start to finish.
Sarah
These were delicious! But holy cow, it took a long time to pull it all together--at least the 2 hours she suggests. Next time I'll make more of the salsa verde to put over at the end. Definitely a keeper for when I have an afternoon to cook.
Katherine
I made this almost exactly as directed, doubling it for a big crowd, and though other commenters are right in saying it's time-consuming -- it is SO worth it. I did everything through Step 8 the night before the party, and then fried the tortillas, filled them and baked them briefly to get everything hot and the queso melted right before guests arrived. The salsa verde method produces a sauce with a complex flavor, and I'm not going to make it any other way from now on.
Brad
Great recipe, really delicious sauce. Definitely better than the canned variety. I bought two medium chayotes and their weight wasn’t nearly what was called for in the recipe so I diced and added some crimini mushrooms I had. It tasted great!
Zoe
Very unusual, but ultimately tasty. Top with a sharp white cheese or cotija plus sriracha. The Tomatillo sauce is amazing.
Mark
Really enjoyed this. Take this any direction you want (chard, kale, black beans, etc) but dont skip the salsa verde.
Jessica
There are so many things wrong with this recipe, I’ll never make it again. Next time I want vegetarian enchiladas, I’ll make the excellent Enchiladas Suizas recipe in Anna Thomas’ Vegetarian Epicure, or any of the three great recipes in Debora Madison’s vegetarian cooking for everyone. The instructions are chaotically presented, blanching the vegetables leaches them of flavor (they should be sautéed low and slow for maximum flavor), the amount of tomatillo salsa should be doubled…
Laura G.
This unbaked style is great for corn tortillas but can be hard to keep warm while assembling. I plate in kitchen rather use a serving dish. I have filling and sauce on low flame; oil, dip & roll 3 tortillas per plate; put plates in a warm oven as completed. When all are made, I top each serving w/a bit more salsa & crumbled feta & serve. (I use a jar of good tomatillo salsa rather than make my own.)
Mariel
I made this as instructed. It was good but I'm not sure it was out of this world. I will make it again using the following adjustments that I think would improve the flavor and shorten the prep work. 1) Roast Tomatillos, onion, and garlic. 2) Saute (or Roast) chayote and swiss chard at the end (instead of boiling and setting setting aside) 4) Add fresh corn and a squeeze of lime. 3) Pour remaining salsa verde over the enchiladas instead of individually dipping each tortilla.
bippy
I made the sauce without the addition of stock - it would have been too runny. I stuffed the tortillas with a mix of zucchini, chopped up leftover roasted pork tenderloin, a little feta mixed with grated whatever bits of leftover cheese. I think next time I’ll roast the tomatillos and jalapeño. It will add more flavor.
karisa
I ended up with more filling than needed and—as others mentioned—would have like more salsa. Next time I will roast tomatillos, onion and jalapeño instead of blanching.
SomervilleBob
I made these more or less according to the recipe, except that rather than rolling the tortillas I layered the filling and them lasagna style. I brought it to a pot-luck and had little left over.
Justin
Absolutely wonderful! Fair warning though: ventilate while boiling the salsa verde raw ingredients. Nearly hacked myself to death! Well worth it though.
Vivi
Turned out wonderfully. I doubled the recipe, which I should have doubled the time it would take for the chicken broth to evaporate from the tomatillo salsa. The chayote needed to cook longer to become tender, as well. But overall, delicious and the leftovers were great days later.
Matt
This is one of the worst NYT recipes I’ve ever made. Not sure how it sustained 5 stars. Very time consuming and not great.
Lindsay
I roasted the tomatillos, jalapeño and onion in a pan with some oil and sprinkled a little salt on them before covering the pan & simmering the veggies for 10 minutes in some water. My mom always roasts her veggies before making her salsa, so it just felt right! I served it with ranch style beans I made from another NYT Cooking recipe. This was delicious and light yet fulfilling, truly a great meal! Definitely will be preparing this again!
Ella
For a little extra spice, I make the salsa verde with 5 jalapenos instead of 2. A summertime favorite!
Stacy
Great recipe, I grilled the jalapeno, onion, tomatillos and added some grilled poblano peppers. Yum.
Megan
So worth the time... which for me was 2.5 hours, and I made tortillas from scratch using corn masa (2 cups corn masa, 1.5 cups of water, teaspoon of salt), which was awesome and also worth the time. I prepared the dough in the morning, then set it aside. I rolled the tortillas out in between parchment while the salsa was reducing, covered the stack with a damp towel until I was ready for them, then fried each in 350 degree avocado oil for 30 seconds. Heavenly!
Mark
Really enjoyed this. Take this any direction you want (chard, kale, black beans, etc) but dont skip the salsa verde.
Lina P
Used this recipe for the chayote/chard mix and tortillas. Much simpler to roast the tomatillos under the broiler and just blend with onion, jalapeños and cilantro to make the salsa verde. lunch in 30 minutes from start to finish.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
