Green Chile Enchiladas

I love these enchiladas. They're like cheese enchiladas with a roasted chile inside. Anaheim peppers are a milder pepper but sometimes they can be a little spicy. Every single chile has a different amount of heat. I tasted a little piece of each pepper before I used it. Then I made a large pan with the milder chiles for the kids and a small pan with the spicier chiles for my husband. These enchiladas turned out great. 

Printable Recipe

Green Chile Enchiladas

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos (about 12)

3 cloves garlic, still in their peels

2 jalapenos

1 tsp salt

5-6 large Anaheim peppers

16-20 corn tortillas

canola oil

1/2 lb-1 lb grated monterey jack cheese

chopped cilantro

To prepare salsa, remove husks from tomatillos. Rinse off the tomatillos, cut them in half, and place them cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place the garlic and jalapenos on the baking sheet with the tomatillos. Broil on the top rack in the oven for 5-7 minutes until tomatillos are lightly charred. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut open the jalapenos and discard seeds and stems. Remove garlic from the skins and discard skins. Place tomatillos, garlic, jalapenos, and salt in a blender. Pulse until well pureed. Set aside. 

To prepare anaheim peppers, place on a baking sheet and broil until charred, about 5 minutes on each side. (I placed them on the same baking sheet with the tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeno.) Place blackened chiles in a brown paper bag. Close the bag and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the chiles, peel off the skin and discard skin. Slice open the chiles and remove and discard the seeds. Slice the chiles into strips.

Heat a few Tbsps of canola oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add a corn tortilla to the pan. The tortilla will sizzle as it hits the pan. Using a metal spatula, turn it over and cook until little pockets of air start to bubble up in the tortilla. Remove from pan, shaking off any excess oil, and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Cook all of the tortillas this way, separating the tortillas with paper towels. 

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread a little bit of the tomatillo salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 and 8x8 baking dish. Place grated cheese in the center of the tortilla, top with a strip or two of the green chile. Roll up and place in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spread desired amount of tomatillo salsa over the enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Serves 8

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes