Salsa Verde Enchiladas packed with pork carnitas or chicken, topped with creamy salsa verde sauce plus extra cheese and baked until golden brown.
Today I’m turning one of my favorite appetizers, Chicken Salsa Verde Dip into an actual meal. I don’t mean an appetizer that I eat as a meal something I *may* or *may not* have done.
Salsa Verde Enchiladas are rolled tortillas filled with deliciously seasoned pork Carnitas I made the other day in my slow cooker (otherwise known as a 2 for 1 meal) slathered in an easy, creamy sour cream-salsa verde sauce then topped with as much cheese as I feel like because that’s just one of the perks of cooking at home, then baked until they’re all golden and gorgeous with gooey melted cheese and lightly crisp edges.
No Carnitas? No problem. You can easily use leftover or even a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store with equally delicious results.
We don’t need an official holiday in our house to appreciate a Mexican fiesta, but happy Cinco De Mayo anyway. We eat some form of Mexican food pretty routinely; Cinco De Mayo is just an excuse to eat it even more.
These Salsa Verde Enchiladas were made with leftover Pork Carnitas that simmered n my slow cooker the other day until the whole house smelled amazing. For the enchiladas, I chopped the still-tender, still-juicy seasoned pork into smaller bits.
I’ve eaten enchiladas at least a bazillion times so I have my standards about what makes a good one: rich, flavor-packed sauce, plenty of cheese and maybe most important, they can’t be soggy. Ugh. No soggy enchiladas. Ever.
If you’ve ever tasted a soggy enchilada, you know you don’t want to go there again.
Try the method below ⇓ and never make soggy enchiladas again!
But first, the Salsa Verde Enchiladas ingredients:
- Olive oil
- flour tortillas
- onion, choppe
- bell pepper
- cumin
- pork carnitas or chicken
- cream cheese
- green chilies
- cilantro
- jar salsa verde
- sour cream
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Optional garnish: sliced jalapeno and diced
Instructions:
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat then carefully swipe it with a paper towel so it evenly coats the entire skillet surface.
Fry the tortillas one at a time for a few seconds on both sides just until they start to crisp and get a little color.
Tip: Gently crisping the tortillas creates a barrier so they absorb sauce without soaking it up and becoming soggy.
In the same skillet add another drizzle of olive oil and the onion and bell pepper. Season it with ½ tsp cumin, salt and pepper to taste, sautéing a few minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Fold in the carnitas or chicken, half of the can of green chilies, 1 ¼ cup of Monterey jack cheese and 2 tablespoons of cilantro. Use a spatula and score the filling into six equal sections.
Begin assembling the tortillas, dividing the meat mixture between the tortillas then roll and set aside.
Wipe the same skillet with a damp paper towel then add the Salsa Verde, remaining green chilies, cream cheese, other 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and the remaining cilantro.
Simmer over medium low heat until it’s completely blended. Temper the sour cream then add it to the sauce, combining.
Spread 2 tablespoons of sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Gently add the rolled tortillas and pour the sauce over the tortillas.
Scatter the remaining Monterey Jack cheese over the top and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Grapefruit Margaritas are the perfect beverage with these Salsa Verde Enchiladas.
Enjoy!
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Salsa Verde Enchiladas
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 6 small flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin, divided
- 2 cups pork carnitas OR rotisserie chicken
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ounce can green chilies
- 4 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups salsa verde (jar)
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 1/4 cups monterey jack cheese
- Optional garnish: sliced jalapeno and diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat then carefully swipe it with a paper towel so it evenly coats the entire skillet surface. Fry the tortillas one at a time for a few seconds on both sides just until they start to crisp and get a little color.
- In the same skillet add another drizzle of olive oil and the onion and bell pepper. Season it with ½ tsp cumin, salt and pepper to taste, sautéing a few minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Fold in the carnitas or chicken, half of the can of green chilies, 1 ¼ cup of Monterey jack cheese and 2 tablespoons of cilantro. Use a spatula and score the filling into six equal sections.
- Begin assembling the tortillas, dividing the meat mixture between the tortillas then roll and set aside.
- Wipe the same skillet with a damp paper towel then add the Salsa Verde, remaining green chilies, cream cheese, other 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and the remaining cilantro. Simmer over medium low heat until it’s completely blended. Temper the sour cream then add it to the sauce, combining.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Gently add the rolled tortillas and pour the sauce over the tortillas.
- Scatter the remaining Monterey Jack cheese over the top and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Goodness – these sound delish, the pork and the chicken! I love the crispy edges of the tortillas, the gooey cheese, and the delicious sauce. Pinned. Thanks for the tips for non-soggy enchiladas! Chat again soon!
Why thank you Mary! We love all the cheesiness in these enchiladas. Hoping to get the garden in soon — tomatoes, peppers – herbs (nice to have ingredients right in the back yard!) – and a few other things — if it ever stops raining. Do you garden?