Poblano Enchiladas

Green has never looked this good. Creamy with bursts of heat from poblano peppers and a beefy, black bean filling, our Poblano Enchiladas are a tex mex dream.

Poblano Enchiladas

When it comes to Mexican or tex-mex food, there is nothing I swoon over more than expertly (or even inexpertly) prepared enchiladas. Whether they’re stuffed with chicken, served with corn or flour tortillas or layered up casserole style, there’s something addictive about a vessel wrapped around filling and covered in melty cheese.

While traditional enchiladas reign supreme in our house according to our kids, the star of my enchilada show comes in the form of a poblano pepper.

Poblano peppers are by far my favorite way to add sweet heat to various tex-mex inspired meals and pureeing it within a creamy sauce reins supreme. By simply roasting the peppers you give them a smoky essence that manages to be both sweet and hot at the same time. Smother it across ground beef and black bean stuffed tortillas, inhale and go to bed very very happy.

Ingredients in Poblano Enchiladas

Beef. Unless I’m making burgers, meatloaf or meatballs, I almost always use lean beef. 93% beef to fat is my perfect ratio. When you’re mixing cooked ground beef with other ingredients and a creamy sauce, trust me, you won’t miss the full-fat beef.

Veggies. In any enchilada or burrito filling (or even soup) I like to sneak in as many vegetables as I can. Here we use the usual suspects – onion and garlic – but also throw in a can of black beans and a generous portion of corn. You can leave either out but know you will need extra ground beef to produce the same amount of enchiladas.

Spices. Cumin, oregano, salt and coriander are the only spices we need.

The sauce

Peppers. As we mentioned we use poblano peppers. They should be readily available at any grocery store. They are a large green pepper shaped like a stretched out bell. (Think bell pepper but longer and pointier.) If you can’t find poblano peppers, you can use one jalapeno in its place. Make sure to taste the jalapeno. If it’s super spicy, start with half and add more as your spice level tolerated.

Chicken stock. Always use low-sodium chicken stock or broth so you can control the amount of salt in your recipe.

Cream. A touch of cream is needed to get the luxurious sauce consistency we’re looking for but you can increase or decrease the amount based on your preference.

Cilantro. Aside from the poblano pepper, a heavy hand of cilantro is the most important ingredient in our sauce. It gives freshness and hues the sauce that perfect green color.

Lime + honey. The combination of acid plus honey really brings the sauce to life so don’t skip this step!

Tortillas. Here’s where you can really lighten things up a bit or go indulgent. I love to use whole-wheat carb balance tortillas but regular flour tortillas, regular whole-wheat or even corn will work. *See substitutions if you use corn tortillas.

Cheese. We like to use chihuahua cheese – it melts beautifully and has a lovely tangy but mild taste – but also use Monterrey jack if it’s what’s available.

Let’s make Poblano Enchiladas

Roast the peppers. Place the peppers over a flame on a gas stove (if you don’t have a gas stove see the recipe nots.). Roast over the flame until each side is charred, turning with tongs as you go – you want it almost completely black on all sides. Once the peppers are blistered, transfer them to a large plastic baggie or a bowl covered with plastic wrap and let them steam while you start to cook the filling.

Make the filling. Heat a large skillet to a medium heat. Add the sirloin to a heated skillet. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into very small pieces. When the beef is about halfway cooked, add the onion, 1/2 of the minced garlic, corn, black beans, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, oregano, cumin, and coriander. Continue to cook the mixture until the beef is cooked all the way through and the onion and garlic are softened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Peel the peppers. When the peppers have steamed for about 5-7 minutes, remove them from the plastic bag or bowl. Use a paper towel or your hands to remove the charred skin from the pepper. Remove the seeds and stems. It’s okay if you don’t get all of the skin off. Finely chop one of the roasted peppers and transfer to the beef and corn mixture, leave the others pepper whole for the sauce.

Make the sauce. Add the two whole roasted poblano peppers to a blender. Add cilantro, garlic, and chicken stock to the blender. Puree until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan. Add salt, more chicken stock and cream to the saucepan with the pureed peppers. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until slightly thickened and reduced, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and honey.

Assemble! While the sauce simmers, assemble the enchiladas. Pace about a 1/2 cup of filling on each tortilla. Tightly roll the tortilla. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining filling and tortillas. Ladle the sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with any remaining filling. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake melty and delish!

What is a poblano pepper?

A poblano is a mild chili pepper with origins in Pueblo Mexico – hence the name. It is typically quite mild but I’ve run into many that pack quite a punch so it’s best to always taste them before adding to recipes. An ancho pepper commonly found in grocery stores is simply a poblano pepper that’s dried. It’s also the chili pepper most commonly used in chiles rellenos.

Can I make Poblano Enchiladas in advance?

Yes! They will get slightly soggy but honestly I kind of like when everything melts in your mouth. Assemble up until baking, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and then pop in the oven when you’re ready. If they are going in the oven straight from the fridge, they will take longer to heat through.

If you want to prep everything ahead so the tortillas do not get soggy, make the sauce and filling in advance. Store separately and then assemble right before baking.

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