Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? I’m so sick of this “all or nothing” diet culture. That’s why no one can stick to any of these plans. Food is fuel. Yes. But it’s also meant to be enjoyed. I’m a massive fan of partially supplementing an unhealthy ingredient or recipe- not fully replacing it. I also love adding healthy elements in to traditional comfort dishes. And that’s how I came up with this bomb ass enchilada casserole. Green chiles? Check. Less tortillas? Check. Packed with veggies? Mhhhhm. Less fat? Absolutely. And all in less time? You know that’s a check. Who do you think I am?
While I love enchiladas just as much as the next girl, the ratio of tortilla to protein and lack of veggies is never going to make them a meal that I’m going to want to consume in the quantities I desire on a regular basis. There’s no way to hit my macros with such a carby fat bomb completely devoid of good nutrients. I love cheese and cream cheese. Enough so that I’m not going to cut them out of my life. I’m just going to say “not as much, but I’m going to make it just as delicious using some extra and much healthier ingredients I already have”. It’s hatch green Chile season out here in Colorado which also means I’m putting them on and in everything I can while they are around. Since this has less tortillas to help it keep it’s shape, it’s served up in a tasty, ooey, gooey pile in a bowl.
One my super close girlfriends just came home from the hospital with her brand new baby today. That’s a stressful time, but coming home during a pandemic with an itty bitty babe is next level! So naturally I told her I’m making them dinner until baby Hazel leaves for college. Today’s dinner was a Katrina special. Aka I had an idea of what I wanted to make, but no recipe. I made it up as I went. It turned out delicious, so I wanted to share it with you all! This recipe freezes like a champ, so doing a double batch and tossing the second one in the freezer for a hectic day is always a great idea. Or you can double batch and drop one off at a friend’s house like I did.
Servings: 6
Hands on Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
1C chopped roasted green chiles (I used store bought from the freezer section)
1lb cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1 zucchini, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 C corn
1C non fat greek yogurt
1tsp garlic powder
19oz can green chile enchilada sauce
1C reduced fat mexican shredded cheese
salt
pepper
7 corn tortillas, halved
1-2oz neufchatel cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Roast, grill or saute your chicken and veggies, using salt and pepper to season.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix chopped chicken, green chiles, greek yogurt, neufchatel cheese and garlic powder together.
- Pour about a half cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of your 2 qt casserole dish and spread it around so it’s evenly coated.
- Place half your tortilla pieces along the bottom of the pan. No need to overlap or completely cover. Top evenly with 1/2 of the chicken mixture, 1/2 of the veggie mixture, about a half cup of enchilada sauce, 1 C of cheese.
- Follow up with the rest of the tortillas, chicken mixture, veggie mixture, enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
- Top with cilantro, tomatoes or avocado and serve.