5 Pepper Vegetable Enchiladas

Five peppers may seem like a little much, but each one brings something special to the party. Green peppers are sweet and crisp, roasted reds are rich and sweet, green chiles are clean tasting, red chili powder and chipotle powder pack a little deep heat. I like the balance of the peppers with the sweetness of the carrots and corn in this dish. Note: depending on how much filling you put in each enchilada, you may have some filling leftover, which is great on top of some lettuce or with tortilla chips.

Ingredients (serves 4 with 2 enchiladas per person):

Filling:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

½ cup chopped onions

½ cup shredded carrots

½ cup chopped green peppers

½ cup sliced mushrooms

½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1 (11 ounce) can corn, drained

½ cup chopped ripe olives

1 (4 ounce) can green chiles

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with the juice

2 teaspoons dark red chili powder

1 teaspoon chipotle powder

Salt to taste

2 cups tightly packed fresh spinach

Assembly:

2 cups enchilada sauce

8 (8 inch) flour tortillas

1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian refried beans

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled

Garnish:

Sour cream, cilantro or parsley and sliced avocados to garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, green peppers and mushrooms and sauté about 5 minutes. Add in the roasted red peppers, corn, ripe olives, green chiles, diced tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has reduced by about half (about 15 minutes). Remove the filling from the heat and add in the spinach. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Spread one cup of the enchilada sauce evenly over the bottom of a large baking dish (you may want to use two baking dishes if you don’t want things too crowded-up to you). Layout your tortillas and spread some of the refried beans on each one. Add some of the filling and top with some Jack cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the queso fresco cheese over the top. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the enchiladas from the oven and serve two to a plate. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro/parsley and sliced avocados.