Enchiladas are one of those things I never order at a Mexican restaurant. I always want fish tacos or some special of the day – but I do love to make them at home and these are pretty simple to throw together.
Overall these enchiladas are a pretty healthy meal if you use light sour cream and are light handed on the cheese. I opted to use real Mexican sour cream (crema) and I was a little generous with the cheese… but how often do you make homemade enchiladas? Go all out.
If you are looking for a spicier dish try the homemade Verde Salsa from a Mexican grocery store. My verde salsa was HOT. To counteract the heat I served a salad dressed with Hot Pepper Jelly vinaigrette (jelly, lime juice, coriander, olive oil) and it was the perfect sweetness with the hot enchiladas.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3-4 small or 2 large), peeled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups white onion, diced (1 medium onion)
- 1 1/2cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 pound raw peeled deveined shrimp, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups purchased salsa verde or mild tomatillo salsa
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 12 flour tortillas
- 8 ounces Monterrey jack cheese(about 2 cups)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Combine the spices (first 5 ingredients) in small bowl and set aside.
Toss sweet potatoes with 1/2 of the spice mixture & 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast sweet potatoes until soft and browned in spots, turning occasionally, 20 minutes. Cool. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
In a skillet over medium heat add 2 tablespoons oil. Add onion, corn and the remaining 1/2 of the spice mixture. Cook until onions and corn are caramelized about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and shrimp and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until shrimp are beginning to turn pink. Remove from heat. NOTE: Do not cook the shrimp completely as they will be overcooked once in the oven.
In a large bowl combine shrimp & corn mixture with the sweet potatoes. Add in ½ cup chopped cilantro and toss to combine all ingredients. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.
Lower the oven to 375°F.
Spray a 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spay or vegetable oil. Wrap four tortillas in damp paper towels. Microwave 30 seconds. Spoon 1/4 cup shrimp mixture on each. Roll up and place seam-side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Top with any extra filling.
Mix salsa and crema and 1/2 cup cilantro. Spoon over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 4 -6 servings.