Enchiladas for the lazy gal

Presentation can often be the key in cooking, especially when you become more advanced and comfortable with it, people definitely eat with their eyes (guilty here!) Now I know rolling up corn tortillas isn't exactly rocket science, but making and enchilada casserole just seemed way more efficient, a guess what, I think this dish still looked delicious, rolled up or it. 

I used my Shredded Mexican Chicken recipe (love repurposing recipes like this!), to make a healthier chicken and cheese enchilada. The great thing about this recipe is that you can add or take away whatever ingredients you want. The original recipe called for pinto beans and olives, but I omitted them since I wasn't feeling the beans and olives just add extra fat (and of course, I'd rather add more cheese!) By adding bell peppers, black beans, corn, you name it, these enchiladas make it a very versatile; with that said, I adjusted this recipe a lot, so feel free to do the same!

Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Casserole

Hearty and healthy!

adapted from My Recipes on Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• Shredded Mexican Chicken
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 4-5 green onions)
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, divided in half
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups (8 oz.) pre-shredded reduced fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1 (16-ounce) jar of your favorite green salsa (I chose a green salsa from a brand called Frontera)
• 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer 6 tortilla halves on bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

2. Spread about 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. This is great time to add beans, olives or any other veggie you'd like. Repeat layer again. Top with remaining 6 tortilla halves. 

3. Combine your salsa verde of your choosing and reduced fat sour cream in a bowl. Mix until throughly combined. Layer on top of casserole. 

4. Bake casserole, covered with foil, for 30-35 minutes. Add remaining cheese, green onions (olives, optional) and bake, uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the cheese it melted.

5. Serves about 6-8, depending on how hungry the crowd is! I chose to serve my enchilada casserole atop a bed of baby spinach. This is a relatively healthier alternative to enchiladas, with each serving size between 400-485 calories, depending on what other veggies you added here. 

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