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A twist on traditional enchiladas, these Healthy Green Chickpea Enchiladas are filled with chickpeas, corn, and tomatoes, and baked in a creamy spinach sauce until the sauce thickens, and the meal is delicious!
I originally posted these enchiladas back in 2012 as part of the healthy eating that I had been doing. Since these enchiladas were so good, I decided to update them with new pictures, recipe notes, and commentary.
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Gringo enchiladas
These enchiladas, though they aren’t terribly authentic, are so delicious. When I originally posted the recipe I said, “I figured they would be tasty. But I wasn’t really prepared for just how tasty they would be. They are excellent. They’re so good, in fact, that I’ve made them twice already.”
I was once asked why I didn’t call them Enchiladas Verde. Well, I do think that name has a certain expectation to it. One that’s maybe more authentic. Certainly an expectation that they would be made with salsa verde, and these are not. And, since these are pretty American-ized, I’m sticking with the name, Green Enchiladas.
Creamy spinach sauce
My only concern the first time I tried these is that my husband doesn’t like cooked spinach. And, well, that’s what this sauce is, cooked spinach.
I served it, but was a little worried that I’d have to go order him a pizza or something. Much to my delight, he loved them, cooked spinach and all. That totally makes me a happy camper! Mexican food that’s healthy, and the husband approves! Awesome!
These are a great way to get a little extra veggie into your family’s day. And, they won’t even complain because these are so good.
Getting greens into my diet is so important, from Spinach quinoa muffins to Green monster smoothies, I love to take greens and serve them in a new and fun way.
When you first pour on the sauce, it seems really thin, but don’t worry, it thickens up as it bakes with the enchiladas.
How to make these easy chickpeas enchiladas
They’re easy to make, which is great! These could be made for weeknight meals fairly easily. Just skillet cook a few veggies, blend up some sauce, roll some tortillas up, and wait for 30 minutes while it bakes. Delicious dinner!
I love easy to make meals around here, and these fit the bill in both the flavor and health department.
The detailed and printable recipe card is below with all the ingredient amounts and instructions. Don’t forget to scroll down to see it!
Cook onion until it begins to brown on all edges.
Add Ro-tel, chickpeas, corn, oregano, and black pepper, and cook until liquid from tomatoes has evaporated.
Make the creamy spinach sauce by pureeing the vegetable broth, water, sour cream, spinach, chiles, and scallions.
Lightly cover the bottom of the 13×9-inch dish with some sauce.
Add the garbanzo bean filling to each tortilla and roll up placing each one seam side down in the prepared casserole dish.
Pour spinach sauce evenly over enchiladas, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until bubbly all over.
Can these be vegan?
These healthy green garbanzo bean enchiladas can easily be made vegan. And they’re gluten-free!
Use soft tofu instead of sour cream in the sauce, and either use vegan cheese or leave the cheese out entirely. I don’t think the enchiladas need the cheese anyway, it just sort of helps the filling stick together.
Easy vegan spinach enchiladas with chickpeas are packed with protein and veggies to make a perfect meal that’s full of flavor, with a unique twist.
Can these be made ahead of time?
Yes! These are great made ahead of time. They make perfect leftovers, as there’s nothing like having a big pan of enchiladas in the fridge. Simply pop them in the microwave to reheat.
You can make them up the night before or the morning of, and they bake up after storing in the fridge as well.
Can these be frozen?
Yes, these make a great freezer meal. Make sure they are completely cool before packaging them into containers with tight fitting lids, and pop them in the freezer.
Take them out of the freezer the night before and place them in the fridge to defrost. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave.
What to serve with these enchiladas?
Cilantro lime rice
Mexican corn salad
Fruit salad
Guacamole
Homemade tortilla chips
Roasted tomato salsa
Kitchen tools you may need
Note: these are affiliate links
Blender
Counter top oven
aluminum foil
13×9-inch pan
spatula
To go carrier for the enchiladas
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Healthy Green Chickpea Enchiladas Recipe
Healthy Green Chickpea Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 10 ounce can Ro-tel diced tomatoes and chilis undrained
- 15.5 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¾ cup water
- 1 cup sour cream or soft tofu
- 3 cups fresh spinach leaves packed
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 2 scallions roughly chopped
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese
- 6-10 corn tortillas
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add onion, and cook until onion begins to brown on all edges, about 10-15 minutes. Add Ro-tel, chickpeas, corn, oregano, and black pepper. Continue to cook, stirring often, about 5-6 minutes or until all liquid from tomatoes has evaporated. Remove from heat.
- In a blender or food processor, puree the vegetable broth, water, sour cream, spinach, chiles, and scallions.
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Lightly cover bottom of the dish with 3/4 cup of the sauce.
- To make tortillas more pliable and easy to roll, heat them by wrapping the stack of them in aluminum foil and placing them in the preheating oven for 5-7 minutes or by microwaving them covered with a wet paper towel for 30 seconds.
- Stir ¼ cup of cheese into the chickpea mixture. Add 1/3 cup of filling to one end of each tortilla and roll up or fold in half placing each one seam side down in the prepared casserole dish.
- Pour spinach sauce evenly over enchiladas. It will be very liquidy, but don’t worry, it thickens as it cooks. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup of cheese over the enchiladas. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until bubbly all over. Allow to cool for five minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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