If you're in the mood for a flavorful and delicious Mexican dish that's on the lighter side, our Roasted Corn Enchiladas with Poblano Peppers and Salsa Verde are just the ticket. These easy-to-make vegetarian enchiladas are a delicious combination of flavors and textures and a healthy alternative to traditional enchiladas.
This dish combines the sweetness of roasted corn with the mild heat of poblano peppers, all wrapped up in a soft tortilla and topped with a homemade salsa verde. Salsa verde is a mild green sauce made from roasted tomatillos. It's a simple, easy recipe that your family will love.
This dish makes a perfect weeknight meal. Serve with Mexican rice and beans.
This recipe was inspired by my recipes for Carnitas Tacos, Pork Belly Tacos, Kicked Up Refried Beans and Smoked Charro Beans.
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Ingredients
- Salsa Verde
- Tomatillos
- Canola oil
- Serrano chiles
- Garlic cloves
- White onion
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime juice
- Kosher salt
- Roasted Corn and Poblano Pepper Filling
- Fresh corn
- Poblano peppers
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion or white onion
- Garlic cloves
- Ground cumin
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken stock
- Fresh cilantro
- Enchiladas
- Corn tortillas
- Monterey jack cheese
- Fresh cilantro
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- Green onions
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Salsa Verde
Start by roasting the vegetables for the enchilada sauce. These enchiladas are made with a light a fresh salsa verde, made from roasted tomatillos, rather than a traditional red enchilada sauce.
Preheat the broiler. Toss the tomatillos, serrano chiles and onion with the oil in a large bowl. Move them to a sheet pan covered with foil and broil for 6 minutes. Remove the garlic and turn the other vegetables over. Broil until slightly charred, about 6 minutes more, then set aside to cool.
Roast the tomatillos, serrano peppers and garlic. When cool, peel the skin off the garlic and discard.
Place the garlic cloves and the rest of the charred vegetable in a blender. Add the cilantro, lime juice and salt and blend on high until smooth.
Roast the Corn and the Poblano Peppers
Place the ears of corn with husks onto a hot barbecue. Roast the corn in the husk for about 25 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. The outside of the husk will be a bit burned, that's OK. Carefully peel back the husk and inspect the corn. If there are some black spots, it's done. Allow the corn to cool then remove the husks and silk, rinse with cool water, and cut off the kernels. If you don't have a barbecue available, remove the husks and cook under a low broiler turning frequently.
Poblano peppers add a subtle kick to the roasted corn enchilada filling. Place the poblano peppers directly on the barbecue grill and cook until the skin has blackened (about 6-8 minutes). You can also cook the peppers directly over the flame on a gas range. Turn the peppers over and cook the other side. When the skin is blackened all the way around, remove the peppers and place them in a paper bag to cool (about 10 minutes). The paper bag allows the peppers to let off steam and loosen the skins. Don't use a plastic bag, the peppers are too hot and will melt the plastic.
Roast the corn in the husks on the barbecue.
Roast poblano peppers on the barbecue until the skin blisters.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Then add the garlic and the cumin and cook for one additional minute. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute while stirring constantly. Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, diced poblano peppers and cilantro and stir to combine. Cook five more minutes to thicken.
When the peppers are cool, rinse them under cold water to remove the skins. Remove the stems and seeds, then dice.
Remove the corn kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. Mix the corn with the diced poblano pepper and chicken stock.
Assemble the Enchiladas
Preheat the oven to 350°F and preheat about one cup of vegetable oil in a small fry pan to 350°F. Spray some cooking spray oil into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan or casserole dish. Quickly fry each corn tortilla in the hot oil for 5 seconds. Turn it over and fry it for another 5 seconds then blot dry on paper towels. Precooking the tortillas will prevent them from cracking when rolled into enchiladas. Add ⅓ cup enchilada sauce and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread some salsa verde on both sides of a tortilla and place on a flat surface.
Place a ⅓ cup of the roasted corn and poblano pepper mixture in the center of the tortilla and spread it out in a line, about 1" wide and the length of the tortilla.
Add plenty of cheese and roll the tortilla into an enchilada.
Then place the rolled enchilada seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Assemble the other seven enchiladas and place them side-by-side in the pan. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas, ensuring each enchilada is covered. Add more cheese.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Drizzle some Mexican crema or a little sour cream over the enchiladas and top with a little cilantro.
Serve with Mexican rice or Spanish rice and refried beans or black beans.
Variations
The enchiladas in this recipe were made with yellow corn tortillas. White corn tortillas would also work. Flour tortillas would work, but will have a different texture. They also tend to tear more easily when removing cooked enchiladas from the baking dish. If using flour tortillas, there is no need to cook them in hot oil first. Skip that step.
You can also make these enchiladas a combination of different cheeses like Monterey jack cheese and cheddar cheese, or a Mexican blend would also work well.
Storage
Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Final Thoughts
These Roasted Corn Enchiladas with Poblano Peppers are full of rich, robust flavors. The combination of the fresh roasted corn, flavorful poblano peppers, melted cheese and homemade verde enchilada sauce is a definite crowd pleaser. The next time you're looking for a Mexican food dish, try this easy recipe. It is sure to be a comfort food favorite that the whole family will love.
Don't forget to make a double batch of The Best Margaritas. Enjoy!
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Corn and Poblano Pepper Enchiladas Recipe
Ingredients
Salsa Verde
- 1 lb tomatillos paper skin removed
- 2 teaspoon canola oil
- 1 each serrano chile cut in half, stemmed and seeded
- 2 cloves garlic skins on
- ½ large white onion chopped
- 1 cup cilantro coarsely chopped, with stems
- 1 each lime juiced
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
Roasted Corn and Poblano Pepper Filling
- 2 ears fresh corn
- 2 each poblano peppers
- 1 tbs olive oil
- ¼ large white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tbs all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
Enchiladas
- 8 each corn tortillas
- 1 cup jack cheese grated
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup Mexican crema
Instructions
Salsa Verde
- Preheat the broiler. Toss the tomatillos, serrano chile and onion with the oil in a large bowl. Move them to a sheet pan covered with foil. Broil for 6 minutes. Remove the garlic and turn the other vegetables over. Broil until slightly charred, about 6 minutes more. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Peel the skin off the garlic and discard. Place the garlic cloves and the rest of the charred vegetable in a blender. Add the cilantro, lime juice and salt and blend on high until smooth.
Roasted Corn & Poblano Pepper Filling
- Place ears of corn with husks onto a hot barbecue. Roast the corn in the husk for about 25 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. The outside of the husk will be a bit burned, that's OK. Carefully peel back the husk and inspect the corn. If there are some black spots, it's done. If you don't have a barbecue available, remove the husks and cook under a low broiler turning frequently. Allow the corn to cool. Remove the husks and silk, rinse with cool water, and cutoff the kernels.
- Place the poblano peppers directly on the barbecue grill and cook until the skin has blackened (about 6-8 minutes). You can also cook the peppers directly over the flame on a gas range. Turn the peppers over and cook the other side. When the skin is blackened all the way around, remove the peppers and place them in a paper bag to cool (about 10 minutes). The paper bag allows the peppers to let off steam and loosen the skins. Don't use a plastic bag. The peppers are too hot and will melt the plastic.
- When the peppers are cool, rinse them under cold water to remove the skins. Remove the stem and seeds. Cut into ½" pieces.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the cumin and cook for one minute. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute while stirring constantly. Add the chicken stock and stir well. Add the corn kernels, diced poblano peppers and cilantro. Stir to combine. Cook 5 minutes to thicken.
Build the Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray some cooking spray oil into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. Preheat about 1 cup of vegetable oil in a small fry pan to 350°F. Quickly fry a tortilla in the hot oil for 5 seconds. Turn it over and fry it for another 5 seconds then blot dry on paper towels. This will help the tortilla roll up and not crack. Add ⅓ cup of the salsa verde and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Add some salsa verde to a 8 X 8 pan. Dip a tortilla in the salsa and place on a cutting board.
- Place a scoop of the roasted corn and poblano pepper mixture in the center of the tortilla and spread it out in a line about 1" wide and the length of the tortilla. Add some cheese and roll the tortilla into an enchilada. Place the enchilada seem side down in the 9 X 13 pan. Complete the other seven enchiladas and place them side by side in the pan. Pour salsa over the top and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Drizzle some Mexican crema over the top. Sprinkle with a little cilantro and serve.
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