For truly great vegetarian enchiladas, we wanted a bright, rich green enchilada sauce featuring the sweet-tart flavor of tomatillos. We tried using fresh tomatillos but found that their quality depended largely on the season. Even after roasting, the mealy texture and watery flavor of out-ofseason tomatillos was underwhelming. Instead we turned to canned tomatillos, which promised consistent flavor and texture throughout the year without any of the prep work, making our sauce as easy as turning on a food processor. We rounded out the sauce with onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice. For the filling, we started with spicy, fruity roasted poblano chiles. Then we smashed some of our canned black beans to create a quick “refried” bean base and stirred in a little of the tomatillo sauce, Monterey Jack cheese, and some classic seasonings, which we bloomed on the stovetop with basic aromatics.
Ingredients
- 4 poblano chiles
- 2 (11-ounce) cans tomatillos, drained
- 2 onions, chopped fine
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled (3 whole, 2 minced)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- Vegetable oil spray
- Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place poblanos on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and broil, turning as needed, until skins are charred, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer poblanos to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 5 minutes. Remove skins, stems, and seeds, then chop poblanos into ½-inch pieces. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position.
- Process tomatillos, 1 cup onion, ½ cup cilantro, broth, 1 tablespoon oil, 3 whole garlic cloves, lime juice, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in food processor until sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mash half of beans in large bowl with potato masher or fork until mostly smooth. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add remaining onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 cloves minced garlic, chili powder, coriander, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in chopped poblanos, mashed beans, and remaining whole beans and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer bean mixture to large bowl and stir in 1 cup Monterey Jack and remaining ½ cup cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Brush both sides of tortillas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Stack tortillas, wrap in damp dish towel, and place on plate; microwave until warm and pliable, about 1 minute.
- Working with 1 warm tortilla at a time, spread ⅓ cup bean-cheese filling across center of tortilla. Roll tortilla tightly around filling and place, seam side down, in greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish; arrange enchiladas in 2 columns across width of dish.
- Spray top of enchiladas with oil spray and bake uncovered until lightly toasted on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour 2 cups sauce evenly over enchiladas, then sprinkle remaining 1 cup Monterey Jack across center of enchiladas. Cover dish tightly with greased aluminum foil and bake until enchiladas are hot throughout, bubbling around edges, and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining sauce.
