Skinny Enchilada

A couple months ago, FH (future hubby) and I visited his grandparent’s in their condo in Florida. Soon-to-be grandma made this delicious enchilada casserole that was super easy and super tasty. The recipe went something like: layer 3 tortillas in pan, layer beans, layer sour cream, layer three more tortillas, layer chicken, layer cheese, layer cheese, layer three more tortillas, layer more sour cream, add cheese, bake, serve cheesy pile of goodness, fall into cheese induced food coma. The dish was amazing but super unhealthy.

A few weeks after we got home, I made the casserole again and decided to tweak the recipe some. I was slightly hesitant of how my version would taste compared to grandma’s version, but it turned out really well! FH even agreed (after adding 3 cups of sour cream on top of his slice…).  For only 250 calories a serving, this casserole is very easy to make and serves well as leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I cooked mine in my crockpot while I was at work so it was ready to shred when I got home)
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (I only used about 2/3 of the packet)
• 4 tortillas (I used a whole-grain flour version)
• 1 can refried beans (I used the black bean version, you could also use normal black beans and smush them a little bit)
• 1 can enchilada sauce

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Mix chicken, salsa, and taco seasoning in a deep pan and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. While chicken mixture is simmering (don’t forget to stir!) grease a 9x12 pan and add your first layer of 2 tortillas. The tortillas should overlap.
4. Layer the beans on top of the tortillas (it might help to heat them up in the microwave/over the stove first so they’re easier to spread) evenly.
5.  Layer entire chicken mixture over the beans. Spread evenly.
6. Pour half the can of enchilada sauce on top of chicken.
7. Layer 2 more tortillas on top (should overlap).
8. Pour remaining can of enchilada sauce over tortillas.
9.  Sprinkle cheese over enchilada sauce.
10. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Makes 8 servings (~250 calories per serving) or 6 servings (~340 calories per serving). This was super filling and like I said, tastes great as leftovers! I ate this the whole week for lunch J

You could also add a layer of peppers, corn, onions, etc. to add some more “volume” – I’m going to try this next time. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!

Question: Have you ever taken a not-so-healthy recipe and made it your own healthy version? How did it turn out?