I am always looking for ways to eat more vegetables. The simplest preparation is often the best. But what do you do if someone in your family objects? Find a way to sneak them in such as in these chicken spinach enchiladas. It’s a simple way to learn how to eat more vegetables when you don’t like them.
Realizing I had some spinach that needed to be eaten, I asked a reader what I should do with it. She suggested stuffing mushrooms or chicken breasts with it. Although that sounded delicious, I didn’t have either of those items on hand. I did, however, have some leftover chicken pieces in the freezer. So I was inspired to pair that with the spinach inside enchiladas. With enough sauce and cheese, I’m sure you could get even the pickiest eater to eat these.
Bonus points if you get your fussy eaters to eat broccoli and carrots too. I decided to roast them in the oven with chopped garlic until fork tender while the enchiladas were baking. What else might you season them with? I simply sprinkled everything with green onions at the end.
Do you get excited about the variety of colors in vegetables like I do? I keep reading that eating 30 different plants per week contributes to a healthy gut microbiome. This is part of why I don’t necessarily tout nutrients of one particular vegetable over another. Variety is key. How many plants are you eating per week? I can help you learn how to eat more vegetables when you don’t like them.
Preparing the Enchiladas
I sautéed the chopped spinach in olive oil with chopped red onion just until wilted and then tossed the chicken pieces into the skillet. After pouring a little green enchilada sauce into a glass baking dish, I put a slice of swiss cheese on each soft corn tortilla before adding the chicken/spinach mixture and rolling the tortilla, placing seam side down into the casserole dish. I topped with sauce and grated cheddar cheese before baking 30 minutes at 350.
These were delicious and Michael didn’t even notice the spinach until I told him what was inside. I don’t really like taking pictures of bites of food, but here’s one just so you can see what the inside looked like:
For a simple shortcut and tips, please read The Whole Enchilada Two Ways. Which vegetables would you like to serve more often in your household?
You are making me hungry!😋