Spinach ’n’ Broccoli Enchiladas — The Red Sauce Year Thirteen Deserved

The bakery's thirteenth anniversary. March 15, 2029. Sofia's speech from the step stool, year nine: "Thirteen years. Longer than I've been an adult. The bakery is older than my adulthood, which means the bakery raised me more than any school did, and the raising is the education, and the education is the flour." Short. Perfect. Sofia. I made chile colorado. Year thirteen. The unlucky number that feels lucky when it describes the age of a bakery that has survived a pandemic and a deployment and three deaths and a bridge and is still here, still making conchas at 4 AM, still Rosa, still rising.

Thirteen is the number I kept turning over while the enchiladas baked—the same number I’d been holding all day, the same one Sofia put into words better than I ever could have. Chile colorado was already on my mind, that deep red warmth that feels like survival, and these spinach and broccoli enchiladas wrapped in a rich red sauce were exactly right: vegetables that hold their shape inside something that wants to soften everything, which is what thirteen years feels like. The bakery is still here. We are still here. The sauce goes over everything, and somehow that is enough.

Spinach ’n’ Broccoli Enchiladas

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets, finely chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• 2 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce (store-bought or homemade chile colorado sauce)
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese, for topping
• Fresh cilantro and sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce across the bottom.
2. Cook the filling. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika and stir 1 minute. Add the broccoli and cook 3–4 minutes until just tender. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Build the filling. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in the sour cream and 3/4 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Warm the tortillas. Wrap the corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave 45–60 seconds to make them pliable. Alternatively, warm each one briefly in a dry skillet.
5. Fill and roll. Dip each tortilla into the remaining enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling down the center of each tortilla, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
6. Top and bake. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese and the cotija cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 8–10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling.
7. Rest and serve. Let the enchiladas rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced green onions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 680mg