Creamy Poblano Enchiladas: Mild Heat with Cheesy Goodness

Poblano sauce is a cream sauce made with poblano hot peppers (chiles), garlic, cumin, chicken broth, and heavy cream. This creamy sauce is a great change from the traditional red and tomatillo sauces used for enchilada. The poblano peppers give the sauce a mild heat toned down by cheese and cream. Recipe below.

Poblano Chile Enchiladas.Photo byColorado Martini

I first tried Poblano Chile sauce on enchiladas from Amy’s Kitchen. The frozen food company carries a "Roasted Poblano Enchiladas" that cannot be in flavor. I was determined to make the same type of enchiladas on my own. Below is the recipe I came up with.

Creamy Poblano SaucePhoto byColorado Martini

What is a Poblano Chile?

Hands down this is my favorite chile. I cook with poblanos in many of my dishes. I love them so much that I started growing poblanos rather than Jalapenos each summer.

The poblano is a milder hot chili pepper that can find its origin in Puebla, Mexico. You might have seen the dried version in markets. It goes by the name Ancho Chile. The anchos have been smoked with pecan wood which intensifies the flavor. This gives the chile a smoky flavor with fruity undertones. The poblano is popular to use in a chiles rellenos recipe. Which I find to be a spicer version of chile relleno. In my region of the country, I have seen fresh poblanos offered more and more in grocery stores.

Ancho chile is a dried poblano chilePhoto byCarstor, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

What is Cotija Cheese?

Cotija cheese is a hard, crumbly, aged cheese from Mexico. The cheese is made from cow's milk and named after the town of Cotija in Michoacán, Mexico. The cheese is very similar to Parmesan cheese but has a unique flavor.

Cotija cheese does not melt, so it's often sprinkled on top of dishes to enhance their flavor. You will often see Cotija sprinkled on the Mexican dishes ordered in restaurants. Especially tacos and soups. If you cannot find the cheese in your market, it can easily be ordered online.

Poblano Chiles roasting on flatiron for easy peelingPhoto byColorado Martini

Have you even had Poblano Sauce? Kindly let us know in the comments.

Poblano Chile Sauce Enchiladas

• 4 poblano peppers
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic or 3 cloves
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 cups cilantro washed and chopped
• ¼ cup Cotija cheese or queso fresco cheese
• 1 tablespoon Cotija cheese for topping (optional)
• 1 cup Monterey Jack shredded
• ½ lime juice
• 9-12 corn tortillas or flour (amount depends on the desired filling)

Enchiladas ready for the oven.Photo byColorado Martini

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Over high heat, roast peppers on a high-temperature pan such as a cast iron flatiron. Turn peppers as they brown and start to make a "popping" sound. See the picture above. You are roasting the peppers so you can easily remove the skins in a bag.
3. Add roasted peppers to a large plastic bag or in a covered bowl for 15 minutes. This will help the peppers to continue to cook and to steam off the skins. Once cool, peel the roasted skins. Slice open the pepper and remove the seeds. Then chop the peppers.
4. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium-sized pot. Add cumin and cook for 1 minute. This brings out the flavor of the cumin. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.
5. Add roasted peppers and broth to the onion mixture. Cook for an additional 6 minutes.
6. Add sour cream and bring to a boil.
7. Add cornstarch to a small bowl and stir in a little water (1 tablespoon) to make the cornstarch mixture fluid to pour.
8. While continuing to stir, pour the cornstarch mixture into the pepper mixture. Continue to stir over medium heat until the sauce has thickened. Add cilantro.
9. With a hand mixer, food processor, or blender, blend the sauce until most of the peppers are broken up. It is ok to have small chucks.
10. Add Cotija cheese and stir.
11. Add lime juice.
12. Pour about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Roll tortillas with the desired filling. Assemble the rolled tortillas side by side.
13. Top rolled tortillas with sauce.
14. Top with Monterey Jack cheese. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of Cojita cheese.
15. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
16. Any leftover sauce or the recipe itself is great on top of chicken or rice.

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Do you have any suggestions for ingredients? How do you make your sauce? Kindly let us know in the comments.

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References

• Wikipedia
• Amy’s Kitchen