Egg Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce

Egg Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce

I don’t know where to begin with these enchiladas, so I will say this: holy smokes, they are good. Stuffed with scrambled eggs, sautéed portobello mushrooms and roasted red pepper, and smothered in a spicy, smoky homemade roasted poblano sauce with a hint of cinnamon—they’re better than good. These enchiladas are truly incredible.

Like huevos rancheros, egg enchiladas great any time of day: breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. The enchiladas do require some forethought, time and effort, but they are worth it tenfold. I highly suggest making them for brunch, say, tomorrow!

These enchiladas were inspired by one of our stops during the Cleveland food tour last month. That Saturday, we ate breakfast in a warm, cozy café called Lucky’s. It’s nestled in Tremont, an eclectic old neighborhood in Cleveland that’s full of great restaurants and art galleries. I had heard Lucky’s had been on The Food Channel’s Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives, but that didn’t mean much because I don’t watch TV (I’ve never seen the show). I knew Lucky’s was going to be good when I saw their garden beside the building. It’s built behind the cute patio in raised beds that are handicap accessible for volunteers.

After sitting down and drooling over the menu, the owner, Heather, stopped by our table and shared a bit of her background and her philosophy with us. Part of her mission statement is to “offer our customers an alternative to the mass produced by committing our passion for the craft to creating good wholesome food.” Outrageously good, wholesome food is what we got.

These enchiladas are inspired by my meal that morning, which consisted of egg enchiladas underneath a savory sauce containing guajillo peppers and autumn spices, served with a side of home fries. You can see them here.

I couldn’t find guajillo peppers, so I based my sauce off Natalie’s roasted pablano enchiladas recipe, and added a bit of cinnamon and more hot spices. I admit there were a few weeks in between tasting these enchiladas and attempting to make them at home, but I think I got really close. Like I said, holy smokes. They’re good.

Egg Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce

Author: Cookie and Kate

Serves: 3-4

These enchiladas are based on Perry’s Plate’s recipe for Portobello and Black Bean Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce, inspired by the breakfast burritos at Lucky’s Café in Cleveland, and for Heidi, who requested a breakfast casserole.

Ingredients

Sauce

1 poblano pepper

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

dash nutmeg

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon smoked hot paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 can tomato sauce (I used Muir Glenn)

Optional: 1/4 cup water, to thin out the sauce

Filling

2 small roasted red peppers, diced (jarred or fresh)

3-4 large portobello mushroomed, stemmed, gills scraped out, and diced into thin one-inch strips

1/2 red onion, diced

extra virgin olive oil

6-8 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup feta cheese or queso fresco

8 small whole wheat tortillas (I used Ezekial’s sprouted grain tortillas)

Toppings

Sour cream

Cilantro (or chopped arugula!)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roast the peppers: Roast the poblano pepper (and the red peppers if you’re using fresh) directly over the flame of a gas burner, turning frequently with tongs, until evenly charred. Or you can place the peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler, turning once or twice, for 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the peppers to an airtight bowl (or cover the bowl with plastic wrap) and set the bowl aside to steam for 10 minutes.

Make the sauce: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the yellow onion, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened (about 5 minutes). Pour in the tomato sauce (and water, if you’re using). Peel the pepper, discard the stem and seeds, and roughly chop. Toss the chopped pablano into the pan and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Purée using an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to a blender or food processor) until smooth.

Make the filling: Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat. Add a light drizzle of olive oil and sautée the mushrooms, red onions and roasted red pepper for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often. In a medium bowl, scramble the eggs with a big dash of milk, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Transfer the sautéed veggies to a bowl, then scramble the eggs over medium heat until they are just set (they should still be shiny). Mix the scrambled eggs with the veggies and feta cheese.

Prepare the enchiladas: Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9×9 inch baking dish (or individual dishes). Heat tortillas individually in a small skillet for a few seconds on each side, or warm them all at once in the microwave (cover with a kitchen towel to keep them warm afterward). Spread about 1/3 cup of the filling down the middle of the tortilla and roll it up to enclose the filling. Place the rolled tortilla seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Spread the remaining sauce over the enchiladas.

Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

Top with sour cream and chopped cilantro or arugula, if you happen to be on an arugula kick like me.

Notes

Make the sauce ahead of time! Next time I will double the recipe and freeze half of it for later. I believe this enchilada sauce would go well with all sorts of fillings, like black beans with sautéed vegetables and a melty cheese.