Chicken, Cauliflower Rice, and Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

I’m going to toot my own horn here and say that this is the best savory dish I’ve ever made. I don’t even know what was the best part about it, maybe the homemade enchilada sauce?! But really, grab a notepad, jot this recipe down, and make this tonight. You can totally make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and adding more sweet potato or another protein substitute of choice.

Chicken, cauliflower rice, and sweet potato enchilada casserole:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups riced cauliflower (I buy the frozen packs from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 cup diced and steamed sweet potatoes (I diced leftover sweet potato fries I made a few days ago)
• 2.5 cups homemade enchilada sauce (details below)
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped (you may omit, or sub a different protein)
• 5 corn tortillas cut in half
• 1 1/2 cups almond mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 cups spinach

Enchilada sauce: (makes more than needed for this recipe. Store leftovers in the refrigerator)

• 4 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, or quick pancake mix
• 1/2 cup chili powder
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pink salt to taste

Prep enchilada sauce first:

• In a small sauce pan heat avocado oil over medium heat.
• Add onion, carrot, poblano, and garlic. Sauté until softened and fragrant.
• Stir in flour, spices, and then add water slowly, stirring while adding it. Whisk until all ingredients are smooth.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, mix in spinach, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for 20 minutes.
• Puree with an immersion blender, or carefully transfer to a blender, and blend until the sauce thickens.

For enchiladas:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook cauliflower rice as directed on the stove top.
• Stir in the diced sweet potato, enchilada sauce, chicken, and ½ cup almond mozzarella cheese.
• In the bottom of a medium size baking dish, place two of the tortillas, top with 1/2 the filling, cover with two tortillas, and cover with the remainder of the chicken mixture.
• Add the last tortilla on top, then sprinkle with 1 cup of almond mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Let cool slightly before digging in!