Saag Paneer Enchiladas

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The popular Indian spinach and cheese dish, saag paneer, transformed into enchiladas! Saag paneer is rolled in flour tortillas, topped with a yogurt based cilantro mint sauce, and baked until bubbly. This vegetarian Tex Mex-Indian mash-up is guaranteed to be a family favorite.

Saag paneer is a creamy spinach dish that uses - you guessed it - paneer cheese. Since paneer doesn't melt down, the spinach has bites of delicious cheese throughout and a creamy, rich flavor. I recently shared a recipe for homemade paneer cheese as I was fruitless in my search for it - and come to find out, it's just 2 ingredients and minutes to make!

The enchilada sauce is yogurt based (a nod to Indian cuisine) and loaded with cilantro, mint, jalapenos, and other Indian-TexMex flavors. I know, the mint sounds strange but it totally works!

Don't be intimidated by the seemingly long list of ingredients - there are duplicate ingredients used in both the filling and sauce so it's really not as many items as it appears. Plus, your food processor does most of the work!

Saag Paneer Enchiladas

For the filling:

1 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 10-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of liquid

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 pound paneer cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

For the sauce:

2 cups cilantro

1/4 cup mint leaves

1 jalapeno, seeds and stems removed, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup buttermilk

1.5 cups plain yogurt or sour cream

salt to taste

For the enchiladas:

8-10 flour tortillas

Additional paneer cheese, for crumbling over top

In a food processor, chop the onion, garlic, and ginger. In a skillet, heat some vegetable oil over medium-low heat, add the onion mixture, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, yogurt, and buttermilk. Turn the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the half and half and paneer cheese and simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the cilantro, mint, jalapeno, garlic, ginger, cumin, lemon juice, and buttermilk until smooth. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and stir in yogurt. Add salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350. Wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven for 10 minutes while it's preheating. 

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup of filling down the center of a tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. 

Pour the cilantro sauce over the tortillas and crumble additional paneer cheese over top. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes. 

Source: Homesick Texan