This easy, cheesy Mexican casserole recipe with salsa verde makes it simple to serve a nutritious dinner for a crowd on even the busiest of weeknights.
Arrrrrriba! This year I’m happy to share recipes created as a Kroger blogging ambassador, where I will featuring all sorts of products from Kroger grocery stores for my family, and for yours including this festive dish aimed squarely at celebrations for Cinco de Mayo.
But even before our South of the border bash was a 🎉 festiva in our eye 🎉, my Smudge decided an impromptu sleepover with her gal pals was in order.
Also in order? An easy dinner that would feed a crowd. Even the picky ones.
This chicken enchilada bake totally delivered, with one of my favorite tricks added right in to it: I snuck a little healthy in.
This recipe has seen many incarnations in my kitchen. It’s easy that way, totally adaptable to your cravings.
But an even better part of this casserole is that I can pick up just about everything already cooked and peeled and diced from Smith’s Marketplace. All that’s left is heading home to assemble and bake.
I picked up shredded chicken from the deli and pre-cut butternut squash from the produce aisle. Pre-cut butternut squash is one of my favorite shortcuts because I am not always up to being a butternut squash wrangler. And time was of the essence.
I had hungry tweens beckoning!
Kroger has so many private label brands that they always make up the bulk of my cart. In fact, for this recipe, whether it was organic, value, or freshly made in the store, everything but one item (Cotija cheese) was a Kroger brand. And bonus! The Cotija was on sale!
Unlike regular enchiladas, this recipe is a layered casserole of Mexican flavors. It makes it easy to serve because you don’t have to follow the tortilla lines once everything has melted together and portion sizes can be rationed easily.
I love my recipe for homemade Hatch Chile Salsa Verde. But it gets eaten fast and isn’t around for long. Our favorite substitute is Kroger’s Tomatillo Salsa Verde. It makes it’s way onto my husband’s over easy eggs and sour cream tortilla breakfast pretty much each and every morning.
The sauce for this dish is a mix of Kroger’s salsa verde and low-fat sour cream that smothers the layered tortillas, cheese, butternut squash, chicken and black beans.
Everyone has a preference for tortillas and I do too. I’ve made this recipe with yellow corn, white corn and flour tortillas and I have to say, my favorite is flour tortillas.
Because these tortillas aren’t fried beforehand and are baked for a longer amount of time, they can get a little too soft for my liking. So for my preference, I go for flour. But by all means, make your own selection for your cravings.
Like most dishes, it’s all about the condiments for me. Fresh cilantro is always a favorite, and my husband always requests black olives in just about every Mexican dish. And I wouldn’t dare forget the sour cream.
But a new addition to the fold was my discovery of Kroger’s Sweet and Hot Jalapeños. I have a killer pickled jalapeño recipe, but like my salsa verde, we go through them fast so it’s off to the store we go. The sweet and spicy flavors of the Kroger brand is so good with it’s sweet bite.
Whoda known jalapeños could be so sweet. Even Pippa is ready for a bite.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 16- ounce jars Kroger Tomatillo Salsa Verde Mild , about 4 cups
- 1 cup Kroger low-fat sour cream
- 18 small Kroger flour or white corn tortillas
- ½ pound shredded deli chicken meat
- 2 cups Kroger pre-diced butternut squash
- 1 16- ounce can Simply Organic black beans , rinsed and drained
- 4 cups shredded cheese , such as a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses
- 1 3- ounce can Kroger sliced olives , drained
- 3 green onions , chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Sour cream , sliced avocado and pickled sweet and hot jalapeño peppers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spray a 9 X 11 inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the tomatillo salsa verde with the sour cream. Spread 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer 6 of the small tortillas on the bottom of the pan. Spoon 1 ¼ cups of the sauce over the tortillas then layer ⅓ of the chicken, ⅓ of the butternut squash and ⅓ of the black beans. Top with ⅓ of the cheese and repeat the process 2 more times, but set aside the last layer of cheese.
- Spray one side of a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the pan then bake for 60-70 minutes or until the sauce starts to bubble. Remove the foil and top with the remaining cheese and bake until melted, about 10 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with sliced olives, green onions and cilantro. Garnish with sour cream, avocado slices and pickled sweet and hot jalapeños.
- **Optional: Sprinkle Cotija cheese on top for a tart cheese burst of flavor.
This post is in partnership with Kroger. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
This recipe was amazing ! I was unsure about adding in the butternut squash but it was absolutely delicious in the recipe. The whole family loved it. It smelled heavenly while cooking, looked heavenly when placed on the table, and most importantly tasted heavenly. Thank you so much sharing such a wonderful recipe.
This is a great recipe! Thanks for posting. Negative comments are just plain rude. And your ingredients can be bought at a lot of places but thanks for pointing out that Kroger has some great products! My store Harris Teeter I believe carries them and I will check them out.
Do you end the layers with tortillas on top or with the chicken/beans/squash layer?
That is totally up to you! I like to end with the chicken layer!
I am assuming the long cooking time is for the squash? If so, I can par-cook the squash in the microwave and lower the cooking time. Everything else is cooked, so I see no need to cook 60 to 70 minutes. I am thinking 45 minutes or less for a good heat through and melt cheeses.
Yes, that is right!!
Thanks for posting this useful content, Good to know about new things here,
This recipe was delicious! My husband was a huge fan and he is always hesitant to eat things like butternut squash. I did seem to run low on the sour cream/salsa mixture… I’m not sure if I misunderstood but I used it between each layer. I will be making it again!
I made this last night, and it was sooooo good, thank-you for sharing this recipe! I could have made a double batch and it would’ve all been eaten I think. However, I was confused while cooking because the recipe called for 18 tortillas, but there were only 6 mentioned in the directions, unless I missed something. I ended up putting 6 on the bottom and 6 on the top before adding the last bit of sauce, and it turned out great. Was I supposed to add another layer in the middle?
She layered the recipe (like lasagna).
This is a very tasty enchilada casserole. I love the addition of butternut squash (wasn’t sure about it at first, but it just soaked up all of the flavors and was awesome) and black beans. Thanks for dinner for the work week!
Do u by chance have the nutrition info for this recipe?
Hi Kate, I don’t give nutritionals at this time but if you want to check them out yourself, you can plus the info into an app like My Fitness Pal. Thanks for asking!
I made this last night. It was good! I do think next time I would fry the tortillas first; too mushy! -I used hatch green brand enchilada sauce – yummy! Thanks for the inspiration and beautiful photos.
I’m making this tonight and am excited… it looks so good!
Hey ,
Keep continue sharing such favorite recipe with us regularly, Please .
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. I didn’t make any changes, but the next time I won’t bake for 60 minutes as part of the first step in the baking process. The bottom was just a little too done. Otherwise, it was one I will use again and again. I’m also a Kroger fanatic so appreciate getting recipes that accentuate their fabulous products.
Made this tonight, and it was delicious!! Never had the sweet jalapeños before and I loved them!! Do you have a rough calorie count for a serving?
Oh my gosh, this looks insanely good!! Great photos, too!
I made this and it is delicious! All of the great enchilada flavor and texture without the hassle! Just as in all recipes, if there is an ingredient or flavor I don’t like, I leave it out. So simple. No need to point out personal preferences. Thanks for a wonderful addition to my favorite recipe file!
Just made this for dinner and my mom loved it. It was delicious.
Thank you
I had so many impromptu sleepovers at that age… Although I suppose since I had so many, my mom could basically assume that I’d be spending the night at a friend’s house or they’d be at mine at least one evening each weekend! We usually chowed down on frozen pizza or In-N-Out, but this enchilada casserole would’ve been WAY better! And you take such stunning photos — it almost looks too good to eat!! Almost. ;) ;)
That is so smart to buy the pre-chopped butternut squash, I have to try that! This is definitely a crowd- pleasing dish, so many wonderful parts to this casserole.t