Kaitlynn lives in Benton, Arkansas. She is an aspiring author, wellness enthusiast, and enjoys sharing her health journey with others. See the archives of her articles at mysaline.com/kaitlynn.
Zucchini Enchilada Skillet
By Kaitlynn Garrett
Do you know what I miss about life pre-pandemic? Going to restaurants. I’ve been to a couple (and followed proper Covid precautions), don’t get me wrong, but it’s been months and when I did go, I felt a lot of anxiety, so I try to only do takeout if I do decide to get food from restaurants. Some of my favorite food is usually Mexican, so I’ve definitely been cooking a lot of that sort of food while I’m home. Enchiladas are one meal that I absolutely love getting because they can be so comforting.
This week, I decided to try to make more of a deconstructed enchilada dish and make it a little lower on the carbs. Zucchinis are a great choice for this because they are a pretty versatile vegetable that can add some greens to your life. Essentially, this dish involves throwing a lot of my favorite things into a pan and calling it dinner, which is honestly the best way to cook a skillet meal. I’ve done similar recipes where I hollow out the zucchinis and make them into taco boats, but today I wanted something that wouldn’t take much time or precision at all, so throwing it all together in a pan seemed like a good idea to me.
Another reason I like this is because part of this recipe can also be doubled as a bean salad and is a great side dish to any Tex-Mex meal, or, if you’re like me, it’s just great to eat it with tortilla chips! Just mix the beans, corn, peppers, onion, and cilantro with a 2:1 ratio of white vinegar to olive oil, 1 Tbs. of sugar, 1 tsp. cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. But, enough about that, let’s get cooking on the enchilada recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 LB Ground Turkey
- 2 – 3 Zucchinis (Depending on size)
- 1 Packet Low Sodium Mild Taco Seasoning
- 1 10 oz. Can Red Enchilada Sauce
- 16 oz. Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 15 oz. Can Kidney Beans
- 1 15 oz. Can Black Beans
- 1 15 oz. Can Corn
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- ½ Red Onion
- 1 Jalapeno
- ¼ Cup Cilantro
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Recipe
- Begin cooking your meat on the stove in a skillet and add seasoning packet.
- Chop your zucchini into bite-sized pieces.
- Chop the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cilantro.
- Add zucchini to the skillet.
- Add beans, corn, onion, and peppers to the skillet.
- Mix in the enchilada sauce and cilantro.
- Serve in a bowl and top with shredded cheese and plain Greek yogurt (great sub for sour cream).
This meal is super easy, fast to make, and is a great healthy alternative to having Mexican food at home!