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This recipe for zucchini enchiladas is a perfect weeknight meal that the whole family will love! Made with “zucchini tortillas,” shredded chicken, enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. It’s low carb, gluten-free, paleo-friendly and keto-friendly!
Zucchini season is almost here! If you’re looking for some zucchini recipe ideas or ways to swap bread and pasta for zucchini, you’ve gotta try this zucchini enchiladas recipe! It’s a Mexican inspired dinner recipe that is packed with protein, flavor and nutrition! Honestly, you may not even miss the tortillas! Just sayin…
What are the health benefits of zucchini?
Zucchinis are a great vegetable to incorporate into your diet. The benefits include:
- Lowering blood sugar levels
- Boosts energy
- Aids with weight-loss and weight management
- Improves digestion
- Contributes to a healthy heart
- Low carb, low in calories and nutrient rich
How to make zucchini enchiladas
There are three parts to making this recipe. First you’ll prepare the chicken filling. Next you’ll prepare the zucchini so they can be used in place of the tortillas. Finally, you’ll roll the zucchini with the mixture and bake.
Preparing the chicken mixture
Start with 3 cups of shredded chicken. You can use chicken breast, chicken thighs or even ground chicken or ground turkey. What works well is using leftover rotisserie chicken. I also like to boil some chicken breasts with water and bay leaves for 30 minutes and then shred the chicken while it’s warm.
Regardless what chicken meat you use, you’ll want to mix the chicken with sauteed onions, garlic and spices. Then add some store-bought or homemade enchilada sauce on top and mix everything together.
Preparing the zucchini
To prepare the zucchini enchiladas, use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to peel thin wide strips of zucchini. You’ll want to save the narrow strips on the outside of the zucchini for another recipe. Only use the wide parts for best results. Then stack three strips on top of each other, (slightly overlapping), place the chicken mixture towards one end and tuck and roll.
Putting it together
The recipe will yield about 24 rolls total, and you will have some leftover zucchini slices, scraps and bits. You can chop those up to use in a zucchini bread of frittata. Then just arrange the zucchini enchiladas in the baking dish and add some enchilada sauce on top.
Add some shredded cheese on top and bake in the oven until the cheese melts. And then it’s ready!
When they come out of the oven, hit the zucchini enchiladas with some fresh cilantro, some sliced jalapenos if you like some heat and even some sliced avocados for a creamy touch. I would recommend serving these as soon as possible while they’re warm and the cheese is melted because who could resist that cheese pull?!
You can also leave condiments on the side, and everyone can add whatever condiments they prefer on top of their zucchini enchiladas. Sour cream and salsa give it a nice touch!
Tips for making zucchini enchiladas
- Press the zucchini slices between paper towels to remove excess moisture. This may not be necessary for the zucchini you use, but if you notice that it has a lot of moisture, be sure to dab it dry. This will avoid any soggy zucchini situation.
- Use a vegetable Y-peeler to make the zucchini strips thin and wide. It might help to halve the zucchini lengthwise before starting. And if you have a mandolin slicer, that might actually be even easier and faster. I relied on my cheap handy dandy Y-peeler. I don’t recommend using a knife.
- Test a couple strips to ensure you have the right thickness. If it’s your first time making these, you may want to roll a couple strips with the chicken filling to make sure they don’t break. If they break, that’s a sign that you need to slice them thinner.
- Be careful not to overstuff the zucchini rolls. You want to use 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture and not more than that so they’re easy to roll and won’t burst open in the oven.
- Do not freeze the zucchini enchiladas. Zucchini has a very high moisture content, so it doesn’t respond well to freezing. When frozen, it accumulates ice crystals, which leads to sad and soggy zucchini. You can freeze the chicken mixture though!
Frequently asked questions
When choosing your zucchinis, pick ones that are firm with a shiny skin. When you cut one open, they should appear slightly yellow, greenish or white and have a buttery texture.
You can prepare the dish a few hours ahead of time, but not too long or the zucchini will get soft. You can slice the zucchini slices up to a day in advance and store them in the fridge with layers of paper towels between them so they don’t release too much moisture from being stacked on top of each other. Store any leftovers in an airtight container, they will last about 2-3 in the fridge, but the zucchini will start getting soft after the first day.
I’m so impressed by how zucchini plays such a cool low-carb role as a pasta substitute and now as a tortilla substitute. It’s a great way to cut back on carbs and a wonderful recipe for anyone who’s on a gluten-free diet, ketogenic diet or low-carb diet. They are light and healthy, quick and easy, and packed with flavor that’s perfect for a crowd!
And if you want more ideas for cooking with low carb zucchini recipes, try my Stuffed Zucchini Boats!
For more Mexican inspired recipes:
For more low carb zucchini ideas:
- Zucchini Tots Recipe
- Baked Zucchini Fries
- Chicken Stuffed Zucchini
- Zucchini Fritters
- Zucchini Bread Muffins
- Zucchini Ravioli
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Zucchini Enchiladas recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Zucchini Enchiladas
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic clove minced
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 ½ cup enchilada sauce divided
- 2-3 zucchinis large
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese shredded
- Cilantro, jalapenos, avocados for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions and cook until they soften. Add garlic, cumin and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cooked shredded chicken and 1 cup enchilada sauce, and stir until coated.
- On a cutting board, use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to peel thin slices of zucchini. Each zucchini should yield about 10 wide slices. Save the ends that are hard to peel for another use.
- Lay out 3 slices, slightly overlapping, and top with a spoonful of chicken mixture. Roll up and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining zucchini and chicken mixture. It should yield about 24 total rolls.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the zucchini enchiladas and top with shredded cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro, jalapenos and avocados, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Instead of shredded chicken, you can also use ground beef, ground turkey or even just prepared beans or tofu.
- If you don’t have cumin or chili powder, you can add other Mexican spices included paprika, garlic powder, onion powder or oregano.
- I use the vegetable Y-peeler to create thin wide strips of zucchini. It’s an inexpensive tool that has lots of other uses in the kitchen, like peeling carrots or peeling beets, for example.
- I love using the Staub ceramic dish to make theses zucchini enchiladas. They gently retain heat and won’t absorb moisture, which is ideal for baking zucchini that can often have excess moisture. Plus, they go from oven-to-table so beautifully!
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Tastes good
But nothing delicious. Takes some time to peel the zucchinis…
Thank you for the feedback, Alex!
I am not a roller…so I made it in layers like a lasagna – but I kept the rest EXACTLY as written and it was sooooooooooo good! 🙂
That’s a fun way to switch it up! Glad you enjoyed!!
I made this tonight using 2 tsp each of chili powder, cumin and added smoked paprika. I also added black beans and used Trader Joes Red Salsa in the jar, SOOOO GOOD!
A tip for the heels of leftover zucchini: I used the peeler to make zoodles and put some seasoned rice wine vinegar on them for lunch they were delicious!
I think you could make lasagna using this recipe too and it would be less labor intensive, but definitely not as pretty!
If you are on the fence about making this, don’t be you won’t be disappointed!
That’s amazing! That’s such a great tip – thanks for sharing. Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Fantastic! These hit the spot when I’m craving enchiladas. Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipes.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed.
I made this the other day and did not have the Y peaked either! I also created a layered lasagna with the zucchini slices and it turned out pretty good! So a word of advice…Y pealed is essential!
The peeler really makes a difference, but I’m glad you were able to make and enjoy it nonetheless!
You can use a mandolin at the thinnest setting and it works great.
very nice zucchini enchiladas
Thank you so much!
This looks great, but I just used my zucchini in another dish. I do have the yellow squash thats the same size as zucchini, do you think that would work?
I have yet to try that in this recipe, but I think it could work!
Delicious! I don’t have a Y-peeler, so my slices were too thick. It’s ok: I improvised and turned this into a layered dish, like a lasagna. I also substituted half the onion with chopped green bell pepper. It came out great! Maybe because my zucchini slices were thicker I needed to cook an additional 20 minutes (for 40 total) to get the zucchini to soften. The leftover sauce mixture covered my sunny side up eggs this morning. I felt like I was back in New Mexico! Fantastic dish and I can’t wait to make it again!
I love how you improvised and made it work! Yay!!
Love these! So flavorful and such a fun and healthy twist on the original recipe. Have made these multiple times for family and friends and they’re a hit each time! Definitely added to my regular rotation.
I love that you’re all enjoying it! Thank you!!
Packed with flavor, heathy, easy and definitely a crowd pleaser.
Love it. Thanks
Such a good recipe! Ive made it twice already and it’s definitely going to be a staple in my home ☺️ Highly recommend!
Thank you so much, Jenny!
I made this and it was super easy, delicious and fun to make!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that!
Absolutely delicious …….we couldn’t ask for more…….the taste was just amazing
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
Ok, these enchiladas are fantastic! I love a good tortilla but I *barely* missed them in this recipe. These were fantastic with some fresh salsa on top, too.
That’s wonderful! Thank you!!
When I tell you I’m obsessed with this recipe, I literally love it. I tried this recipe for Friday Dinner night with my family and everyone loved it. It’s super healthy without that carb element which is super nice. I think that the only thing that was a little misleading was the prep time, It really actually took me just under an hour. The actually cooking (like putting it all together took a minute but once I figured out the exact amount it wasn’t that long.) I also think that it was harder to figure out how thin to slice the zucchini. I recommend this for anyone that want’s a healthy yet filling meal. Definetly a great lunch and dinner time meal!
Thank you for the feedback, Shelley! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you!
I made the zucchini enchiladas for myself and my husband yesterday It was so delicious and light we ate the whole pan! Will become a go to recipe for us!
Aww, yay! I love that!
THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE!!!
This recipe has incredible flavor and texture. I use zucchini as a healthy substitute in SO many dishes, but this one is a WINNER!
All I had on hand was a regular swivel peeler. It worked for me, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Just spend $5 on a Y-peeler and save yourself an extra 30 minutes😂
Thank you so much for sharing!!
Thank you so much! The peeler would definitely speed up the process and make things easier. Most welcome!
Loved these! I wasn’t sure how my hubby would react since he’s usually a meant and potatos kind of guy but he loved them too! As an added bonus my toddler also approved! My only complaint is that there weren’t any leftovers! We devoured the whole thing! 🙂
Yay! So happy they all enjoyed it!
I tried last night the Zucchini Enchilada recipe. It tasted delicious, the hole family was impressed.
Thank you.
It makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you!
These are amazing! I only had my regular vegetable peeler but once I got the technique down it went pretty well. I added jalapenos to the chicken and put a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan before I put the rolls in. I cooked them for 30 minutes then added the cheese to the top until melted. So excited to eat these for lunch this week!
Great idea adding jalapenos! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
Better than I thought!
My hubby and 21yr old son were a little weary and they both loved it. Looking forward to leftovers. Here is what I added…(oh and I layered rather than rolling)
Bottom layer- black beans, Spanish rice & corn
Shredded cheese (little one) over the chicken layer before the top zucchini layer
Green sauce instead of red sauce
Would definitely make this one again “thumbs up!”
Oh I love the swaps you made! Sounds perfect! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I got frustrated with rolling into single enchiladas and made a stacked enchilada zucchini casserole instead.
What an awesome idea!!Love it!
I was somewhat hesitant trying this recipe since I love tortillas ,but I can honestly say these enchiladas taste amazing!!!! I think I might even like them better this way rather than using tortillas 😱. Don’t tell my abuelita(little Mexican grandma 👵) lol 😂
Hahaha yes! So happy to hear that!! I know what you mean though, you almost don’t even miss the tortillas!
My wife and I loved it.
Fresh, zesty
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you!!
It was soooo good! Thanks for sharing! Easy, simple, tasty 😍😍
Yay! Most welcome!
this is an amazing recipe! thanks so much for sharing this. I revised it to be vegan and I still couldn’t be happier 🙂
Oh that’s great that you made it vegan! What did you use instead? Thanks so much for sharing!
Slicing the zucchini was a nightmare! Couldn’t get the right thinness just a mess and lots of frustration. Ended up using flour tortillas which was disappointing.
Oh I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s best to use a peeler, not a knife if you ever want to try it in the future. I linked to my favorite peeler for this.
I had no Enchilada Sauce…so made my own from scratch.
We had leftover of half portion next day for lunch. So healthy and tasty. Great idea.
So glad you enjoyed it!!
It was absolutely delicious. I did have leftover filling so I made traditional enchiladas with corn tortillas. My husband preferred the zucchini because of the texture.
Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
That’s so awesome!! Glad to hear it!!
We made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious! Great flavors and super filling. Saving this one!!
So glad to hear it. Thank you!
Just made this for dinner. It was so good I had to come back and leave a comment. Hubby and I absolutely LOVED how this turned out! I only did about half an onion and added sour cream but otherwise keep recipe the same. This is definitely going into our regular rotation ???.
Yay! I so appreciate you coming back to the blog and leaving a comment!! Thank you so much!
This was delicious! All the family put on the have it again list. The only thing I changed was adding a can of green chillis and I salted the zucchini to get the water out and used a towel to dry.
Yay, I’m so glad to hear that. And great tip about salting the zucchini to remove the extra water content 🙂
These are fantastic – a hit with the whole family! My son made the comment, “Who knew zucchini could taste so good?”
Hahaha, best comment ever! So glad that the whole family enjoyed these 🙂
These types of recipes make you actually WANT to go on a diet
Haha! YES!!
I veganised this recipe and absolutely loved it.
Oh nice! What did you use instead of chicken?
Try with Jackfruit !!!
Ohhh great idea!
Lovely idea. Will be trying with bean filling instead.
That sounds great! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Made this for dinner!! Super good!! If you like your veggies more done cook longer, we also added refried beans.
Yay! So glad to hear that you made it and liked it! Thanks so much for sharing!
I loved this recipe and it was so easy to make! I’m not a cooker but me and my boyfriend are trying to do better with what we eat. We’re from Mexico so you know we like to eat and not only that but what we eat it no where near healthy! It’s been about a month and a half that we started to work out (to get rid off those extra pounds) but I knew exercise was not gonna be enough if we kept eating the same way. I can go on but all I want to say it’s thank you for all those yummy easy healthy recipes. It has helped me a lot :)!!!
I’m so happy to hear that and it means so much to me that you’re including my recipes in your journey to making healthier choices! Thanks so much for sharing and taking the time to leave a comment. I truly appreciate it!! Thank you!