Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews

evol Foods Carnitas & Salsa Verde Enchiladas

Carnitas & Salsa Verde Enchiladas and Cilantro Lime Chicken Enchiladas

A few months ago we were honestly delighted to discover that evol had returned to what we viewed as their roots: Mexican food. The (gluten-free) Vegetable Enchiladas were, quite frankly, excellent, and we looked forward to finding more varieties.

It was the "new" on both packages that caught the eye of one of our panelists - in fact, the Carnitas & Salsa Verde Enchiladas are so new they don't yet appear on the evol Foods website. In fact, we just now noticed that you could argue that the Cilantro Lime Chicken Enchiladas don't, either: you'll note that the picture on this page depicts a package labeled "Chicken Enchiladas" while the package brought to our tasting is labeled "Cilantro Lime Chicken Enchiladas." (On the website or not, both dishes are gluten-free.)

Interesting.

We chose to review the Carnitas & Salsa Verde Enchiladas first because they are higher in sodium, at 660 milligrams for the meal's 330 calories and 6 grams of fiber. As it turns out, they do taste a little salty, but for those who are used to more salt that likely won't be noticeable. As with the Vegetable Enchiladas, these are two well-stuffed enchiladas that come out of the oven with the scent of masa corn and tomatillos. Inside the enchiladas are chunks of tender diced pork, pinto beans, and rice, finished with diced red and green bell peppers. The pinto beans are firm and add a bit of texture, and the tomatillo sauce tastes just like the one on the Vegetable Enchiladas: it "tastes fresh and melds the tangy tomatillos with a hint of lime juice." The sauce does seem to overpower the pork somewhat, but every now and then you get just the right combination of ingredients on your fork and the savory pork comes through a bit more. Overall, a solid dish and one we can recommend with just the slightest of reservations because of the higher sodium.

The Cilantro Lime Chicken Enchiladas are every bit as good and have much less sodium per calorie: 610 milligrams to their 410 calories and 6 grams of fiber. The same masa corn tortillas are here topped with a classic tomato enchilada sauce that's nicely spicy, "like your corner Mexican place." The chunks of chicken in the filling taste as though they were actually marinated in a cilantro and lime sauce (warning to cilantro haters!), and you can taste the black beans' soft savoriness through the cheddar cheese. One of the more balanced dishes we've had in a while, the panel agreed. Both of these dishes could easily be a great dinner meal with the addition of a side salad: two thumbs up for evol Foods.

Reviewed: October 21, 2016