Recipes: Allison's Black Bean Enchiladas

Over the years I have managed to become a pretty decent cook - this recipe is one of my best. It's filling, vegetarian, and makes for great leftovers. It is also full of options and can definitely be tweaked to serve to the health-conscious or vegan by removing the cheese and spot-checking a few ingredients...

So, here it goes - let's make some Mexican (ish) food everybody!

Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 bunch of green onions (chopped, green parts only)
2 15 oz cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 slice of fresh lemon (remove any seeds)
1 TB cumin
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8-10 tortillas (around 8" diameter)
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 10 oz cans enchilada sauce

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Coat hot skillet with cooking spray and add green onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add black beans, diced tomatoes (liquid included) and stir until evenly mixed. Then add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and lemon. Stir well and bring to a low simmer.

2. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently (ish - just don't let the beans stick to the bottom too much) and remember to scrape down the sides as well. After 5 minutes, remove the lemon slice. The filling will start to thicken a bit over time but in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking I also smash a few of the beans with the spoon to add more thickening. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 8.5 x 11.5 x 2in baking dish (or whatever you have that's similar in dimension) by coating it with cooking spray. Put about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of bean filling into a tortilla and sprinkle with 1-2 TB of cheese. Fold in the ends and sides of the tortilla to make a sealed pocket. Place each enchilada (seam down) in the baking dish. I can usually fit 8 or 9 enchiladas in my dish (so I pack 'em in pretty tight) - don't be scared - they smoosh together nicely. I'll pack 6 or 7 along the length of the pan and then 2 or 3 horizontally in the empty space below them. Next you cover the enchiladas with enchilada sauce. Just make sure all the tortilla parts are covered - you may not need to use all 3 cans of the sauce. Use your judgment - cover it all up, but don't fill it to the brim (or you'll be dealing with drips). Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and the cheese is browning. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

You can totally tell from this picture that I was guilty of overfilling my pan with sauce. What can I say, we like things saucy around here. 

Serving suggestions? Well, I usually serve it simply with sour cream and salsa, but we have also enjoyed having chopped avocado as a topper. Really, you can serve it with whatever you want, you guys. I hope you enjoy it if you try it!