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Easy Cheesy Enchiladas

30-minute dinner that is filling, rich, and with a little bit of spice.
Baking dish of enchiladas served with avocado, lettuce and cheese down the center.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes: 8 enchiladas
Nutrition Facts: View label

Ingredients

2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa (try Food Hero's Salsa Roja or Salsa Verde)
1 ½ cups corn (fresh or frozen, or a 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
½ cup chopped mild green chiles (4-ounce can)
½ teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ cups shredded cheese
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (10-inches) or 12 corn tortillas (6-inches)
1 can (15 ounces) enchilada sauce

Directions

  1. Wash hands with soap and water.
  2. Rinse fresh vegetables under running water before preparing.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
  4. Mix beans, salsa, corn, chiles, garlic and half of the cheese together in a bowl.
  5. Warm each tortilla in a dry skillet and stack them on a plate.
  6. Spoon about ½ cup of the bean mixture onto each tortilla.
  7. Roll the tortilla and place seam-side down in the baking dish.
  8. Pour enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until hot.
  10. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes

  • Substitute black beans or kidney beans for the pinto beans.
  • Cook your own dry beans. One can (15 ounces) is about 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups drained beans.
  • Try substituting cooked chicken or turkey for beans.
  • Topping ideas: hot sauce, avocado, black olives, green onion, lettuce, radishes, or low-fat plain yogurt or sour cream.

Comments

These were AMAZING!!  But I did make them a specific way...figured i would share how we did it!!

  • Sauce: green variety.  
  • Beans: pinto, one 29 ounce can
  • Tortillas: corn (12, 6 inch) and we quickly cooked each tortilla in a dry skillet , cooking them and then stacking them all on a plate to get ready to stuff and roll them.  
  • Filling: added cumin, garlic powder, a can of green chilies and an extra 1/2 cup corn.  The filling perfectly filled our 12 tortillas at 1/2 cup each.

YUMMY!!!

I always have leftover bean/corn/cheese mixture when I make this -- I use a blender to mash it up, add a teaspoon of cumin and a dash of veggie oil, and make my own refried beans with the leftovers.  

This is my go-to enchilada recipe now!  They are great with any kind of beans, and I add fresh cilantro or green onions if I have some on hand. 

My students loved this recipe because it is perfect for the end of the month when everyone was short on cash, wondering, "What's left in the cupboards?" It's also easier to assemble because flour tortillas don't crack like corn ones do if you roll them cold.  As a side note, for educators who are preparing this recipe in a room without an oven:  You can cook this just fine in an electric skillet -- just cover it, and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. 
 

I am used to making traditional enchiladas so when I tried this I was very surprised when this turned out so well! It was so easy to make and tasted great, even my daughter who loves chicken enchiladas loved them.

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