Meatless Monday: Chipotle and Tomatillo-Sauced Black Bean Enchiladas with Spinach & Red Pepper
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Tom and I try to eat as organic-as-possible, but 100% organic is simply not possible, for many reasons. In an effort to bring our grocery bill down a bit and make room for being able to buy organic dairy and meat products we do eat, I’m trying hard to incorporate more vegetarian meals into our rotation. I finally convinced Tom (who’s been complaining about our grocery bill as of late) to do a vegetarian meal each week. (Just don’t tell him that the last two weeks, it’s been 2 vegetarian meals in a week…he hasn’t noticed, and I plan to stick with it. Shhh.)
Beans are an easy way to do vegetarian. They’re healthy, have protein, and they’re full of fiber so they fill you up. I planned on making pretty simple black bean enchiladas, but I had half a bag of baby spinach that needed using up, and by some miracle, red bell peppers were on sale, so I had one of those, too. The filling for these turned out delicious. Really flavorful and believe me, you will not miss the meat. Beans have a meaty texture as it is, but mashing some of them up, a method I use for our normal black bean side, fools you even more. Not that you really need to be fooled, because black beans are awesome and so are spinach and red peppers.
I was going to make a standard enchilada sauce for these, but then I remembered how much I loved the chipotle and tomatillo salsa from Rick Bayless. Also, it was crucial that a chili pepper or two be used in some way, shape, or form in the sauce, considering I didn’t use any in the filling. I ended up having an extra tomatillo (read: I completely missed it when I was making the chipotle-tomatillo salsa) so I just diced it up and threw it on top. It was a nice added texture and tang.
These were fabulous. I loved them for dinner and I might have even loved them more for lunch. And, come to think of it, they made a pretty great breakfast one morning, too. 🙂
I promise that some day I will learn to take pictures of things like enchiladas and lasagna, but today is not that day.
Chipotle and Tomatillo-Sauced Black Bean Enchiladas
Serves 3-5
2 tsp. canola oil
1 small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, one drained/rinsed, the other not
1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
3 oz. baby spinach
2 oz. cream cheese, softened (optional)
12 corn tortillas
2 batches* Chipotle salsa with pan-roasted tomatillos or enchilada sauce of your choice
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, Mexican blend, or any other cheese of your preference
Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and a pinch of salt; sauté until tender. Add the beans, broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. bring to a boil and then reduce to low heat, simmering for about 10 minutes and stirring occasionally.
Stir in the spinach and let it wilt. With the back of a wooden spoon, mash some of the black beans to thicken the mixture. Off the heat, stir in the cream cheese, if using. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Meanwhile, spray/brush the tortillas with oil, stack in twos on a baking sheet, and place in the oven until soft and pliable, about 3-4 minutes.
Spoon a little bit of the salsa/enchilada sauce over the bottom of a baking dish.
Make the enchiladas by spooning some of the bean mixture into each warmed tortilla, rolling them up, and placing them seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Top the enchiladas with the salsa, and then with the Monterey Jack cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted and enchiladas are bubbly.
*I made one batch of sauce, which was not quite saucy enough. I think 1.5 would be enough, but why not just make 2 and have some extra for chips? 🙂
I try to do at least one veg meal a week (usually more) as well otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford to eat ANY meat, let alone organic (although I do go organic). And beans are usually the way to go. With a dish this flavorful I’m sure you don’t even notice the absence of meat! Looks delicious.
You’re words couldn’t be truer regarding prices of certain organic produce. I too vary my meals with a lot of vegie options. Love what you have done here Elly. I’m a fan of any type of enchilada.
I love, love this recipe. Elly. I kind of get stuck in a rut for Meatless Monday, this is a new inspiration to me!!
I would prefer this veggie version of enchiladas over beef any day. Good for your for going veggie twice a week!
Looks delicious…I’ll never tell!
Loving the look/sound of this recipe! We have been eating a lot of beans lately. Im for sure going to try this out!
These look very tasty! I have also recently started talking my husband into a meatless recipe once a week. He’s been carrying it over to not eating meat as much for his lunches either. Looks like my good habits are finally starting to rub off on him!
Your vegetarian enchilada looks delicious, very nutritious with beans and spinach…hope you have a wonderful week ahead Elly 🙂
Loove this recipe Elly – doesn’t even have that much cheese is it so I could modify for Lent. Way to be sneaky about the 2fer non eating meat sessions per week.
This looks wonderful, Elly! I’ll definitely have to make this for one of my meatless Mondays. Thanks for sharing!
My stomach is growling! Seriously, it is! This looks amazing.
I made this for dinner tonight and added rice to the bean mixture. My kids all ate it up as fast as they could. Thanks for a great recipe! I’ll definitely be making this again soon!
So glad everyone liked them! The rice sounds like a great addition.