You know what I’m constantly looking for? Dinner ideas. Clean, relatively simple, vegetarian, good tasting meals that I can put on the table on a weeknight. I thought you guys might be looking for that kind of thing too! So I’m working on a bunch of great dinner recipes to share. Until the holidays. Then all you’re gonna see is cookies.
We LOVE enchiladas! Enchiladas have been on our monthly rotation since we were newlyweds. I like them because they’re a one pan wonder and therefore make much more convenient leftovers than other Mexican foods like tacos or fajitas. Mine used to be white flour tortillas fried in butter, coated in canned sauce, and filled with MSG seasoned ground beef and cheese. It sure was tasty, but things have changed over the years (perhaps to Jason’s chagrin). My enchiladas nowadays are made with handmade whole wheat tortillas (handmade by Trader Joe), a simple homemade sauce (or the TJ’s sauce if I’m super lazy), black beans and an array of fresh veggies in my own “taco” seasoning, and a little cheese on top for good measure.
The vegetables can easily be swapped out for whatever you like or have in your fridge, and omitting the cheese on top makes the whole thing vegan! I like to serve this along with sides like mexican rice and refried beans, but they’re honestly a complete meal on their own.
- 6 whole wheat tortillas
- 2/3 c. grated mexican style cheese (optional)
- Sauce
- 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 T. chili powder
- 2 T. cornstarch+1 c. cold water, stirred together
- 1/2 t. onion powder
- 1/2 t. garlic powder
- Filling
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 c. red bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 c. green bell pepper, diced
- 1 1/2 c. zucchini, diced
- 1/2 c. corn kernels (frozen and thawed work fine)
- 2/3 c. mushrooms, diced
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 t. pepper
- 1/2 t. cornstarch
- 1 T. chili powder
- 1/2 t. corriander
- 1 t. smoked paprika
- 1 t. cumin
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally until it’s heated through and starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet and coat with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat.
- Saute the onions, garlic, bell peppers, and zucchini in the pan until they all soften and start to brown.
- Add the corn and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are tender and start to brown.
- Add the black beans and the seasonings, stir together and cook until heated through.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- To assemble the enchiladas, first spray a large rectangular baking dish with cooking spray then spread about 1/2 c. of the red sauce in the bottom of the dish.
- For each enchilada, take one of the tortillas and dip it in red sauce. Then scoop some of the vegetable filling in a line down the middle of the tortilla, roll it up, and place it in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and filling.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas.
- If you’re using cheese, sprinkle it on top of everything.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is completely melted on top, about 20 minutes.
I happen to think enchiladas are even better the next day, so this will most definitely be lunch for me tomorrow.
If you prefer meat or want a meat option, I seasoned and cooked some chicken breast tenders then shredded them and added it to the enchiladas for the rest of my family. But of course I’m partial to the meat free option. I don’t remember missing anything when I was eating these tonight!
It’s going to be a very chilly night here in Georgia (temps below freezing!), so I’m going to put on my warmest fuzzy pants and head to bed.
-Lauren
5 Responses
Matt @ Runner Savvy
Looks delicious 🙂
Lauren @ Dash of Soul
Thanks, Matt! 🙂
Ellie@Fit for the soul
OoooOO such beautiful photos, Lauren! And I think Mexican food is one of THE BEST meals to make when you’re in a hurry, want lots of leftovers, money efficient, and few dishes. These sound yummy and healthy, which is what I aim for most of the time. And I can’t wait to see cookies galore on here, hehe.
Lauren @ Dash of Soul
Thank you so much, Ellie! I agree, Mexican food is in our rotation every week!:)
Karen @ The Food Charlatan
Mmm, how do black beans make everything so amazing?? I am now craving enchiladas and it’s bedtime, thanks a lot 🙂 I’ll have to try these out!