Black Bean Enchiladas

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Hey guys!

I have to start this post apologizing for the shoddy quality of these pictures- I try to only post things if the pictures are at least decent, and these were taken when my phone was on its last legs. That being said, I REALLY wanted to share this post because it is such an easy way to stretch a buck and make amazing comfort food at the same time. Great idea+bad pictures= kindof ok to post, right?

These enchiladas are far from traditional, but they are yummy and perfect to tuck into after freezing outside for the day. Even better, there’s only 1/4 cup of taco beef (yes, seriously) in this recipe, with the rest of the filling being black beans and rice! That keeps this recipe nice and affordable. This is also my new favorite way to use up slightly dry wraps, because you can’t tell when they’re smothered in enchilada sauce and cheese! You could easily make this vegetarian by removing the beef and adding in extra beans, or vegan by swapping in a non-dairy cheese alternative. Whatever you need!

Serves eight for $8.20 , or $1.03 per serving

1/4 cup of taco beef- $0.87

1/2 cup rice- $0.50

Once can rinsed and drained black beans- $0.88

Eight tortilla wraps- $1.79

One tin enchilada sauce- $2

One tin tomato sauce- $1.48

~1/4 cup Tex Mex Cheese shreds- $0.68

Pantry staples- chili powder, cayenne pepper and/or chipotle pepper, dried oregano

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This recipe starts with mixing your rice, taco beef and black beans in a bowl with some chili powder and chipotle or cayenne pepper. If you have a favorite tex mex seasoning, feel free to add that too!

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Next, fill and roll your tortillas with that mixture and place them seam side down into your baking dish. I wish I had a fancy trick for you on how to roll these but… I don’t. I was pretty satisfied with just having them hold together. Any tips?

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Once you have your filled tortillas arranged in your casserole dish, in a big bowl open a can of enchilada sauce and a can of plain tomato sauce. I added chili powder, chipotle powder and oregano to the sauce and mixed it well, then spread it over all of my tortillas carefully.

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At this point, you can actually tuck these babies into the freezer! They’re a great freezer meal, you just pull them out a night or two in advance to defrost and then sprinkle with cheese before popping them in the oven! Either way, whether you’re baking it right away or defrosting it later, it took me about 30 minutes at 375 degrees. My cheese was teetering on the edge of overcooked, though, so I might suggest that you cook it 20 minutes and then pull it out to sprinkle it with cheese before popping it back in for another ten to 20 minutes to finish heating through.

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