Vegetable Enchiladas

My dear readers, I have been holding out on you. A week before making Garlic Beef Enchiladas, I made Vegetable Enchiladas. And they were fantastic! I simply did not want to bombard you with back-to-back enchilada recipes, so I have been waiting for the right time to share this with you...and now is the right time!

These colorful enchiladas are packed with black beans, cheese and lots of vegetables.

The filling is easy with no cooking required, just mix everything in the bowl. The sauce is also quite easy, though it takes a little while to cook. Both can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble.

The key to assembly is heating the corn tortillas, as they can otherwise be stiff and/or split. If they do split, I usually just carefully roll them up the best I can and put them in the baking dish. Enchiladas, and casseroles in general, are pretty forgiving since everything essentially blends together anyhow.

I love that these tasty enchiladas can be enjoyed year-round since you use primarily frozen vegetables.  We discovered a frozen vegetable mix with edamame, corn and red pepper that works really well. If you are unable to find that vegetable mix, it is also very tasty with just corn.  Regardless of which vegetables you use, the result is a flavorful and healthy meatless dinner that even meat-eaters will love!

 

Vegetable Enchiladas
Yields 6 servings (2 enchiladas per serving)

Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 cup flour
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 cup water
Ground pepper

Filling/Topping:
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheese, divided (any combination of pepper jack, cheddar, colby jack)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
10 ounces frozen mix of corn, edamame, red pepper, thawed
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons chili powder
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
12 corn tortillas (6 inch)

1. Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, fiesta blend, scallion whites, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon chili powder. 
2. Make sauce: In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, flour, and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute, whisking. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened (5-10 minutes). Season with ground pepper and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
4. Stack tortillas and wrap in damp paper towel and microwave for 45-60 seconds.  Top each tortilla with 1/3 cup filling; roll up tightly and place seam side down in baking dish.
5. Sprinkle enchiladas with remaing 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce.  Bake uncovered for about 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Cool for 5 minutes and top with scallion greens. 

Adapted from Everyday Food